star-crossed [Sea Foam LP]

by Kacey Musgraves

Overview

There's this thing called the "Oscar Curse" where the winner of an Academy Award winds up embroiled in a divorce not long after taking home the trophy. Kacey Musgraves lived through the music industry equivalent of this curse. Her third album, Golden Hour, swept all four Grammy categories in which it appeared, including the biggest award of the night, Album of the Year. Musgraves delivered Golden Hour five months after her 2017 marriage to fellow singer/songwriter Ruston Kelly. They filed for divorce a little over a year after her career-making night at the Grammys. Star-Crossed chronicles the dissolution of their marriage, offering a full-blown song cycle detailing the breakdown of the union along with the soul-searching that followed. Musgraves doesn't spare painful details. If anything, she suffers from a blunt literalism, hitting her targets squarely on the nose. She attempted to be a "Good Wife," starts pining for "Simple Times" after she realizes her romance isn't as it was portrayed in the movies. She begins resenting his layabout behavior, swipes through memories on her phone, gets despondent at the "Hookup Scene," then musters strength, discovering a light inside of herself. It's a familiar story enlivened by details, specifically the depths of her bitterness toward her former lover: she cuts down her ex with "He wants a breadwinner, he wants your dinner/Until he ain't hungry anymore/He wants your shimmer, to make him feel bigger/Until he starts feeling insecure." The bite of the words is softened considerably by the pan-genre gloss of the music. Picking up the threads left dangling by Golden Hour, Musgraves weaves another softly shimmering tapestry of modern and retro-pop, using folk and country as accents, not foundations. It's a glistening, alluring sound that also is just this side of lulling. Star-Crossed rolls and sways, gaining momentum not from shifts in tempo but rather arrangements; songs are distinguished by how a lack of overdubs suggests intimacy, while layers of harmonies, analog synths, and drum loops convey serenity or strength. Throughout it all, Musgraves is a presence so cooly placid, it's a bit hard to believe she'd get rattled by a romance or anything else for that matter. Listen closely, it's evident that Star-Crossed is a quintessential divorce record -- the story is laid out quite clearly in its 15 songs -- but in a practical sense, the album delivers sophisticated mood music, providing a soothing soundtrack for all manners of quiet domestic activities. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/10/2021
Label:	Mercury Nashville
UPC:	0602438261109
Rank:	30034

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kacey Musgraves   Primary Artist,Vocals,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Ian Fitchuk   Synthesizer Bass,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Drums,Piano,Congas,Keyboards,Percussion,Synthesizer,Guitar Loops
Jim Hoke   Flute
Matt Combs   Cello,Viola,Violin
Daniel Tashian   Bass,Harp,Horn,Timpani,Keyboards,Synthesizer,Fender Rhodes,Tibetan Bells,Guitar (Steel),Fender Jazz Bass,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Todd Lombardo   Banjo,Guitar,Guitar Loops,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Nylon String)
Dewain Whitmore, Jr.   Vocals (Background)
Leisa Hans   Vocals (Background)
Josh Moore   Bass,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Fancy Hagood   Vocals (Background)
Natalie Osborne   Vocals (Background)
Viktor Krauss   Bass
Lucie Silvas   Vocals (Background)
Thomas Osborne   Vocals (Background)
John Osborne   Vocals (Background)
Kirsten Agresta   Harp
Jacob Bryant   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Ian Fitchuk   Drum Programming,Arranger,Composer,Producer
Craig Alvin   Engineer
Greg Calbi   Mastering Engineer
Violeta Parra   Composer
Daniel Tashian   Composer,Producer,Programming,Drum Programming,Horn Arrangements
Dewain Whitmore, Jr.   Composer
Josh Moore   Engineer,Drum Programming
Ivan Wayman   Mixing Assistant
Zack Pancoast   Engineer
Brandon Burton   Composer
Steve Fallone   Mastering Engineer
Shawn Everett   Mixing
Ilsey Juber   Composer
Kristen Clark   Production Coordination
Andrew Neely   Composer
Dante Jones   Composer
Kacey Musgraves   Composer,Producer