Continuing my countdown of 2024 notable album releases by women…

The Ladies of 2024
#7 – Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well

I really wanted to love this album, having been firmly on the Kacey Musgraves bandwagon since her 2013 debut, Same Trailer Different Park. That album was such a breath of fresh air, and might still be the best thing she’s done.

Sophomore effort Pageant Material offered more sharp songwriting, and 2018’s Golden Hour was a revelation, crossing genre boundaries on its way to a well-deserved Album of the Year Grammy.

Then came 2021’s Star-Crossed, a divorce album that found Musgraves experimenting with genre and song structure. I never got on board with that one, and the dismal commercial performance suggests I wasn’t alone.

Deeper Well seemed like a perfect comeback opportunity. The first single (and title track) had all the hallmarks of her early work, and third single ‘Cardinal’ is another keeper. Would this be a return to form?

Sadly, no. Not for me, anyway. I’ve given the album two listens now and my overwhelming response has been boredom. It’s well produced, with Musgraves’ acoustic guitar providing a sweetly delicate backdrop to a new batch of songs. But those songs are utterly forgettable, lacking the charm and stickiness of her best work.

Musgraves is working with different co-writers than those on her first two albums, which could be the answer. But these are the same collaborators who penned Golden Hour, so you know they have great work in them.

Anyway, this feels like the moment when I go from being a fan of an artist to being a fan of certain albums by an artist. I’ll check out whatever Musgraves does next, but I won’t anticipate it.