My final new release of the week is an album that came out at the beginning of the month: Kacey Musgraves’ seventh album, Middle of Nowhere.
I’m a bit shocked that Musgraves already has seven albums under her belt, even if the number is padded a bit by a Christmas release. I’m a big fan of her debut, 2013’s Same Trailer Different Park, and her Album of the Year-winning fourth album, 2018’s Golden Hour, but haven’t found much time for the rest.
I’ve seen a lot of fans name 1976’s Hejira, Joni Mitchell’s eighth album, as their favorite of her releases. And I get it. This is a lush, emotional, warm record, brimming with great poetry and beautiful music.
But it’s also a bit of a chore. The nine-song cycle runs over 50 minutes, with multiple tracks topping the six-minute mark. None of the songs have traditional choruses, just four or five (or six) long meandering verses. This album requires you to either pay very close attention or pay no attention at all.
Meet Me In Montauk 