When Kacey Musgraves released her sixth studio album “Deeper Well” in 2024, it seemed like she had the entire world figured out. With acoustic affirmations on quitting bad habits — and weed — it’s hard to imagine how she could follow the criminally underrated album without retroactively sounding like a preachy wellness hoax. But on her newest record “Middle of Nowhere,” she doesn’t attempt to make a sweeping, new assertion on personal philosophies. Instead, she sits in her sovereign Texan seclusion, reflects upon past heartbreaks and has a real good time doing so.
Carrying a twangier palette than her previous few records, “Middle of Nowhere” dives right into the classic folksy storytelling Musgraves has mastered since her 2013 debut. On the 13-track album, she’s cleverly witty, never missing a chance for a pun or innuendo. In the contemporary country lead single “Dry Spell,” which simply recounts how long it’s been since she’s had sex, Musgraves offers no ambiguity with lyrics saying she’s “lonely with a capital H” and that she’s “sitting on the washing machine.”
But that’s not to say the album lacks emotional depth. Tracks like “Rhinestoned” and “Loneliest Girl” are thoughtful interpretations of singlehood being a purposeful, liberating state of mind rather than involuntary and isolating. Musgraves revels in her freedom in the latter, singing: “Y’all don’t need to worry ‘bout what I might be missing / Put me on a poster of somebody who’s living the life.” Outside of heartbreak tales, she plays with the idea of independence on the acoustic guitar-led “Abilene” which tells the story of a fictional woman who leaves her hometown without a trace: “They always say there ain’t no place like your home / Guess that’s the thing that she was counting on.”
Sonically, the record takes on a warm, cozy mix of folk and Americana brought to a new level by Musgraves’ dabble in honoring Norteño music, a style of regional Mexican music with strong presence in South Texas. Its influence is most notable in “Uncertain, TX (feat. Willie Nelson),” where pleasant accordions swell and cowbells tap across the upbeat two-step ballad, named after the characteristically charming town with a sub-100 population: “Down here in Uncertain, Texas / Nobody ever makes up their mind.” Against Musgraves’ confusion towards love, the song is a jubilant celebration of culture and rhythm that begs for a full-scale band and dance floor, a wish that’ll hopefully be fulfilled on the singer’s upcoming “Middle of Nowhere” tour.
Unfortunately, the album takes a misstep with three of four of its featured artists. Though it features a stacked lineup of folk and country singers like Gregory Alan Isakov, Billy Strings and Nelson, their presence on the record is reduced to echoed background vocals in various choruses and verses, limiting any tangible impact against Musgraves’ lead.
Luckily, when there is a substantial collaboration on the record, it’s one for the ages. Pairing up with country icon Miranda Lambert on “Horses and Divorces,” Musgraves reflects on an old songwriting feud and try to find common ground in what can best be described as a theatrical, Western showdown version of “Girl, so confusing.” On it, the women discover that “We’ve got a few things in common / Like horses and divorces and we both like to drink / Maybe we’re more alike than we think.” The call-and-response duet is endearing and hilarious, especially as the two consider: “I can’t believe we don’t share any exes / ‘Cause we both love cowboys, and we’re both from Texas.”
Predictably, the general consensus for “Middle of Nowhere” is that it’s a triumphant return to form to the Grammy-winning “Golden Hour,” her older records or the country genre in general. But, that feels like a cheap label for an album which doesn’t feel at all like it’s trying to return to a specific style or bait at the nostalgia of previous works. Rather, it’s a natural evolution of Musgraves’ vivid country world, this time holding true to her wistful declaration of independence, supported by the rich culture and musical identity around her. So if “Deeper Well” was about having the answers, “Middle of Nowhere” shows that growth doesn’t always come equipped with perfectly structured clarity. And in that uncertainty holds a strong indicator that Musgraves’ discography continues to be made for pure authenticity, not pandering.
Contact Amelia Knust at [email protected].