On Kacey Musgraves’ Saturday Night Live Performance
Though the allure and effectiveness of a nationally-broadcast television performance for a music artist has lost a lot of its importance in the modern media makeup, the Saturday Night Live stage still holds both a sway upon popular culture, and an opportunity to reach a dialed-in and diverse audience that is more important than the sheer numbers Nielsen tabulates. Being asked to play the show itself has become a hallowed gesture, and it has the potential to help create, extend, or in some cases, diffuse the buzz behind an artist or a song.
You don’t just have to be a big name to play Saturday Night Live. You have to be making a buzz behind your music in the cool, hip crowd, sort of like Kacey Musgraves has been doing with the release of her latest record Golden Hour. The record has been garnering substantial acclaim in media, including and especially outside of established country media. According to some, it’s best record that will be released in country music all year, which is a bold claim since we’re not even half way through 2018.
The album has its critics too, but even many of them will admit to Golden Hour including some stellar songs such as the stirring “Space Cowboy,” the heart-fluttering “Butterflies,” or what may truly be one of the “best” songs in country music in 2018 so far, the album’s closing number, “Rainbow.” Kacey’s also known for turning in performances that if nothing else, are interesting in how they’re presented with her dress and stage getup. So even if you didn’t have vested rooting interest in Kacey Musgraves, you were inclined to tune in Saturday night.
“Tired as hell but I gotta see my girl Kacey Musgraves sing #spacecowboy on SNL,” said Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum on Twitter Saturday evening. “If she doesn’t I will hunt her down.” Unfortunately though, “Space Cowboy,” nor any of the other more universally-acclaimed songs from Golden Hour made their way onto the Saturday Night Live stage. Instead we received the disco-infused “High Horse,” and the mild, but inoffensive “Slow Burn.”
Song selection was just the beginning of the disappointment in Kacey’s performance. Her “High Horse” rendition began by the camera zeroing in on a bedazzled saddle hanging from the rafters, and that was apt symbolism of how the performance would be much more about presentation and appearance as opposed to substance. Kacey came across as awkward, seeming to be more concerned with how her hair was resting against her leisure suit as opposed to hitting the high notes of the song with strength. Her attempts at dancing and choreography felt forced and scripted. She didn’t look comfortable, and this translated to the audience shifting in their seats.
Meanwhile there were too many people on stage with her, while you heard instruments playing that were not there. The song started with a backing track to emulate the song as it is on the record. It’s difficult to determine whether the two fiddle players were actually playing live at any point, but at the 2:42 mark of the video (see below), you clearly hear fiddle when the two players are not playing. Meanwhile you have two guys standing behind consoles doing Lord knows what, and one of the best steel guitar players in the world, “‘Smokin’ Brett Resnick, relegated to playing a redundant acoustic guitar line with the guy beside him, and incredibly too loud in the mix. Kacey’s vocals needed a boost too, and that’s not her fault either.
In some respects, it’s understandable why Musgraves would go with “High Horse” to appeal to an audience much wider than the country music mindset. But more importantly, she should have gone with a song that could showcase what she does best, which “High Horse” did not. And on a program like Saturday Night Live, Musgraves is also acting as an ambassador for country music. If you tune in to watch Amy Schumer and see a performance like “High Horse,” you’ll be even more confused about what country music is supposed to be in 2018 than you already were accidentally landing on it on the radio. Artists from pop, hip-hop, and R&B come out and own that stage. Musgraves just appeared on it.
Kacey’s second performance was much better. “Slow Burn” still is one of the more mild selections Kacey could have gone with, but it represents the vibe of Golden Hour well, and the performance was strong in both Kacey’s delivery and the arrangement. Still, why go with two songs that are inauspicious picks when so many people were expecting to hear at least one, if not two of the best songs currently out there in country music that happen to have Kacey’s name on them? Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum wasn’t alone. Many were hoping to hear “Space Cowboy.”
It all seems to go back to the lack of a true strategy when it comes to how to push Kacey Musgraves to the masses. Instead of selecting a strong song, releasing it to country radio, and daring country’s misogynistic programmers not to play it, the Musgraves team released two songs simultaneously—“Space Cowboy” and “Butterflies”—basically letting radio off the hook to not have to play either. These are also the two songs with high production videos behind them. Then Musgraves ends up on the SNL stage and avoids both of them.
This is a singles-driven market, even for album artists. You’re trying to create a buzz behind one song, and then ride that song hard to bust through the din of new music being released every week so folks will pay attention to your career and record. Once that song has run its course, you move to the next one. Instead Kacey Musgraves is all over the place with what she plays and where, and missing a big opportunity to codify the groundswell behind songs like “Space Cowboy” and “Butterflies” to an important and influential national audience.
In lieu of the buzz around the water cooler on Monday being about how badass Kacey Musgraves was, “..and did you see that bedazzled saddle?” it will be about how the bedazzled saddle was the best part. The response on social media has been very mixed in both Twitter and the YouTube comments, the two tracks Musgraves performed are not in the Top 10 of the iTunes charts (usually a phenomenon that parallels an SNL Performance), and they’re not even Top 10 on the country iTunes charts. It feels like a missed opportunity compared to the buzz and momentum we’ve seen from other country artists taking the SNL stage lately.
We show concern for things like Kacey’s Saturday Night Live performance not to impugn, but to be constructive. It’s important for country music to put its best foot forward on a national stage, and it’s especially important for country music’s women who are going systematically overlooked. For them to turn the tables on the narrative, they must make the best of these national opportunities to uphold their end of the bargain. They must smack home runs to prove country music’s folly for ignoring them. Yet by not putting forth her best songs—and by turning in a mild opening performance—it only strengthens the argument that artists like Kacey Musgraves are not marketable in the modern country context.
Kacey Musgraves will be fine. But she would have been so much better selecting and performing songs that showcase what she and country music can do when given equal footing in a national spotlight.
May 13, 2018 @ 10:42 am
Speaking of selection these articles need to get better.
May 13, 2018 @ 1:45 pm
Well you could, I don’t know, go to another website and read articles that meet your standard?
May 13, 2018 @ 3:10 pm
MH,
I’m being as genuine as I can, when I say that we all agree that trigger is a fantastic writer.
It’s the stuff he chooses to write about, and the angles he takes, that bother me.
It’s his site though, and he’ll write about whatever the f$&@ he wants to, as would I.
May 13, 2018 @ 6:23 pm
Well you could, I don’t know, go to another website that writes the stuff you want to read about and takes the angles that don’t bother you?
May 13, 2018 @ 6:51 pm
Or since most of SCM visitors don’t care about mainstream crap then don’t waste time.
Unless he’s trying to audition for Country Weekly?
May 13, 2018 @ 8:26 pm
If I posted articles based on what “most of SCM visitors” wanted to read about, I would only post mainstream crap.
May 14, 2018 @ 9:14 am
Strait Country 81 – your moniker infers a preference to “mainstream”. Just sayin’
May 13, 2018 @ 5:37 pm
Or you’ll do what?
May 13, 2018 @ 10:54 am
What the two songs have in common is the lyrics in both are absolutely awful. Hardly surprising I guess considering they’re from the pen that gave us “mind your own biscuits”.
May 13, 2018 @ 8:13 pm
Biscuits is a fantastic song
May 13, 2018 @ 9:46 pm
^^^Sometimes people drink too much on Sundays. Shit happens, man.
May 14, 2018 @ 7:11 pm
Biscuits does have a snappy title but I may be partial.
May 14, 2018 @ 9:22 pm
Biscuits is shit. I’ve shit better lyrics preparing for a colonoscopy. I’ve stepped on better hooks in the goddamned river. Biscuits is just absolute shit. It’s so bad I now eat my gravy on toast. Even shit on a shingle’s better than that song.
May 15, 2018 @ 9:39 am
Shoot me a link to your lyrics and hooks. I love discovering new music.
May 15, 2018 @ 9:53 am
It’s Rodney Dangerfield back from the dead!
May 15, 2018 @ 9:59 am
Biscuits is just absolute shit. It’s so bad I now eat my gravy on toast. Ohhhhhh! Awful song! I’m tellin’ ya!
May 13, 2018 @ 11:13 am
I personally don’t think there is any funny business with who is playing what parts. The only thing strange to me is that you can’t hear the fiddles at all. The string sounds seem to be coming from the keyboards, or consoles, as you call them. That’s why you hear them when the guys out their fiddles down?
What the second keyboardist is doing though, I don’t know. You know you’ve moved away from a country sound when you need not one, but two keyboard players.
May 13, 2018 @ 11:24 am
Why have two fiddle players on stage when you’re playing your string arrangements on a synthesizer or mellotron? I’m not saying they were playing to a prerecorded track. If they were, the acoustic guitar would have been way more down in the mix, and Kacey would have been up. It’s just bad form. It’s not organic. And you don’t need two dudes playing keyboards. One guy can play two keyboards unless there’s an excessive amount of buttons to push. This isn’t prog rock.
May 13, 2018 @ 11:30 am
I agree, I just thought you were implying there were some shenanigans going on…who knows whose decsision it was to mix that way, but the having 2 keyboardists in the first place for sure can’t be blamed on SNL.
May 13, 2018 @ 11:37 am
Also Trigger, I just went back and read your review of High Horse where you say it’s about a partypooper…. am I the only one who thinks she is taking a stab at country music purists? I didn’t read all the comments but from memory don’t remember that being of much discussion.
May 13, 2018 @ 12:44 pm
The song itself has a party vibe, but the lyrics are about cutting people down who cut people down, which is a weird thing for a party song, or for a Saturday night. I think she is taking a stab at country purists to some extent with the “classic in the wrong way” line, though I think it’s more about critics or “partypoopers” in general. I really don’t think the song works, but it could have worked on SNL, it just didn’t for a host of reasons.
May 13, 2018 @ 1:55 pm
Or maybe the lyrics aren’t that weird for a song that breaks away from a more acoustic and somewhat countryish sound that are on her first 2 albums. I kind of feel that the lyrics and the production / disco sound go hand in hand. All the talk about how these other lazy outlets are embracing her with open arms and defending this version of country, but all along I think she is reaching out to them in this song. Not only is the sound different for “country”, but she’s in a way saying fuck you to anyone who has a problem with it. It seems too coincidental that her discoish song has these lyrics. Maybe it’s just the way I read it but I see more references than just the “classic” line. The hall of fame, John Wayne (Hank Williams would have been too obvious), just the references to cowboy culture in the first place all, I think point to that. In short, you could interpret that country traditionalists or purists are the partypoopers who are not going to like her song, winning her more favor with the other non country outlets that are so eager to embrace this version of “country”. I could be smart and try to find out if she has said what it’s about but that would be less fun(and she may not even publicly admit it if it’s true). Anyway, sorry to harp on this but I think it would be interesting if that was the point, and we missed it.
May 15, 2018 @ 9:12 pm
Country disco from the past according to Rolling Stone https://www.rollingstone.com/country/lists/country-disco-songs-kenny-rogers-dolly-parton-ronnie-milsap-w520109
May 13, 2018 @ 4:47 pm
“Why have two fiddle players on stage when you’re playing your string arrangements on a synthesizer”
I believe this is called “performative” country music
May 15, 2018 @ 9:58 am
Biscuits is just absolute shit. It’s so bad I now eat my gravy on toast. Ohhhhhh! Awful song!
May 15, 2018 @ 4:20 pm
Listen again around 2:40 on Slow Burn. The fiddles are clearly there, being used to fill in the sound and create a mood.
Guitarists do this all the time with the volume knob on the guitar, for pedal steel players it’s an art form.
I heard them live when I watched the show, and noticed them enough to think “nice touch”.
Not every instrument in the band needs to be or should be playing at the same time.
May 15, 2018 @ 6:22 pm
Sounds like a common string patch on a synth to me.
A guitarist using their volume knob for tone (going between overdrive and clean) and for volume has little to do with 2 instrumentalists on stage being completely muted in a mix by the FOH engineer, IMO. It makes them more for show…
May 15, 2018 @ 9:10 pm
You’re right, there’s a synth or two in there, along with the kitchen sink.
And you’re right, guitarists drop the volume to clean up tone, either for lead/rhythm playing, or just to add some dynamics. But that’s not the same as a volume swell.
Volume swells, from strings or horns or from guitar volume pedals, fade in and out, sometimes staying in the background for fullness or to add depth.
I mention a guitar swell because it’s what I know for reference. The violins are not being hidden by the FOH guy, they’re being used for ambiance, they’re not pretending to play the whole time, they only chin their violins when needed. It’s an ambient song. Most of the band is being used for ambiance on this track.
I think this makes the song breathe.
And you’re right, there are two violins for show, it’s show business, the whole band and her short skirt are there for show. Otherwise she’d just sing to a backing track like most of the pop stars do.
But two violins adds fullness, like double tracking. See how many strings are in the average symphony orchestra. Sometimes more is better.
You could be right, it’s live TV, they do cheat for obvious reasons. I think the dozens of transients in the rhythm guitar scream live, and she misses a few strings on a few strums here and there, which screams live to me, but you could be right.
Faking it or not, I’m glad musicians got paid, kudos for Musgraves for bringing them along either way.
One thing I know for sure, that I’m 10,000 percent certain of, and it not up for debate.
She’s a little stoned.
May 15, 2018 @ 11:10 pm
I guess you haven’t caught on to the fact that I argued that they are playing live. It’s pretty obvious. Not sure what transients have to do with playing live (and if you want to get technical there are far more than a dozen transients in this song or any piece of music-unless it only has 12 notes), but they clearly ARE playing live. The fiddles aren’t being heard though, even “ambiently.” Listen to a fiddle, then listen to any thick string patch from any hardware or derivative non sampled string soft synth, then listen to this. Not the same. And not trying to turn it into anything more than that. In fact I argued above that there is no funny business going on in that regard. Trigger pointed out that the string sound continued when they weren’t playing and I mentioned it seemed to be because the string sounds are coming from the synths.
Being muted in the mix doesn’t mean you are faking it, but thanks for the lesson in show business and how a self proclaimed advocate of getting nigh, might in fact, be high.
May 16, 2018 @ 7:48 am
Sorry, misunderstood, you’re not saying they’re not playing.
I do hear the fiddles, along with the synths. And I’m talking about Slow Burn, not the disco track, I should have clarified.
Transients are what some people call the pops, tongue clicks, and guitar noises from sliding fingers on a recorded track. Most engineers will clean them up. I was not talking about transient notes or chords. I should have been more clear.
I tried to make a joke about something we can all agree on, her being stoned, and I clearly didn’t come out that way. Again, my bad.
May 13, 2018 @ 11:14 am
”It all seems to go back to the lack of a true strategy when it comes to how to push Kacey Musgraves to the masses.” Sure seems that way Trigger ……she needs a management overhaul , I think
If you’ve seen Kacey perform live ( concert footage , TV appearances ) a time or two you will likely have noticed how awkward and totally uncomfortable she is in those situations. I think she is trying to be something she absolutely IS NOT when it comes to live performance. I think she’s a songwriter and vocalist ….not a live performer perse . As a viewer , I don’t want to feel uncomfortable watching an entertainer struggle to deliver visually and it seems that I always do watching her guitar-less .
I think its also quite clear from these live performances that her pitch is often suspect and it was indeed last night . No , I don’t think anyone ( OK Celine Dion ..maybe Maren Morris ) can deliver a dead-on pitch perfect vocal live ….but certainly Kacey struggles mightily in this department and not having a powerful voice to begin with doesn’t help matters .
Saying all of that …..I thought the song choice was absolutely fine …High Horse was the RIGHT one to perform for a cross section of viewers/listeners who may not appreciate her lyric-writing gifts but know a groove and great hooks when they hear them . Slow Burn , as Trigger points out , delivers in vibe and was a nice contrast to High Horse . But yeah …..VERY strange she doesn’t perform SPACE COWBOY …being her current mainstream single and all .
I think KM comes off more confident and less awkward when she ” picks and grins ” rather than trying to be a ‘diva’ with the questionable dance moves and awkward strutting . Compare her live performance to a Maren Morris who is absolutely fearless when it comes to the stage and delivers a powerful , flawless vocal and…..well that just ain’t Kacey’s thing . I’m more of a fan of GOLDEN HOUR with each listen . I think its a clinic in how to write songs with smart lyrics ( if not her best ), great musical hooks throughout and a superb production .
May 13, 2018 @ 11:27 am
Umm not sure I’d use Maren Morris as the example, especially coming off of two/three straight fairly terrible awards show performances (ACM and Grammys). A better performance comparison for Kacey would be to Miranda anyways style wise.
May 13, 2018 @ 3:04 pm
I think if Maren comes across pitchy live its probably technical sound issues on those shows . She has amazing natural pitch and power and style . Certainly Miranda does also ….huge fan of both of those voices.
And I’m a huge fan of Kacey’s vocal style…its just unfortunate that she has issues singing/performing live when she is so gifted in the writing department . But hey ….it never stopped Bob or Lucinda or Kris …or Burt Bacharach or so many others from having huge careers as writers AND performers . I hope Kacey can get past the ‘diva-ish ‘ phase when it comes to performing . Ain’t working .
Interestingly , although hardly ever acknowledged , and not widely alluded to , Shania cannot dance and moves very little on stage . Sure , she can ‘ sell it ‘ in videos like nobody can but if you watch live performance , she’s not a DANCER like a Janet Jackson , an Aguilera or ????. She pretty much stands still and sings it with as little ‘ choreography as possible …..at least in the performance stuff I’ve seen .
May 20, 2018 @ 5:03 am
“I think its also quite clear from these live performances that her pitch is often suspect and it was indeed last night”
Hahaha, whaaaat? She’s pitch perfect basically all of the time.
May 13, 2018 @ 11:58 am
As got as far as seeing Amy Schumer and then I hit pause.
May 13, 2018 @ 12:50 pm
Un-/popular Opinion: Kacey Musgraves will not save country music (& i don’t care what a hipster writer of a hipster magazine in NY is writing about KM or her current album).
She was the next big thing on Music Row. The 2nd row of artists is full of great talents. I don’t need KM acting like an actor who is playing a “country” singer trying to sell a pop song like “High Horse” as a country song to an urban audience.
May 13, 2018 @ 1:44 pm
Slow Burn and Space Cowboy are the only decent songs on the record IMHO
May 13, 2018 @ 2:15 pm
Golden Hour is probably the best song on the album. Solid release even though it’s not very country.
May 13, 2018 @ 1:46 pm
She looks very awkward and ………. Less than sober.
May 13, 2018 @ 3:06 pm
”Less than sober.”
Actually I thought the same , Tara . Unfortunate cuz she undermines her talent if that’s the case
May 20, 2018 @ 5:06 am
It’s a whole lot harder to shine than undermine
May 13, 2018 @ 1:48 pm
Kacey is much better than her SNL performance. Sadly she didn’t sing her best song & the song she did sing made her vocals sound really weak. I had to play my friends a few of her songs to convince them of her talent. Sad for her. So strange b/c she has been good live when I’ve seen her but I think people or herself put to much pressure for this gig.
May 13, 2018 @ 4:39 pm
If you have to qualify Kacey’s performance to friends, then it was a failure. Most of the time I don’t pay attention to social media public sentiment about anything because it’s unscientific and anecdotal at heart. However for performances like this, it can help give some insight into how a performance was received. There was a lot of negative, especially about the “High Horse” performance, and a lot of the positive comments were only about how great she looked, or about “Slow Burn.”
May 13, 2018 @ 2:14 pm
What a babe though.
May 13, 2018 @ 3:04 pm
Just like a young Jessi Colter, I could stare at her all day long.
May 13, 2018 @ 2:38 pm
Love her…. and everything she’s done… until this release. I don’t get why so many people love these songs. The entire album seems to float… me to sleep.
May 13, 2018 @ 5:31 pm
”The entire album seems to float… me to sleep.”
I was a little disappointed in this record at first listen also Steve. But I think it was designed to produce a different response than her first two and I have since really come to appreciate it for what it is …..not for what I might have expected it to be ( Same Trailer v3 ) . I don’t think there’s a bad song in the entire set and there is a consistency about the production , the vocal sound , the overall ” floating’ effect you refer to , that must be applauded , I think .
Calling it the ‘ best country record of 2018 ‘ is just a ridiculous assessment and stupidly premature . Sure …its more country in many ways than most of country radio but there’s a ton of indie stuff that’s WAY more country . WAY more . AND , as Trigger points out , we’re not half way though 2018 yet so …..
May 13, 2018 @ 3:02 pm
Trigger,
Do you have any evidence that “Country” radio programmers are misogynistic, as opposed to just greedy?
May 13, 2018 @ 3:46 pm
“It all seems to go back to the lack of a true strategy when it comes to how to push Kacey Musgraves to the masses.”
If “the masses” aren’t buying, it may have nothing to do with marketing strategy. Maybe the problem is that Kacey doesn’t have enough talent or substance.
I also think “the masses,” like kids, know when they’re being manipulated. Sometimes they consent to be in on the game, sometimes not. It’s complicated.
I’m not at this table much, but my long-game money is on Gillian Welch, Ashley MacBryde, Dori Freeman, Jamie Lin Wilson, Rhiannon Giddens, and Molly Jenson. I’m sure there are others.
May 13, 2018 @ 5:45 pm
” I’m not at this table much, but my long-game money is on Gillian Welch, Ashley MacBryde, Dori Freeman, Jamie Lin Wilson, Rhiannon Giddens, and Molly Jenson. I’m sure there are others.”
Here’s the thing ,as I see it ,Cornman . The ” masses ” need to be won over on several different levels …only ONE of which is music . Unfortunately the other two are market saturation and ‘sparkle and shine ‘ ( natural beauty as society defines it and presentation …..Swift , Shania , Dolly , Reba , as examples ).
Kacey is the only one of the women you mention above that seems to be chasing BIG success on all those fronts . Its obvious that the other acts you mention are primarily interested in the work , the music …. and they work within the confines of their respective artistic visions . They are all terrific artists and you would certainly hope that all of them can find major long-term success on those terms by way of garnering enough support for the music only .
I think that Kacey has always been aware of ‘presentation’ as an enormous factor . In that respect , and knowing what ‘ the masses’ respond to , I think MY long-game money may be on Musgraves
May 13, 2018 @ 7:00 pm
Depends on the game.
May 13, 2018 @ 4:33 pm
Her album jumped up to number one on country iTunes.. was that not a victory?
May 13, 2018 @ 4:41 pm
I don’t know if that’s a victory, but it definitely is a positive sign. That is what you expect after an SNL performance.
May 14, 2018 @ 12:41 pm
Yes, and day 2 still there with Slow Burn number 12 on the singles chart. I really don’t understand the marketing with this album though. So many missed opportunities with multiple songs out there at the same time. I wish Space Cowboy was her first song choice.
May 13, 2018 @ 5:38 pm
I thought she was great. I wasn’t a fan of “High Horse” until I heard it live. “Slow Burn” is beautiful. I think she’s the Bees Knees and she was solid last night. I’ve seen performances in that space when I was working at NBC in college so I also know it’s not the best sounding stage I’ve ever heard so I do make allowances for that too.
May 14, 2018 @ 8:40 am
Count me in as another fan of “Slow Burn,” but yeah, “High Horse” was a pretty disappointing choice — I kinda hoped she would do part of “Butterflies” or “Space Cowboy” and then bust out “Mother” (for which she released an official video yesterday, so that was nice).
May 13, 2018 @ 5:42 pm
I was disappointed. I saw Kacey live and thoroughly enjoyed it but she’s been bland on several tv performances. I thought her performance of Space Cowboy on Fallon was forgetful as well.
May 13, 2018 @ 5:48 pm
I have to say I enjoy the song Slow Burn. The chord structure reminds me of Neil Young’s Old Man. And I liked the performance. High Horse I could have completely done without, but I did hate disco back in the ’70s and so there’s only so much I could enjoy it to begin with. I thought the performance was a good deal below what I remember of the studio version, whereas I thought Slow Burn didn’t really suffer.
May 13, 2018 @ 6:17 pm
I think you are being way too generous Trigger. She is absolutely boring and her voice is not very strong or on pitch. The best the she has going for her is that she is hot. Let’s be real. If she wasn’t smoking hot and wearing the outfits she wears, she would get less attention. She needs to pick folky songs that fit her small voice. That would help. The “High Horse” song is beyond her and the guys in the band just look stupid trying to groove to it. This was a huge fail. The truth about Kacey Musgraves is: You’re only new once.
May 13, 2018 @ 6:23 pm
I care about music that’s honest and straight-forward (not show bizzy, in other words) and this aint that. The cast of thousands on stage was crazy. As Trigger said above, “It’s not organic.” Far from it. A lot of people think “authenticity” is an overused word and an outdated ideal. I don’t. And fuck the masses. Do you wanna be a millionaire or do you want to make music that’s real and that matters? Very few get to have both.
May 14, 2018 @ 9:26 am
Ironically in an early interview she gave, she clearly stated if she only had 500,000 fans but was true to her self, she’d be happier than selling out and having millions of fans. (I’m paraphrasing).
May 14, 2018 @ 9:38 am
Tara Danielle – Interesting. I wonder what changed. Perhaps the feeling that maybe she could become a millionaire? No doubt there were plenty of people encouraging her to go for the big score. Too bad.
May 13, 2018 @ 6:30 pm
You’re still talking about her?
May 13, 2018 @ 6:33 pm
I will say this though … usually when someone of this ilk gets on TV (Sturgill with Stapleton on SNL, Turnpike on ACL), my phone blows up. I didn’t even know Musgraves was on SNL last night until I just read this article. And I don’t know anyone still talking about Golden Shower.
May 13, 2018 @ 6:35 pm
And about all the people on stage….. what kind of prick makes people where that same shit? Why do that? To stand out. We know which one the singer is? It had a wedding singer vibe when she first started doing it in 2015 but she’s still making the band where a uniform? So fucking weird to me.
May 14, 2018 @ 5:10 am
I have to disagree with this comment. The Beatles all wore the same outfit. Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, George Jones and many others had there bands dress in matching Nudie suits. I think the band out fit thing is a tradition in country music from another era. If they weren’t playing that goofy disco song it might be a better look for you or at least not look odd.
May 14, 2018 @ 5:17 am
Yes. But they all wore the same outfits. Musgraves has the band all were the same monochrome uniforms (like wallpaper) while she wears something much nicer.
May 14, 2018 @ 5:22 am
Buck, Merle, and Jones would wear a different color in the same style or wear a completely different outfit all together. In Jones case, he suits made in the theme of his hit songs. So, no they didn’t always wear the same thing. Also, when women did this sort of thing they would wear something totally different from the band. Also, think about the R&B and soul singers of the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. A lot of band outfits there too and the singer could do their own thing. Especially on package tours.
May 13, 2018 @ 6:50 pm
She sucks and is not worth writing about
May 14, 2018 @ 7:43 pm
Lyle Lovett
May 13, 2018 @ 7:13 pm
Just watched the videos. Bailed on both after the first verses. No charisma, at all.
May 13, 2018 @ 7:44 pm
Sounds like disco music to me. What is that thing in her nose? Was she shanghaied and branded by Queequeg?
May 14, 2018 @ 5:53 am
That “thing in her nose” is partly what makes her so EDGY man. Don’t you get it? Go back to sitting on a bale of hay and watch Marty Stuart if it’s too much edge for ya.
May 14, 2018 @ 4:18 pm
Just wait until you see Lillie Mae, RD…
May 13, 2018 @ 8:12 pm
I kinda liked the way Slow Burn sounded, but man, High Horse was just awful. The vocals need Auto Tune for that song.
May 13, 2018 @ 8:19 pm
She is pretty obviously a studio performer. I’ve seen her in person and on TV several times, and always came away underwhelmed. I think because she is inarguably beautiful we expect that she will be charismatic. But I’ve not seen that to be the case.
I thoroughly enjoy her songwriting and music, and will continue to buy her records. But I won’t expect anything special from her live.
May 14, 2018 @ 5:13 am
I’ve had a couple of conversations with her. That’s her personality… no personality. Just kind of flat, boring, and kind of full of herself stoner. I actually wonder if the weed is what makes her that way. Just no spark.
May 13, 2018 @ 9:51 pm
Honestly, I have never understood what the appeal of Kacey Musgraves was. Most of her songs that I hear are too preachy or two boring or both. The only song of hers, that I have heard, that I liked without reservation was her duet with Willie Nelson on “Are You Sure”.
May 14, 2018 @ 5:14 am
“…as opposed to hitting the high notes of the song with strength.” Don’t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.
May 14, 2018 @ 5:53 am
You take away that one lyric in “Follow Your Arrow” and no one (i.e. the media) would be proclaiming her praises.
May 14, 2018 @ 7:45 am
Well she did receive her highest acclaim for “Merry Go’ Round” which came before, though I agree some of the praise is coming for the message and not the music.
May 14, 2018 @ 8:46 am
The song choices were ok for that SNL audience, though the execution on High Horse was dreadful. Enjoyed slow burn.
Neither was country, of course.
Feels like she’s gone full-on Margo Price with this album (not country, empty East Nashville hipster crowd music). At least Margo Price put out an AOTY country record before she turned.
May 15, 2018 @ 6:20 am
Benny, I think that’s a bit rough with respect to Margo Price. I agree that AAM is a bit of a let down after MWFD, but I don’t see it as any major stylistic departure. The songs are not quite as good, but I think there are several good ones and I don’t understand saying that it’s “not country.” Even the song that gets the most criticism around here (Pay Gap) is Tex-Mex. My biggest problems with that album is the political hubris on two songs, even if I might be sympathetic to her views. Specifically, the “since 1776” line in “Pay Gap” and the inclusion of political speech snippets (particularly starting out with Bill Clinton) in All American Made, a song that I was happy to hear was going to be on the album after I’d seen her NPR Tiny Desk performance.
May 15, 2018 @ 8:24 am
Yeah, calling AAM not country was going a little too far. Agree on the political stuff, it came off as childish and forced. But the main problem I had with it was the complete lack of energy(!) on the record.
May 15, 2018 @ 8:31 am
Can’t disagree with that. I think it’s at best a pretty good listen. For me, MWFD was the little album that could. Just kept growing on me until I realized it was one of my favorites for that year.
May 14, 2018 @ 9:13 am
Why do you always have to shit on people like this? Bitch and moan all the time, why can’t you be more positive. Why even write the article? You shit on Margo, shit on Kacey. Maybe just skip it. This website should go by shitting on anything Trigger doesn’t like. Seems lately there are far more negative articles then positive. I used to love this site, now it’s a giant bitch fest. I came here to discover and learn. Not anymore.
May 14, 2018 @ 9:21 am
From the article:
“We show concern for things like Kacey’s Saturday Night Live performance not to impugn, but to be constructive. It’s important for country music to put its best foot forward on a national stage, and it’s especially important for country music’s women who are going systematically overlooked. For them to turn the tables on the narrative, they must make the best of these national opportunities to uphold their end of the bargain.”
If we don’t criticize artists like Margo Price and Kacey Musgraves and only coddle them, they won’t get better, and they won’t break through, and they won’t be able to live out the potential of their music. These are both very talented women. But in my opinion, the media anointing their mediocre efforts doesn’t support them, it keeps them relegated to the 2nd tier. I would have loved nothing more than to report on Kacey’s stellar performances. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened, at least when it comes to “High Horse.”
May 14, 2018 @ 2:32 pm
Thing is, as soon as I saw the headline on the site, I knew this article would be nothing but negative. Seemingly due to the enthusiastic response from the mainstream music press as much as the music itself, Kacey Musgraves cannot set a foot right with you this time around.
It was a nice performance. Slow Burn in particular was absolutely gorgeous – basically studio quality but somehow even dreamier and with a few flourishes not on the record. High Horse is one of those songs that’s just going to sound a little awkward live. It’s like when I went to see Vampire Weekend and they killed every song but my favourite one, Giving Up the Gun. There’s a spaciousness to both songs that just seems to mean that outside their studio-assembled versions, they sound a bit off. I still think she did a good job with it, though.
“If we don’t criticize artists like Margo Price and Kacey Musgraves and only coddle them, they won’t get better, and they won’t break through, and they won’t live out the potential of their music.” This is such a patronizing line. Golden Hour sits at 90 on Metacritic, and Kacey Musgraves has debuted three albums in the top 5 of the Billboard 200. And yet somehow she hasn’t broken through nor has her music lived up to her potential? Short of her suddenly becoming the next Carrie Underwood, what would that look like?
I generally like this site and find a lot of good things here, but like Regular Reader, I also notice that when you get a negative bone between your teeth, you do not let go. You can probably infer from all this that I adore Golden Hour, but it’s fine that you didn’t and you justified your opinion in your review. But I don’t think it’s valid to project what you wanted onto a performance and speak negatively when you didn’t get what you wanted. Kacey Musgraves has no responsibility to act as an ambassador to country music, and her song choices were fine. One was a poppier song to appeal to a primarily non-country audience, the other was a ballad more representative of the tone of the album. And she did a nice job with both, one more than the other.
May 16, 2018 @ 8:44 pm
I couldn’t agree with this comment more.
May 14, 2018 @ 10:49 am
I have noticed in music journalism there isn’t much honesty anymore. Few journalists could really be called critics as everything they write are puff pieces. This is sad. We are a nation that can’t handle criticism. Trigger is one of the few that has the guts to call things out as they are. He should be commended for this, not panned.
Kacey ‘s views on social causes have endeared her the media. So , few are gonna be honest about her.
May 14, 2018 @ 11:16 am
Also, if you can’t find something to discover and learn about on Saving Country Music, that says way more about your browsing habits than it does this website. It was your choice to click on this article. Meanwhile on the home page right now are articles about First Aid Kit, Lori McKenna, Lucero, Parker Millsap, Brent Cobb, a cool song from Luke Combs, and other articles directly talking about important country artists right there to discover.
Kacey Musgraves on SNL could have been a great discovery mechanism for millions of people into the world of country music you never hear on the radio, just like it was when Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton performed, and it was disappointing that she didn’t live up to the moment. That is why I felt it was important to underscore the moment and take lessons from it.
May 14, 2018 @ 12:49 pm
Also on the front page, Johnny Lee on Modern Country: “I Don’t Even Listen To That Crap.”
Jason Isbell Explains Why It’s Important to Criticize Bad Music
Kane Brown’s “Super Awkward” ACMs Moment Was Choreographed by Producers
Single Review – Jason Aldean “feat.” Miranda Lambert in “Drowns The Whiskey”
Taylor Swift Is Not Going Country. Country Is Going Pop
Maybe rename the site to Shitting on Pop Country 50% and Saving Country Music the other 50%
May 14, 2018 @ 1:35 pm
If you had read the article on Jason Isbell, maybe you would understand why criticizing music is so important. One of the reasons artists like Kacey Musgraves and Margo Price find such difficulties in their careers is due to being shaded out by pop stars and younger stars in country, like what was covered in the Taylor Swift and Johnny Lee articles. The Kane Brown article explains how producers often get big mainstream artists to do things against their will that mischaracterize their character, and should be called out to put in check the overreaching scope of corporate music.
Just because you say something critical does not mean you’re still not watering the roots of independent country music. In fact sometimes those are the most important articles to the fight. Also, by talking about artists like Parker Millsap and Lori McKenna right beside artists like Jason Aldean and Kane Brown, you’re helping to equal the playing field. I could write puff pieces of independent country artists all day, but what good would that do if I’m just preaching to the choir? Saving Country Music is now over 10 years old and has posted nearly 4,700 articles. The primary goal has always been to affect change in the country music marketplace, not to be a music recommendation site to serve a constituency. That said, I appreciate the people enjoy my musical recommendations, and I try to cater to that as well. But micro-serving ad audience would make the efforts of this site less effective.
This article was supposed to be a celebration of Kacey’s appearance on Saturday Night Live. Unfortunately though, I can’t lie like the journalists of other outlets and pretend it was great if in my heart I believe that’s not what transpired.
I appreciate your feedback. I honestly do. But nothing has changed here in 10 years. I’m doing what I’ve always done.
May 14, 2018 @ 1:46 pm
I miss SCM circa 2010. This shit didn’t happen back then.
What about those SCM t-shirts? I’m going to a few Outlaw Fests starting next month and would like to wear one to at least one of them.
May 14, 2018 @ 1:40 pm
Or he could rename it to wonderwhosgonnawhineandcomplainaboutwhatiwritetodaybuttheyllstillreadit.com
May 20, 2018 @ 5:23 am
“Kacey Musgraves on SNL could have been a great discovery mechanism for millions of people into the world of country music ”
This quote encapsulates a lot of your problem on not only her, but on all the stuff you decide to picket against. You think you’re being objective, but you’re just spitting up subjective opinions as if Kacey’s SNL performance wasn’t massively far reaching and didn’t increase the popularity of her singles, her album, and country music in general.
May 20, 2018 @ 10:31 am
Actually Christian, as I said in the article, if you go and look at the comments on YouTube, Twitter, and other places, you see mixed results for how “High Horse” was received. This is not just my personal opinion. And we definitely didn’t see the same sales pop we saw from performances by Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson on the show recently. “Slow Burn” was received a lot more cordially, but it was the 2nd performance, who often sees less of an audience. It wasn’t like Musgraves bombed or anything, but it could have been a launching pad if she had selected a better song than “High Horse” that showed off her talents. It’s simply an observance.
May 14, 2018 @ 1:48 pm
Well,to be fair,seeing how it’s his website,he can pretty much shit on anything he wants to on here. He has been very fair (too fair imo) with Kacey in the past,even defending her against Bobby Boner guy. Those of us who have yawned since the beginning with Margo and Kacy just had to sit through it,hearing how AMAZING they both are. Nice to see he’s finally coming around.
Now if he came around on that big blonde overrated ho’ing gal from Lindall Texas, my head would explode.
May 15, 2018 @ 5:55 am
I must have been out on the days that praise was heaped on Margo Price here. Seems to me the coverage of her here has been mixed and lukewarm positive at best.
May 14, 2018 @ 2:30 pm
I wanted to wait a bit before I commented as I watched SNL last night on the TiVo and then watched these clips again here. On High Horse she definitely looked and sounded tentative with no confidence or conviction in the vocal delivery on top of bad attempt at half dancing to the rhythm. Like was said above not the best song choice for this show. I’ve never see her do a full live show so I have no idea how her stage presence is sans guitar but if this is any indication she needs to work on it. I thought Slow Burn was much better and she was much more comfortable. That came through. I’m not a Kacey hater, the album is starting to grow on me a bit because I DO enjoy some Adult Contemporary light female vocal stuff. I always have. Her studio voice is pleasant, I could watch her sing the fuckin phone book and I’d be happy…lol but parading this album as “Country” anywhere (TV-Radio etc..) is a sham and that’s why we bitch about it here. To Regular Reader above it’s one thing bitching about Pop Country which I do enjoy SOME of but what we’ve gotten lately from a few big names is just POP with NO Country and it’s taking up valuable airtime from deserving artists. That’s why we bitch! For the record I’m sure everyone on here knows there’s 2 or 3 Pop Country websites that pander to the mainstream but shockingly there’s no comments……ever! I wonder why?
May 14, 2018 @ 3:20 pm
Kasey Musgraves….
She sucks.
May 14, 2018 @ 3:25 pm
I’d just like to reiterate that Kacey is tremendous live. Really impressive. Save for a few stellar performances in its 40+ history, an SNL performance is not going to make or break anyone, Sturgill and Elvis Costello being the exceptions. I was afraid this was going to get a negative review even before I read it. I thought she was great and she certainly didn’t bomb so I’m not sure what the fuss is about.
May 14, 2018 @ 6:14 pm
I certainly don’t think she “bombed.”
May 14, 2018 @ 8:10 pm
Exactly.
May 14, 2018 @ 11:36 pm
After reading the comments here, I went back and listened again. I was so bummed with the performance and music the first time I didn’t even pay attention to the lyrics. They are awful. Sophomoric at best. There is so much hype going on for an act with little substance.
May 15, 2018 @ 12:34 pm
I’m a country fan, but I have never liked Kacey. I understand why folks like her lyrics, but the delivery is always soooo boring. I didn’t go to see her when I was right next to the tent at Bonnaroo because I was afraid I’d loose my buzz. I never could figure out what the “buzz” was about with her…BUT I LOVE GOLDEN HOUR. I just dig the vibe and I really like her voice. It will be on rotation this Summer right next to Sarah Shook, Western Centuries, Hedley, Old Crow, etc… She’s just not a performer and High Horse is hard to perform live anyway. She looked nervous as hell. I’m glad she found her stride on Slow Burn, but I too wish she would’ve done Space Cowboy. Seems like since she struggles performing live, her team would focus on nailing 1or 2 songs live, versus the parade of performances that have been on all the shows. Keep doing what you’re doing Trigger…I find all kinds of new stuff on here and even though I don’t agree with all your opinions, I still enjoy reading them.
May 15, 2018 @ 1:34 pm
Enjoying the album a lot, but these live performances are BLAH. I saw her in concert in Boston right after Pageant Material was released and I was underwhelmed then too.
May 15, 2018 @ 6:43 pm
That first video isn’t bad. I’ve always wondered what it would look like if Paris Hilton sang a Hall and Oates song. Now I know…
May 21, 2018 @ 5:49 am
Trashy song, crappy-forced performance. This ain’t Country, it’s just more of the same coming out of Hollywood. Move along, nothing to see here.
May 24, 2018 @ 8:46 pm
Wow. Never read so many comments from so many basement dwelling losers in a long time.
I love traditional country Music (a George Jones; George Strait; Alan Jackson; Hank Williams Jr and others). And I LOVE Kacey Musgrove. I thought her live performance of “Slow Burn” was hauntingly beautiful. And we hate SNL and Amy Schumer but tuned in to see Kacey.