Kacey Musgraves, a well-known country singer and songwriter in the country genre, released, Star-Crossed – her fourth studio album – this September. The album focuses on the disintegration of her marriage to fellow country singer Ruston Kelly. Each song in Star-Crossed deals with a new stage in the acceptance of her divorce. However, no two songs share the same beat or sound, making it one of my favorite albums.

While Musgraves’s previous album, Golden Hour, sets a high bar, Star-Crossed does not disappoint. Star-Crossed, like her other albums, explores both the good and bad moments in life through beautifully written lyrics. However, Golden Hour reflects the excitement and joy of the early days of marriage while Star-Crossed shines a light on its deterioration and ensuing darkness. 

Several songs on the album deal with the expectations of being a perfect spouse and the disappointment of not living up to this impossible standard. Others discuss defying the typical roles women have in a marriage. In her most upbeat song, Breadwinner, Musgraves writes, “He wants a breadwinner. He wants your dinner. Until he ain’t hungry anymore,”. This song portrays a not-so-flattering picture of her ex-husband Kelly, saying her success made him insecure and tore down his big ego. Camera Roll, my personal favorite song, shows Musgraves reminiscing about the ups and downs in her marriage. Camera Roll has a softer and more mellow tone to it. It explores the idea that nothing is as picture-perfect as it may seem. In an interview with Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, host of the New Music Daily Radio, Musgraves discussed how the inspiration behind the song came when she began obsessively scrolling through her camera roll looking back on old times. She writes, “What’s crazy is that we never take pictures of the bad times,” showing that cameras cannot capture the happiness or misery we are feeling in the moment. This song felt very relevant and personal in my life, as sometimes I forget this, especially when being active on social media. This song also reveals that pictures of the past can cause unresolved and unwanted emotions to rise to the surface, and for Musgraves, influence and inspire a musical album.

If you are a person who likes a range of beats, sounds, and melodies, Star-Crossed is an album for you. There is a song for everyone on Star-Crossed. The album captures Musgrave’s divorce and paints an alluring picture of the darkness that followed after her divorce while using clever and catchy phrases. No matter what, Star-Crossed will always be my go-to album, as it fits any moment and occasion. I highly recommend giving Star-Crossed, or any of Kacey Musgraves’s albums, a listen.