I was going to write my second blog post of my drunken lonely Christmas on Bluegrass given that Sturgill Simpson basically saved 2020 by releasing two surprise albums full of Bluegrass interpretations of his already-epic records.
However, this Christmas morning, before the festivities begin I decided to put on Golden Hour, the Grammy-winning third album by one of my songwriting heros Kacey Musgraves.
A perfect mix of happy, uplifting music and some really bittersweet tracks, Golden Hour is one of those records which changes depending on what kind of mood you’re in.
Lonely Weekend is simply beautiful:
”If my sister was in town I know we’d be doing something fun” is such a simple, yet powerful line.
Again, Mother is such a simple, almost under-rated track which slots in to the centre of the record and yet holds the whole thing together.
The second half of the record is where the songs start to hit though. Space Cowboy and Happy & Sad bridge the record from the ballad first-half to the more upbeat disco-y second half.
Tracks like Velvet Elvis and High Horse I could do without, and are part of the reason that I think Golden Hour fails to break through into the truly great album it could be, but finishing on a breathtaking ballad in Rainbow is Kacey at her very best.
I’m not even sure that Golden Hour is my favourite Kacey Musgraves album, but when the mood hits you, it really is an incredible record.
Please give it a listen and let me know what you think. It’s safe to say that at Christmas, on a beautifully sunny day in Bristol, Golden Hour really hits and is perfect.
Love,
Nick
Travels Of The Amazing Stapleton 