star-crossed, Kacey Musgraves’ fifth studio album, explores introspection through the lived experience; a consistent theme in her music that is relevant and relatable to all of us. Her modern interpretation of Country Music continues to amaze, for star-crossed traverses numerous musical divides, sometimes simultaneously, to deliver an immersive selection of music that has a country origin while remaining easily accessible to modern music lovers.
Listening to the Apple Music lossless 24-bit 48kHz stream, star-crossed sounds simply stunning with a broad soundstage that is well-defined and enveloping, but nothing could have prepared me for the Dolby Atmos presentation via the AirPods Pro. Stunning would be an understatement and in many respects, it’s modern recordings where Dolby Atmos truly shines; where the concept of the technology was approached from the get-go rather than simply remixing existing recordings. Regardless, if you have the opportunity to listen to the Atmos stream, I would highly recommend it as the music becomes borderless and while the stereo soundstage was already impressive, I much prefer the envelopment that is offered via the Atmos stream.
Yes, the argument could be made that there is a little too much vocal processing applied throughout, but once you get past that aspect, and appreciate star-crossed for what it is, that element somewhat disappears as you become drawn to the musicianship and musicality.
One aspect that I’m not sold on, however, is the album artwork. I get what the imagery is trying to present, but after the exquisite, and aesthetically pleasing, artwork that adorns Golden Hour this new artwork is a letdown and is a deterrent to picking up the album on vinyl; thankfully the Apple Music stream is so sonically pure that it is more than I will ever need to experience star-crossed.
star-crossed is the perfect song to open the album as it sets the scene for the songs that are to follow. The vocal harmony is out-of-this-world, as is the Spanish guitar, and the slow build in tempo and musical depth is nothing short of pure perfection.
good wife sees me move involuntarily to the groove. It’s a wonderful exploration of the pressures we put ourselves under to be the other person, in every relationship, and to meet often unspoken, but implied, expectations. While this is Musgraves own personal journey, her writing is relatable.
cherry blossom has a cheerful musical tone, despite the slightly more sombre lyrical significance. While my body moves involuntarily to the rhythm, when listening to cherry blossom, I find it to be a little too treble focused and would love to have seen a smoother presentation with a focus on the midrange.
simple times is head-bopping and toe-tapping bliss and is a perfect song for our current times. As much as our social and technological advancements have been a blessing, especially with recent worldwide events, I too wish for the simpler time I once knew.
if this was a movie.. isn’t my favourite song on the album, but is compelling in a way that I simply can’t articulate. That said, I love the life imitating art comparison.
justified is a great tune that I could listen to on repeat indefinitely. It’s catchy and I’ve no doubt you’ll find yourself singing along to the chorus; I know I did.
angel is simply beautiful.
breadwinner has an addictive rhythm with a catchy chorus that will appeal to many as it can be seen as a precursor to avoiding relationships with the wrong person.
camera roll has a vocal presentation that sounds eerily familiar; yet, I’m at a loss to explain the correlation. Regardless, camera roll is beautifully mellow and sits perfectly within the flow of the album. Lyrically, camera roll is a masterpiece. We’ve all been there, reflecting on our past, yet unable to move on at that moment. Musgraves absolutely nails it and while the song is presented literally, sometimes that’s what’s required as meaning tends to get lost if written in metaphors alone.
easier said is a solid tune, but arguably isn’t as strong as the other songs on the album. That said, it doesn't sound out-of-place either and the more you listen to star-crossed the more it grows on you.
hookup scene has a stripped-down, near-acoustic, sound but the vocal distortion remains; especially apparent on headphones. In this instance, I would have loved to have heard Musgraves, with guitar, in her natural, unaltered, singing voice as I feel it would have had far more emotion. That said, the meaning of hookup scene is fantastic and reminds me of the meaning behind the song Love the One You're With.
keep lookin’ up is a killer tune, especially the Atmos mix with the backing vocals being presented as disembodied souls throughout the surround mix. Plus, the guitar surrounding you is simply something you have to experience firsthand. Magical!
what doesn’t kill me isn’t the strongest song on star-crossed; it’s album filler, despite fitting in musically to the overall style of the record.
there is a light gets your body moving involuntarily and is one of the best songs on the album with a positive vibe that showcases that darkness won’t last forever.
gracias a la vida is a classic tune, but it feels out-of-place on star-crossed. That said, it isn’t too much of a deterrent and I find that star-crossed can be easily appreciated on repeat listens. Of course, if you have a chance, take a listen to the original from Violeta Parra; a lovely recording in its own right but Musgraves’ modern interpretation is more emotionally charged thereby making it my preferred version.
Despite obvious clichés in the lyrics throughout, star-crossed is an incredible album and while the lossless stereo edition is spectacular, star-crossed is simply magical via Dolby Atmos as it takes the album to another level, and doesn’t simply add surround effects for the sake of it. While it would be easy to look at star-crossed as being a sombre album, especially considering its context, I consider it to be a reawakening that rejuvenates the individual’s soul and one album that can appeal to everyone for it examines when things don’t necessarily go the way we’d like; a lovely contrast to our modern, outwardly positive, public personas.