Kacey Musgraves: The Woman of the “Golden Hour”

If you didn’t see Kacey Musgraves as the musical guest on “Saturday Night Live,” check it out. She performed two songs from Golden Hour: the country/disco, “High Horse” and the smooth “Slow Burn.” The unconventional marriage of country and disco on “Horse” works nicely (as it does on Kylie Minogue’s Golden), with its references to John Wayne and “giddy up/giddy up,” paired with a prominent bass line, congas, high-hat cymbal, and a sparkling saddle as mirror ball. With “Horse,” it appears as if Musgraves is stepping a bit out of her comfort zone, but then again standing on the “SNL” stage may turn the volume up on the nerves. Nonetheless, the creative departure is most welcome, and “Horse” is immediately catchy. She settles into the song and the performance, even towards the end serving a bit of ‘70s Cher, when Musgraves flicks her long black hair off each shoulder.

But more importantly, it’s Musgraves’ crystal voice that shines, especially on “Slow Burn,” her return to the familiar: acoustic guitar in hands; taking her “Slow Burn” time, revealing lyrics that keep to a traditional country sensibility, but with a modern take, something for which she is known (“Texas is hot/I can be cold/Grandma cried when I pierced my nose”). Its sound is tender, its pacing is beautiful, and the sweet spot is revealed in the second verse when the band comes in: drums kick; bass rolls; steel guitar slides.