2013 has already proved to be rich for first-rate country albums, with The Mavericks and Ashley Monroe already releasing records that should be on many critics’ best-of lists at year’s end. The trend continues with Kacey Musgraves, whose major-label debut "Same Trailer Different Park" is not only intriguing vocally but engaging lyrically, with every song co-written by the 24-year-old East Texas native. Some people might remember Musgraves from her seventh-place finish on the 2007 season of "Nashville Star," but now people should remember her for clever couplets such as lines from her hit "Merry Go ‘Round": "Mama’s hooked on Mary Kay / Brother’s hooked on Mary Jane / Daddy’s hooked on Mary two doors down." Showing the same verve and attention to detail that she displayed when writing Miranda Lambert’s single "Mama’s Broken Heart," Musgraves’ career looks bright as long as she keeps the slickness away and continues writing about deferred dreams and the not-so-quiet desperation of young women yearning to breathe free. Don’t miss her when she opens for Kenny Chesney this July. This album will be released March 19.
Grade: B+
