Kacey Musgraves has made a career of bringing all kinds of people to the party. Whether it’s directly addressing LGBTQ identities in a song or mentioning psychedelics and mental health in another, Musgraves idea of “country” is expansive and inclusive. So, it’s no surprise the handpicked playlist our Nashville Artist of the Month made for WNXP continues that trend even as her geographical focus is narrowed. Musgraves’ new album, Middle of Nowhere, is of, and about, her home state of Texas. Of course, there are versions of Texas, and it’s as hot a hotbed as there is right now in the socio-political landscape with different sides struggling to claim their version as THE version. Musgraves’ Texas is, to borrow a title from one of her most famous songs, a “rainbow” of cross-cultural creativity, which is laid out here, song-by-song, containing everything from the music she grew up with to the music she makes to the kaleidoscopic sounds that continue to inspire her.
