Day 351: Kacey Musgraves – Same Trailer Different Park
I love that I discovered Kacey Musgraves through this project, even though I never thought I’d be a country gal. One of my rare 10/10 albums is Golden Hour, which is so good that I haven’t listened to it more because I want to save it for special occasions. She’s also one of the artists whose discographies I’ve been trawling through in the course of this project, I’ve listened to four so far, and today it’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff and see if I’m a real fan: I’m listening to her debut album, Same Trailer Different Park.
Album cover courtesy of Mercury Nashville
By the time Kacey Musgraves was releasing her debut, she had already been grafting in the music industry for ages: she had self-released three albums solo and two as a part of a duo called Texas Two Bits, performed at the inaugural ball of George W. Bush as a teenager, won a yodelling national championship, performed the national anthem at the Winter Olympics and participated in a reality TV singing competition called Nashville Star. She also co-wrote songs for major country stars and performed at children’s parties as a Hannah Montana impersonator to make ends meet.
Her major label debut came in 2013 with Same Trailer Different Park, which she co-produced with Luke Laird and Shane McAnally. She also co-wrote the album, drawing inspiration to it from her small-town upbringing in Golden, Texas. It was released to pretty much universal critical acclaim and earned her two Grammys for Best Country Album and Best Country Song with “Merry Go Round”.
I think I’m consciously avoiding becoming a country fan this year – there’s nothing wrong with country music in general, but saying that you got into country in 2026 makes you sound like you want to throw chairs with Morgan Wallen while listening to songs about beer and big trucks, which by the way I don’t. So I was a bit sceptical of whether I’d like her most traditional country albumas much as her later work.
But my scepticism was definitely not warranted. Same Trailer Different Park is definitely different to her later albums, it’s thematically more country, with its stories of ordinary working-class people’s lives. It’s a bit melancholic but with a lot of humour to it, and while her writing is already sharp, it’s interesting to hear her development as a lyricist compared to her recent stuff.
I think one of the things I like about her is how much personality she has in her music, never seeming like she’s trying to pander for acceptability, especially in such a traditional male-dominated genre. I love artists who are true to themselves, and it’s clear from her debut she has been herself since the beginning. And I don’t know what it is but she’s like my comfort musician and/or songwriter, there’s just something about her stuff that makes me feel like I’m sonically wrapped in a blanket, or like I’m sitting by a fire having a nice yap session. I think it’s the hazy sound paired with her friendly country storytelling that makes it so soothing to me.
I was sceptical for no reason at all. Same Trailer Different Park isn’t my favourite Kacey Musgraves album, but I enjoyed it very much, especially to see where she started from earlier on in her career. No, it’s not as good as when she’s at a career peak, but to me that’s a very high bar. I’m giving this one an 8.5/10. Unfortunately it seems that my yee-hawification is happening this year, I should probably just accept it.