"Not many people can capture loneliness, love, or loss as beautifully as Kacey Musgraves, and she wistfully explores these themes on Golden Hour. What I've always loved most about Musgraves's songwriting is her message that it's OK to not be OK, no matter how perfect things may look from the outside. Golden Hour could have been 13 tracks about being blissed out and in love — Musgraves married fellow country singer Ruston Kelly in Oct. 2017 — but instead, she gave us twangy slow jams about self-care and independence ('Lonely Weekend'); depression and self-doubt ('Happy & Sad'); and missing a parent ('Mother'); and even a disco-inspired track called 'High Horse' that calls out the Pretentious Patties of the world. My favorite moment on Golden Hour is coincidentally at the very end: on the last song, the deeply heartwarming 'Rainbow,' Kacey croons, 'It'll all be alright.' And if there was one message I needed to hear in 2018, it was that." — Britt Stephens, content director
