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9.0
77398
9.0 |
The Digital Fix
There are few other artists in country music today that can (co)write songs that are so accessible to a wider audience and embrace traditional sounds and themes with wide open arms. You’ll be hard pushed to find better in 2015
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9.0
77640
9.0 |
PopMatters
A sumptuous dive into classic country that's also an exploration of identity, growing and exploring the idea of self within the sentimentalized past and our social-media-driven present
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9.0
77667
9.0 |
The Music
An album that’s country to the core, packed with acoustics, pedal steels, finger-picked banjos and some wonderful melodies
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8.3
77399
8.3 |
Pretty Much Amazing
Those of us who appreciate actual songcraft and aren’t satisfied by Mark Kozelek moaning about his dick can dig in
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8.3
77366
8.3 |
A.V. Club
A must listen for anyone who’s a little bit country, a little bit rock ’n’ roll, and just a little bit crazy
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8.0
77390
8.0 |
Pitchfork
It's a strange and forgiving album, less toothsome than the ones that preceded it, but Musgraves' resistance makes this album important, even when it's imperfect
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8.0
77318
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Trad country that is high spirited and highly catchy
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8.0
77403
8.0 |
Exclaim
Smart, funny, empathetic and wise, Musgraves is one of the best in the business right now
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8.0
77672
8.0 |
The Irish Times
Musgraves’ sharp, sassy, sarky insight, tempered by a fatalistic romantic streak, marks her out
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8.0
78099
8.0 |
Uncut
Musgraves’ willingness to address a life built on knotty contradictions give her songs resonance far beyond Golden’s borders
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8.0
82562
8.0 |
musicOMH
Nonetheless, listeners with open minds are strongly recommended to give Pageant Material a try. It’s brimming with wit and wisdom, and it really should have featured on more end-of-year lists
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8.0
77365
8.0 |
All Music
A rich, enchanting collection of stories, confessions, and the occasional joke
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7.0
77396
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
It misses some of Trailer's storytelling wistfulness and formal experiments — but track for track, it's stronger, an object lesson in Nashville songwriting
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6.0
77316
6.0 |
Slant Magazine
Musgraves is so adept at inhabiting these intimate spaces that it almost isn't a surprise that she's less convincing when addressing more universal subjects
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6.0
77319
6.0 |
The Guardian
The melodies still stick, but it feels as if Musgraves has filed down her spikes in order to consolidate her position as country music’s princess
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6.0
77320
6.0 |
The FT
The Grammy winner dispenses homespun wisdom about being nice and swings through small-town claustrophobia
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6.0
77323
6.0 |
The Observer
Though hooky and melodic, none of these songs quite has the earworm adhesiveness of the best country pop but Musgraves makes for enjoyable company nonetheless
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6.0
77467
6.0 |
NOW
She sounds older and smarter, but a bit unsure of which way to take that experience
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6.0
77545
6.0 |
No Ripcord
Musgraves has a talent for coming up with the snappiest of zingers, adding cute twists to clichés and communicating uncomfortable truths in ten simple words or less
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5.0
77317
5.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
Pageant Material adheres to the same winning formula of Same Trailer — almost too closely
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