Golden Hour
by Kacey Musgraves
  • Record Label: MCA
  • Release Date: Mar 30, 2018
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 519 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 464 out of 519
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 519
  3. Negative: 25 out of 519
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  1. SKSK
    Jul 22, 2018
    4
    Super generic melody alongside with some immature and trivial lyrics, that's all this album has to offer.
  2. Doof
    Jun 5, 2018
    4
    A little worse than average, thanks to some alarming song writing quality dips and my lack of stamina for these sort of borderline cloying 'shiny pop country' vocals. I can see the appeal to some degree...but I'm also shocked that such a 'by the numbers' release has garnered quite this much acclaim.
  3. yumbo
    Apr 3, 2018
    5
    I tried. Really. As I listened to the album three times, I really tried to envision how The Golden Hour was a step forward from either of Musgraves' two previous albums, both of which mixed strong writing with Musgraves' slightly underwhelming voice. But this album, hailed as it might be by critics and other users, was a big miss for me. The songwriting has taken a step toward theI tried. Really. As I listened to the album three times, I really tried to envision how The Golden Hour was a step forward from either of Musgraves' two previous albums, both of which mixed strong writing with Musgraves' slightly underwhelming voice. But this album, hailed as it might be by critics and other users, was a big miss for me. The songwriting has taken a step toward the mainstream - which is to say it's taken a step back in cleverness and specificity - while Musgraves' vocals are caught in a sleepy, autotunish haze. While this style of ambient pop is "in" right at the moment, in the larger narrative of music, it's not very good, and Musgraves' voice, often the same in each song, lacks any particular power or directness. At no point is there a song that makes you say "whoa" because of its punch. The music's so safe and pleasant, so suited for easy listening, that, heck, it makes you miss the brassier country singers of just 15 years ago. It's country muzak. Why, exactly, is that worth celebrating?… Expand
  4. klinkjoshua
    Dec 13, 2018
    6
    Golden Hour definitely doesn't fall short of infectious instrumentation and melodies, and though the opening track is the epitome of this infectious grandeur, it sets a superfluous tone. The album is so satisfying that contrast seems necessary.
    Whilst much of the lyrical content and stylistic direction remains questionable, it seems the record as a whole is yearning to be bordered.
  5. Fnn
    Jun 5, 2020
    5
    i don't see what everyone els sees in it. the songs are soooooooooo boaring.

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best Album of 2018
19
#19 Most Discussed Album of 2018
23
#23 Most Shared Album of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
89

Universal acclaim - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. The Line of Best Fit
    Oct 8, 2021
    85
    Golden Hour imagines a world much sweeter than the one we’re living in; and for 45 minutes, it can just about take you there. Kacey Musgraves’ golden hour is far from over.
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  2. Record Collector
    May 23, 2018
    80
    Golden Hour is a bedazzled, wide-eyed rush.
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  3. Under The Radar
    May 9, 2018
    60
    Whilst tracks like "Butterflies" and "High Horse" offer the best of what Musgraves can do in terms of balancing her obvious charm against a certain steely underbelly that has served her so well so far in her career, all too often, Golden Hour delivers a lackluster vibe and a feeling that Musgraves has become too infatuated with the pop side of her artistry and is beginning to forget about the things that made her so interesting and worth investing in in the first place.
    Read full review
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