Not “Follow Your Arrow,” alas…

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David Moore: Hoot and a half — rowdy ‘n’ raucous honky tonkin’ rock ‘n’ roll, straight outta the Miranda Lambert playbook. That that particular playbook has started to filter into two going on three of my favorite country albums this year so far is refreshing (I wonder what Hayden Planeteer & Mrs. Coach, the best country duo going at the moment, to sing this one together on Nashville). In the meantime, please release “Follow Your Arrow” as a single before I create yet another Astroturf Kickstarter initiative to help a major label artist reach an idiosyncratic goal and officially become Part of the Problem.
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Patrick St. Michel: A funnier version of “Merry Go ‘Round,” the hopelessness made a little more fun thanks to a smoking metaphor and a more high-stepping sound. It’s every bit as bleak, but Musgraves demonstrates her writing skill by turning this one into a song more fit for slight chuckles than sobs.
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Alfred Soto: Like Elizabeth Cook, Musgraves’ affectless delivery underscores the details in her tales-from-the-turnpike (although I expect her to sing “back on the chain gang” after each “hey yeah”). The midsong chant break is only the most obvious surprise in a song full of many small ones.
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Katherine St Asaph: I’m inclined to overrate Kacey Musgraves singles, being overly sympathetic to her persona of the bored youth-group expat. On “Blowin’ Smoke,” though, she isn’t quite that; it’s the bored youth-group expat 10 years later, still contrary but no longer married, hooked on one or more things, long past due for a future to happen. As it stands, I’m inclined to overrate that too, perhaps more so; and the details here (“she always thought she was too good to be a waitress,” “wipe down the bar, take out the trash, light one up,” I could quote this entire thing) bring more real talk than 90% of the country lyrics we’ve covered in the past year. But since I know I’m overrating on principle: this needs a more forceful singer. Kacey is writing beyond her years, but she isn’t singing there yet. Which, generally, is her biggest strength — just not here.
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Will Adams: There’s something sinister about the fact that Kacey knows she’s blowing smoke but does it anyway –- to herself and others. She’s like one of those foreboding characters at the beginning of a horror movie who scowls at the oblivious protagonists as they pass by. But this character might be too cool; someone less detached would have put more into the chorus.
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Brad Shoup: I do believe this passes the Bechdel Test, on the whole. A short story spanning one afternoon and two chords: top-shelf Sheryl Crow. The smoking’s got a couple meanings, but so does quitting, which is great cos there’s nothing worse than sharing a break with people who just want to talk about kicking nicotine. The gang vox are underplayed; instead of going for the pop moment, Kacey & company let off a little steam before trudging back into the weeds.
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Iain Mew: The small town resignation of “Merry Go Round” flipped round to taking what joy can be gained from total inertia. Too accurate for its own good if anything, but I’m still looking forward to when her album makes it over here.
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Jonathan Bogart: Excellent observational details undercut by a middling chorus that trades emotional acuity for a sloppy hook. She’s a strong writer and singer, and she’s done better than this. And, I trust, will do better again.
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Anthony Easton: I know what she’s doing: working the difference between the neo-trads and the Nashville scene with adroit skill. She has the chops, her voice can do the talk-sing, and she has just enough twang to be interesting. Her narratives usually have one or two good lines. She knows her history. She might be progressive. There is a lot to like. I feel guilty for being bored, mostly. 
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Edward Okulicz: Having got the attention, Musgraves needs a song that will rock its listeners without rocking the boat too much. “Blowin’ Smoke” is exactly this, a Lambert-esque track that is impressively compact and efficient. It’s simple but robust melodically, and Musgraves gets a lot out of her words, playing with the double meaning of the title, relishing the sound of the words as she might relish a cigarette or a clever bit of wordplay. If it’s not exciting, remember she’s playing by the establishment’s rules with this release. This will keep her star rising enough for her to play by her own rules soon enough.
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