A Very Kacey Christmas

Last updated

A Very Kacey Christmas
Averykaceychristmas.jpg
Digital cover
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 28, 2016 (2016-10-28)
Recorded2016
Genre
Length37:43
Label Mercury Nashville
Producer
  • Kyle Ryan
  • Misa Arriaga
  • Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves chronology
Pageant Material
(2015)
A Very Kacey Christmas
(2016)
Golden Hour
(2018)
Singles from A Very Kacey Christmas
  1. "Present Without a Bow [2] "
    Released: November 1, 2016

A Very Kacey Christmas is a third studio album and first Christmas album by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves, released on October 28, 2016, through Mercury Nashville. [3] Overall, it is Musgraves' sixth album, her third studio album, and first Christmas album. [4] Produced by Musgraves, Kyle Ryan and Misa Arriaga, it features eight traditional Christmas songs and four originals. [3] Special guest artists include Willie Nelson, The Quebe Sisters and Leon Bridges. [5]

Contents

Background and recording

Musgraves first announced she was working on a Christmas album on June 1, 2016, [6] before a formal announcement came on September 7, 2016. [3] In an interview with Rolling Stone published on September 8, 2016, Musgraves called working on the album "one of the most enriching musical experiences." [7] On recording the album, she states, "I really wanted to create a whimsical throwback holiday record, one that evokes feelings of nostalgia and simpler times. I think that the fine musicians and brains that were a part of this project have helped me create a body of music that can be added to people's classic collections." [7]

Musgraves describes the album as "part western swing sprinkled with bits of classic pop, hazy Hawaiian moments and child-like fun that all comes to a nostalgic, melancholy end and ultimately is very 'me,'" and adds, "There can be a touch of sad feelings and memories during the holiday season for a lot of people so I knew when I went in to write I wanted to include all the emotions this time of year can bring out." [5]

Promotion

In support of the album, Musgraves embarked on the "A Very Kacey Christmas" tour. It began November 26, 2016, in Windsor, Ontario, and concluded on December 21, 2016, in Fort Worth, TX. [8] The tour's production was bigger than a typical Musgraves tour. In addition to her band it featured a strings section, an accordion, bass, saxophone, clarinet and backup singers. [9]

Promotional appearances in the media included a performance of "Mele Kalikimaka" and "Christmas Makes Me Cry" on CMA's Country Christmas 2016 TV special. [10] Musgraves also performed live on Good Morning America on November 30, 2016, [11] The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on December 1, 2016, [12] The Talk on December 5, 2016, [13] and on Late Night with Seth Meyers on December 7, 2016. [14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 82/100 [15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Belfast Telegraph 8/10 [16]
Evening Standard Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Financial Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [18]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [19]
Pitchfork 6.8/10 [20]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [21]
Vice (Expert Witness) Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [22]

A Very Kacey Christmas received universal acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 82 based on 4 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [15] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album four and a half out of five stars and calls it "a sharp, playful, and warm holiday record, the kind that evokes the past while feeling fresh and seeming destined for many years of annual spins." [1] Writing for Pitchfork and rating the album 6.8 out of 10, Marc Hogan states the album "glides naturally from her established Western-swing throwback aesthetic to kitschy exotica and vintage pop, with an expertly curated song selection that leans on campy novelties, classy standards, and a stocking’s worth of originals." [20]

Track listing

Source: AllMusic [1]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane 3:01
2."Let It Snow" (featuring The Quebe Sisters) Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne 2:23
3."Christmas Don't Be Late" Ross Bagdasarian Sr. 2:11
4."A Willie Nice Christmas" (featuring Willie Nelson and Trigger) Kacey Musgraves, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne 3:24
5."Feliz Navidad" José Feliciano 3:22
6."Christmas Makes Me Cry"Musgraves, McAnally, Brandy Clark 2:47
7."Present Without a Bow" (featuring Leon Bridges)Musgraves, Leon Bridges, Austin Jenkins, Luke Laird 3:52
8."Mele Kalikimaka" (featuring The Quebe Sisters) Robert Alexander Anderson 2:53
9."I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas"John Rox2:26
10."Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" Johnny Marks 3:26
11."Ribbons and Bows"Musgraves, Julia Michaels, Justin Tranter 3:30
12."What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" Frank Loesser 4:28
Total length:37:43

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic. [23]

Musicians

Technical personnel

Charts

A Very Kacey Christmas debuted at No. 143 on the Billboard 200, selling 4,800 copies in its first week of release. [24] The album reached a new peak position of 97 on the Billboard 200 chart dated December 17, 2016. [25] It later re-entered the charts on December 14, 2019 alongside Musgraves new Christmas special The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Special, reaching a new peak of 21. As of January 2017 the album has sold 55,100 copies in the US. [26]

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)LabelRef.
United StatesOctober 28, 2016
Mercury Nashville [33]

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