Wikipedia

Pageant Material

Pageant Material is the second studio album by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves, released June 23, 2015, through Mercury Nashville.[2][3] Musgraves co-wrote all 13 tracks and co-produced the album with Luke Laird and Shane McAnally.[4][5] The album made numerous "Best Albums of 2015" lists and was nominated for Best Country Album at the 58th Grammy Awards.[6][7]

Pageant Material
Pageant Material digital artwork
Studio album by
Kacey Musgraves
ReleasedJune 23, 2015 (2015-06-23)
Recorded2014–2015
StudioRCA Studio A (Nashville, Tennessee)[1]
GenreNeotraditional country
Length46:23
LabelMercury Nashville
Producer
Kacey Musgraves chronology
Same Trailer Different Park
(2013) 		Pageant Material
(2015) 		A Very Kacey Christmas
(2016)
Singles from Pageant Material
  1. "Biscuits"
    Released: March 16, 2015
  2. "Dime Store Cowgirl"
    Released: August 3, 2015

Recording

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Most of Pageant Material was recorded live in Nashville's historic RCA Studio A. In an interview with The Boot published May 21, 2015, Musgraves describes the recording process: "We recorded most everything in a big circle in one of my favorite old studios on the planet – historic RCA Studio A in Nashville. That lent itself to the record having that concise feel that we wanted. Then we added a 10-piece string section later."[8]

Promotion and packaging

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Promotional appearances in the media to support the album included performances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (June 9, 2015), Late Night with Seth Meyers (June 10, 2015), Good Morning America (June 23, 2015), The View (June 24, 2015), Jimmy Kimmel Live! (September 14, 2015), The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (January 8, 2016) and The Late Late Show with James Corden (April 6, 2016).[9][10][11][12] On June 26, 2015, Musgraves performed "Follow Your Arrow" for National Public Radio's Tiny Desk Concerts in support of the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States, which took place on the same day.[13]

To further support the album, Musgraves embarked on the Kacey Musgraves Country & Western Rhinestone Revue concert tour. Described as a "throwback country" tour, dates on the first leg included locations across the United States and Europe. The first leg of the tour began on August 27, 2015, in Atlanta, Georgia, and concluded on November 22, 2015, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The second leg of the tour, which spanned portions of the US, UK and Ireland began in Dallas, TX on January 21, 2016, and concluded in Columbia, MO, on April 30, 2016.

Musgraves' younger sister, Kelly Christine Sutton, is credited with the album cover's photograph and design.[14]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.3/10[15]
Metacritic78/100[16]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [17]
The A.V. ClubB+[18]
Billboard     [19]
The Daily Telegraph     [20]
The Guardian     [21]
The Irish Times     [22]
Nash Country WeeklyA[23]
Pitchfork8.0/10[24]
Rolling Stone     [25]
Spin9/10[26]

Pageant Material received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 78 out of 100, which indicates "generally favorable reviews" based on 25 reviews.[16]

Writing for Hits Daily Double, Lenny Beer and Simon Glickman called Pageant Material an "album for the ages," comparing its greatness to Adele's 21, and added, "it's a nearly perfect set."[27] Glamour's Alexandra Schwartz called the album "nearly flawless" and listed it among the best albums of 2015.[28] Paul Grein of HITS Daily Double predicted the album would be in contention for Album of the Year at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.[29] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic rated the album four out of five stars and states: "Pageant Material favors softness, sometimes nearly swooning in its slowness, especially on the gorgeous keynote "High Time" and the closer "Fine," both so deliberate and hazy they evoke memories of lazy high-school dances."[17] Billboard's Rob Tannenbaum's four and a half stars out of five review claimed it is "an even better album than her last, with more consistency and variety."[19] Glenn Gamboa of Newsday rated the album an "A", calling it "great stories told extraordinarily well," and "nothing short of a musical miracle" in today's country music climate.[30] Additionally, it was the Spin "album of the week" and called a "sophomore masterpiece" by reviewer Brennan Carley.[26]

Accolades

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Year Association Category Result
2015 CMA Awards[31] Album of the Year Nominated
2016 Grammy Awards[7] Best Country Album Nominated
UK Americana Awards[32] International Album of the Year
Publication Rank List
AllMusic N/A Best Country Albums of 2015[33]
American Songwriter 16 Top 50 Albums of 2015[34]
Americana Music Association 7 Top 100 Albums of 2015[35]
Cosmopolitan 11 The 15 Best Albums of 2015[36]
Glamour N/A The Best Albums of 2015[28]
The Guardian 1 The 10 Best Country Albums of 2015[37]
Nashville Scene 4 Best Country Albums of 2015[38]
Noisey 50 The 50 Best Albums of 2015[39]
NPR N/A 50 Favorite Albums of 2015[40]
Paste 27 The 50 Best Albums of 2015[41]
PopMatters 12 The 80 Best Albums of 2015[42]
3 The Best Country Music of 2015[43]
Pretty Much Amazing 46 Best 50 Albums of 2015[44]
Rolling Stone 14 40 Best Country Albums of 2015[45]
Spin 8 The 50 Best Albums of 2015[46]
Sputnikmusic 45 Top 50 Albums of 2015[47]
Time 6 Top 10 Best Albums of 2015[48]
Time Out New York 15 The 25 Best Albums of 2015[49]
Variance 18 The 50 Best Albums of 2015[50]

Commercial performance

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Pageant Material debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart with 60,000 equivalent album units; it sold 55,000 copies in its first week, with the remainder of its unit total reflecting the album's streaming activity and track sales. It marked Musgraves' best week of album sales to date.[51] As of September 2016, the album has sold 179,400 copies in the US.[52]

Track listing

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All tracks are produced by Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, and Kacey Musgraves.

Pageant Material track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."High Time"
  • Musgraves
  • Laird
  • McAnally
2:57
2."Dime Store Cowgirl"
  • Musgraves
  • Laird
  • McAnally
3:35
3."Late to the Party"
3:38
4."Pageant Material"
  • Musgraves
  • Laird
  • McAnally
3:56
5."This Town"
  • Musgraves
  • Laird
  • Clark
2:57
6."Biscuits"
  • Musgraves
  • McAnally
  • Clark
3:18
7."Somebody to Love"
  • Musgraves
  • McAnally
  • Osborne
3:15
8."Miserable"
  • Musgraves
  • Osborne
  • Clark
3:00
9."Die Fun"
  • Musgraves
  • Laird
  • McAnally
3:29
10."Family Is Family"
  • Musgraves
  • McAnally
  • Osborne
2:34
11."Good Ol' Boys Club"
3:18
12."Cup of Tea"
  • Musgraves
  • McAnally
  • Osborne
2:42
13."Fine"
3:55
14."Are You Sure" (featuring Willie Nelson) (hidden track)
3:56
Total length:46:23

Notes

  • "Are You Sure" is a part of track 13 on CD pressings of the album (giving track 13 a length of 7:50), but a separate track on all other digital platforms. On all versions of the album, "Fine" ends at 3:37 and is followed by 18 seconds of silence.

Personnel

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Credits adapted from AllMusic[53] and liner notes.[54]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
United States June 23, 2015
  • CD
  • digital download
  • vinyl
 Mercury Nashville [67]

References

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  1. ^ Gold, Adam (18 February 2018). "Three Years After Being Saved, Studio A Still Makes an Impact". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  2. ^ Hampp, Andrew (May 12, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves Announces Sophomore Album 'Pageant Material,' Due June 23". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  3. ^ McKenna, Brittney (May 12, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves Announces 'Pageant Material'". American Songwriter. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  4. ^ Nicholson, Jessica (May 12, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves Presents 'Pageant Material' June 23". MusicRow. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  5. ^ Betts, Stephen L. (May 12, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves Announces New Album 'Pageant Material'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  6. ^ "Kacey Musgraves – Pageant Material". Album of the Year. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Cadden, Mary (February 16, 2016). "List: Who won what at the 58th annual Grammys". USA Today. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  8. ^ Allers, Hannahlee (May 21, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves Reveals 'Pageant Material' Influences". The Boot. Townsquare Media. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  9. ^ Cantor, Brian (June 3, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves is scheduled to visit "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" and "Late Night with Seth Meyers."". Headline Planet. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  10. ^ Carley, Brennan (September 15, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves Brought 'Dime Store Cowgirl' All the Way to 'Jimmy Kimmel Live'". Spin. Buzzmedia. Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  11. ^ Cantor, Brian (January 9, 2016). "Kacey Musgraves Performs "Late To The Party" on Colbert's "Late Show" (Watch)". Headline Planet. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  12. ^ Cantor, Brian (April 7, 2016). "Kacey Musgraves Performs "High Time" On James Corden's "Late Late Show"". Headline Planet. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  13. ^ Thompson, Stephen (June 26, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves Sings One For Marriage Equality". National Public Radio. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  14. ^ Vain, Madison (May 14, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves reveals the classic influences of her hugely anticipated new album". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  15. ^ "Pageant Material by Kacey Musgraves reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Reviews for Pageant Material by Kacey Musgraves". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  17. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Pageant Material – Kacey Musgraves". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  18. ^ Eakin, Marah (June 23, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves is the perfect blend of Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  19. ^ a b Tannenbaum, Rob (June 16, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves' 'Pageant Material' Is Sharper and More Nashville-Friendly: Album Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  20. ^ Brown, Helen (June 20, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves, Pageant Material, review: 'good-natured rebellion'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
  21. ^ Hann, Michael (June 18, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves: Pageant Material review – country princess files down her spikes". The Guardian. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  22. ^ Breen, Joe (July 3, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves: Pageant Material | Album review". The Irish Times. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  23. ^ Paxman, Bob (June 22, 2015). "Pageant Material by Kacey Musgraves". Nash Country Weekly. American Media, Inc. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  24. ^ Hopper, Jessica (June 24, 2015). "Kacey Musgraves: Pageant Material". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  25. ^ Hermes, Will (June 23, 2015). "Pageant Material". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  26. ^ a b Carley, Brennan (June 22, 2015). "Review: Kacey Musgraves Outgrows the Trailer Park on 'Pageant Material'". Spin. Buzzmedia. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
  27. ^ Beer, Lenny; Glickman, Simon (May 19, 2015). "Exploring the Nearly Perfect New Set by Mercury Nashville's Kacey Musgraves". Hits Daily Double. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  28. ^ a b Schwartz, Alexandra (December 11, 2015). "The Best Albums of 2015". Glamour. Condé Nast. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  29. ^ Grein, Paul (June 12, 2015). "GREIN ON GRAMMYS: OPENING SALVO". Hits Daily Double. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
  30. ^ Gamboa, Glenn (June 19, 2015). "'Pageant Material' review: Banner effort from Kacey Musgraves". Newsday. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  31. ^ "Winners' list: Who took home CMA Awards?". USA Today. November 4, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  32. ^ "Americana Music Association UK Produces First Awards Show". The Americana Music Association. February 5, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  33. ^ AllMusic staff (December 22, 2015). "Best Country Albums of 2015". AllMusic. Retrieved December 22, 2015. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  34. ^ American Songwriter (November 23, 2015). "American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums Of 2015". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  35. ^ Americana Music (December 15, 2015). "Americana Music Association Announces Top 100 Albums of 2015". Americana Music. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
  36. ^ Eliza Thompson (December 16, 2015). "The 15 Best Albums of 2015". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  37. ^ Grady Smith (December 17, 2015). "The 10 Best Country Albums of 2015". The Guardian. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
  38. ^ Nashville Scene (January 28, 2016). "16th Annual Country Music Critics' Poll". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  39. ^ Noisey Staff (December 1, 2015). "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Noisey. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  40. ^ NPR (December 7, 2015). "NPR Music's 50 Favorite Albums Of 2015". NPR. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  41. ^ Paste Staff (December 2, 2015). "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Paste. Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  42. ^ PopMatters Staff (December 7, 2015). "The 80 Best Albums of 2015". PopMatters. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  43. ^ Dave Heaton and Steve Leftridge (December 2, 2015). "The Best Country Music of 2015". PopMatters. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  44. ^ Pretty Much Amazing Staff (December 18, 2015). "50 Best Albums of 2015". Pretty Much Amazing. Archived from the original on June 13, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  45. ^ Rolling Stone Staff (December 8, 2015). "40 Best Country Albums of 2015". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  46. ^ SPIN Staff (December 1, 2015). "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". SPIN. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  47. ^ Sputnik Staff (December 16, 2015). "Top 50 Albums of 2015". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  48. ^ Time Staff (December 1, 2015). "Top 10 Best Albums". Time. Archived from the original on December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  49. ^ Time Out New York Staff (December 10, 2015). "The 25 Best Albums of 2015". Time Out New York. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  50. ^ Variance Staff (December 4, 2015). "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Variance. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  51. ^ Caulfield, Keith (July 1, 2015). "Breaking Benjamin Earns Its First No. 1 Album on the Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  52. ^ Bjorke, Matt (September 19, 2016). "Country Album Sales Chart: September 19, 2016". Roughstock.
  53. ^ "Pageant Material – Kacey Musgraves – Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  54. ^ Pageant Material (CD booklet). Kacey Musgraves. Mercury Nashville. 2015. B0022816-02.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  55. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Kacey Musgraves – Pageant Material". Hung Medien.
  56. ^ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
  57. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Kacey Musgraves – Pageant Material". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  58. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  59. ^ "Official Americana Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  60. ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company.
  61. ^ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  62. ^ "Kacey Musgraves Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
  63. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums: Year End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  64. ^ "Top Country Albums: 2015 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  65. ^ "Top Country Albums: 2016 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  66. ^ "British album certifications – Kacey Musgraves – Pageant Material". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  67. ^ "Kacey Musgraves: Pageant Material: Music". ASIN B00XJJAWES. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
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