Country Update BILLBOARD.COM/NEWSLETTERS MARCH 4, 2019 | PAGE 1 OF 18 INSIDE BILLBOARD COUNTRY UPDATE
[email protected] Modern Lessons In Fresh From Her Grammy Triumph, Country & Western >page 2 Kacey Musgraves Is ‘Golden’ At The Ryman Luke Combs High-Fives Three songs into her March 2 set at Nashville’s Ryman The singular result of her willful efforts was on full display The Charts Auditorium, Kacey Musgraves casually encouraged a sold- in the concert, the last of four straight sell-outs at the Ryman. >page 4 out audience to “put your middle fingers up in the air.” The songs veered from Western-influenced country to neo-disco It was a grunge-rock move that led into a melancholy love with sometimes incongruous instrumentation — who else uses song, “Butterflies,” and one that underscores the complexity a steel guitar and bowed cello in the same arrangement? The that helped Musgraves and her Golden Hour project win four mashup of country and almost everything else conjured a whole WIVK, KNIX A-O.K. Grammy Awards — including the overall pageant of possible influences: Marty Robbins, With ACMs album of the year, rare for a country artist Fleetwood Mac, Joan Baez and even space- >page 8 — just three weeks prior. Musgraves is age-bachelor-pad-music guy Esquivel. simultaneously daring and harmless, a chill But the most consistent influence seemed to rebel in the mold of Willie Nelson, making be Brian Wilson, the ultimate master of subtle Thomas Rhett Sets music and social statements without caring melody. Musgraves’ songs almost always use New Album if everyone inhales.