A Very Kacey Christmas is the third studio album and first Christmas album by American country music artist Kacey Musgraves, released on October 28, 2016, through Mercury Nashville. Overall, it is Musgraves' sixth album, her third studio album, and first Christmas album. Produced by Musgraves, Kyle Ryan and Misa Arriaga, it features eight traditional Christmas songs and four originals. Special guest artists include Willie Nelson, The Quebe Sisters and Leon Bridges.
Background and recording Musgraves first announced she was working on a Christmas album on June 1, 2016, before a formal announcement came on September 7, 2016. In an interview with Rolling Stone published on September 8, 2016, Musgraves called working on the album "one of the most enriching musical experiences." 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."
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."
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. 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.
Promotional appearances in the media included a performance of "Mele Kalikimaka" and "Christmas Makes Me Cry" on CMA's Country Christmas 2016 TV special. Musgraves also performed live on Good Morning America on November 30, 2016, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on December 1, 2016, The Talk on December 5, 2016, and on Late Night with Seth Meyers on December 7, 2016.
Critical reception
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". 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." 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."
Entertainment Weekly ranked the album 12th on its list of the "Best Christmas Albums of all Time", writing that the album "blends the festive joy of the season with just the right touch of her signature melancholia". In 2022 Billboard listed This Christmas Day as the 7th "Best Christmas Albums of the 21st Century".
Track listing Source: AllMusic
Personnel Credits adapted from AllMusic.
Musicians
Misa Arriaga – bells, acoustic guitar, gut string guitar, background vocals Leon Bridges – vocals Cohen Dabbs – background vocals Veda Dabbs – background vocals Fred Eltringham – drums, percussion Larry Franklin – background vocals Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar Joshua Hedley – sleigh bells Rory Hoffman – accordion, clarinet, bass clarinet, guitar, upright piano, baritone saxophone, whistling Gena Johnson – background vocals Adam Keafer – bass guitar, upright bass Dallas McVey – background vocals Kacey Musgraves – vocals, whistling Willie Nelson – vocals, guitar The Quebe Sisters – fiddle, background vocals Jimmy Rowland – Hammond B3, Mellotron, piano, Wurlitzer Kyle Ryan – autoharp, electric guitar, percussion, piano, sleigh bells, ukulele, vibraphone, background vocals Chris Scruggs – lap steel guitar, requinto Kenny Sears – background vocals Nathaniel Smith – cello Joe Spivey – background vocals
Technical personnel
Misa Arriaga – producer Steve Chadie – engineer Ryan Gore – engineer, mixing Gena Johnson – assistant engineer, engineer, production coordinator Andrew Mendelson – mastering Kacey Musgraves – art direction, producer Mark Petaccia – engineer Kyle Ryan – producer Chris Stapleton – assistant engineer Kelly Christine Sutton – art direction, design, photography James Taylor – assistant engineer
Charts A Very Kacey Christmas debuted at No. 143 on the Billboard 200, selling 4,800 copies in its first week of release. The album reached a new peak position of 97 on the Billboard 200 chart dated December 17, 2016. 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.
Weekly charts Chart (2016–2019) Peakposition
Year-end charts Chart (2017) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 80 US Top Current Albums (Billboard) 195 Chart (2020) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 94
Release history Region Date Format(s) Label United States October 28, 2016 Mercury Nashville
References