Between her sophomore record
Pageant Material
and her Grammy-winning 2018 album
Golden Hour
,
Kacey Musgraves
released the 2016 seasonal set
A Very Kacey Christmas
, so her decision to stage an old-fashioned holiday special in 2019 isn't exactly a surprise. In many ways,
The Kacey Musgraves Christmas Show
-- a special televised on Amazon, then released as an album -- builds upon the retro charms of
, replicating its affectionately tongue-in-cheek blend of old-fashioned show biz corn and seasonal warmth. It also replicates six of that album's songs, half of them delivered as a duet with another celebrity. That's just the tip of the iceberg in terms of star power here. Famous people from the stage, screen, and internet are here. It's a cannily diverse cast, ranging from comedians
James Corden
and
Fred Armisen
to internet-personality-turned-musician
Troye Sivan
; soul singer
Leon Bridges
and Latin pop vocalist
Camila Cabello
, to
Zooey Deschanel
Lana Del Rey
rounding out the rest of the cameos. (Kendall Jenner's wordless appearance doesn't make it to the album; it's the only edit from the special.) The show is filled with gags and stunts, all of which are campily charming onscreen and a bit irritating on record. If this was whittled down to just the duets -- save the yuk-filled collaborations with
Corden
Armisen
, which are both variations on a theme -- it would be a sweet, beguiling EP, but this is filled with jokes and
Dan Levy
's narration, all of which makes sense when paired with visuals, but drag down an otherwise fun listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine