Kacey Musgraves has a deep-rooted connection to traditional country music. So much so that, for the 8-time Grammy Award winner’s first single with her new (but also old) record label Lost Highway Records, she decided to cover Hank Williams’ “Lost Highway.” If you are wanting to nod back to the history of country music, pulling a track from Hank’s catalogue is certainly the way to go. And to make matters that much more personal, Musgraves included her grandparents in the recording. It was a beautiful way of both honoring the past while also excitedly moving forward with Lost Highway Records, and it’s a move that Musgraves is certainly excited about: “Lost Highway was always a musical stable for artists who might be considered outliers or outlaws; those who live on the fringe. In 2011, when other record labels questioned my songwriting and my more traditional country sound, Lost Highway believed in me, signing me to my first label deal and helped me take my music around the world. That journey has now come full circle in such a special way with John Janick and Interscope and I’m deeply honored to be able to once again call Lost Highway my musical home.” In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Musgraves elaborated on her choice to go with a Hank Williams cover to kick off this next stage of her career. As she explained, the traditional country music sound is something that’s a part of her – whether she likes it or not: “From the age of seven and eight years old, I was singing all the country standards and classics: Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Hank Snow, Cindy Walker. It’s such a part of me, I can’t escape even if I wanted to. And it really feels good to wholeheartedly embrace that sound, because I’m always listening to that kind of thing. Kacey also made sure to point out that country music is complex, despite sounding like it can be constructed simply. It’s safe to say that Musgraves knows that as well as anyone, since she’s always been able to push the boundaries of what the country genre can be. That being said, the “Deeper Well” singer always harkens back to the traditional country music sound and the storytelling properties that older country is famously known for: “There may be a misconception that country music is easy to replicate. When you look at the bones of traditional country – the structure, the sounds, the subject matter – it’s not easy to replicate. It comes across as very simple, and the best country music is. But it’s full of so many layers of heart and real life, real stories. And there’s a lot of restraint. Really good traditional country music, there’s a lot of space for the lyrics, the story, for the heartbreak and the texture. I really appreciate that about that era of country music. It paints a picture, but it’s subtle and it’s simple.” Not only is traditional country music subtle and simple… it’s the best. And yet, everybody and their mother these days is throwing on a cowboy hat and “making a country album,” with some even confessing… cough…Lana Del Rey… cough… they’re doing so simply because it’s trendy right now. And most of them… suck. But you can see what Kacey is alluding to… they think it’s easy to just pluck some banjo and sing about horses and BOOM… country song. Easy enough, right? So, I love that Kacey, who is a crossover darling herself in terms of the love she gets from the pop world, is speaking to complexity of traditional country music… somebody has to. The post Kacey Musgraves Says There’s A “Misconception” That It’s Easy To Make Traditional Country Music first appeared on Whiskey Riff.