Ruston Kelly's Dying Star is the Essential Album of 2018

Every year a seemingly random artist releases a monster album in the underground country scene. In the past 10 years, the first album that comes to mind is Jason Isbell's 2013 classic Southeastern. A close second to Southeastern is definitely Cody Jink's 2015 masterpiece Adobe Sessions. Jinks would double down on such an honor with 2016's I'm Not the Devil. Country music has its list of independent mainstays--some follow a non-traditional multi-genre sound like Isbell, and then there are stubbornly traditional artists like Jinks. In 2018, the best album released under the Country umbrella goes to an artist more in the vein of Jason Isbell. Ruston Kelly's Dying Star is an introspective masterpiece.

There's a bit of context to establish here--not everybody knows that Ruston Kelly is Kacey Musgraves' husband. He's one half of a very  talented musical household. Kacey Musgraves made quick, easy work of the 2018 Grammy awards with her own excellent album in Golden Hour. I reviewed that record and, while I don't personally like it as much as some critics, its expansive reach was obvious and the success it brought to Kacey Musgraves wasn't in any way surprising. And most importantly, it was well-deserved, which just isn't the case with every Grammy winner. Readers can fill in the blanks for themselves, there. 

Dying Star is dark yet hopeful, moody but controlled, not too short and not too long. "Blackout" is one of the two best songs on the album, and perhaps the darkest of the bunch. It speaks to how a failed relationship can spark substance abuse without making some sort of moral statement. In a refreshing way, "Blackout" also doesn't condone that kind of behavior. 

The other standout has to be a fan favorite entitled "Mockingbird." Kelly has been playing this song for several years now. Everything is perfect, from the emotions conveyed by the  harmonica in the intro and bridge, to the cleverly written lyrics throughout. For guitar nuts like myself, there's a well-written finger-picking lick played in the intro and at different parts throughout the song. As far as I'm concerned, this song has everything.

 "Mockingbird" is definitely my favorite tune from Dying Star, and I don't think I can find any more words to do it any real justice. 

The remaining songs on the album don't necessarily come up short of "Blackout" and "Mockingbird." Those two just happened to be the songs that most connected with me as an individual listener. A very close third is "Jericho," which might have the cleverest chorus on Dying Star, even if "Blackout" carries more punch. If I had to name 3 essential songs from this album, those 3 would be it, no doubt about it.

Kacey Musgraves provides backing vocals on several songs, most notably "Just For the Record." Unsurprisingly, her voice blends very nicely with Kelly's.  Musgraves and Kelly are very dynamic on the same stage--live videos on YouTube showcase as much. I almost feel unfortunate for the fact that I knew it was coming. I think listeners unfamiliar with Kelly and his marriage to Kacey Musgraves will find it to be a nice surprise.

The sound of the album is what most strikes me aside from the lyrics. One song can be a traditional sounding country standard with steel guitar.  The next sounds like a classic Ryan Adams-esque Americana song.  Despite those sonic differences, Dying Star has a very nice, cohesive structure. 

The praise I could heap on this record is endless. I feel blessed to have heard it. Do yourselves a favor and listen to it. 

I've got no criticisms of this album. 10/10