If the burden of expectation hangs heavy over Pageant Material, the follow-up to Kacey Musgraves’ Grammy-winning breakthrough, she doesn’t seem to have noticed. Her country pop remains warm and easy-going, her vocals relaxed and her most likable quality, a perky, faintly provocative wit, is very much intact. There’s a cheerful rejection here of the male country establishment, a breezy tribute to family that blends exasperation and affection, and even her forays into the classic second album themes of fame and dislocation are delivered with a self-deprecating charm. Though hooky and melodic, none of these songs quite has the earworm adhesiveness of the best country pop but Musgraves makes for enjoyable company nonetheless.
