“Dime Store Cowgirl” is the latest single from Kacey Musgraves’ album Pageant Material. Written with Shane McAnally and Luke Laird, the lyrics are endearing and humble, almost playing off as a bucket list. She talks about her experiences traveling the world and all of the things done and seen with her successes yet reiterates that she’s “still the girl from Golden,” a nod to her hometown in Texas.
It’s a classic Musgraves single, talks of small towns and has an honesty which is rare on the radio, it’s evident that all of the experiences discussed have been drawn from things she’s actually done and presented in a way that isn’t bragging. It’s relatable from the perspective of someone who grew up in a small town. Musgraves sings, “I’m just a dime store cowgirl / that’s all I’m ever gonna be / you can take me out of the country / but you can’t take the country out of me” – a promise that she’ll always remain grounded.
It’s undeniably a country song, the production perfectly highlights the lyrics without overshadowing them. It will fit nicely on country radio and seems to be a fan favorite from the album, even in a market of more pop oriented songs, just because it’s country doesn’t mean it isn’t catchy. It will be interesting to see how it charts I comparison to the lead from the album, “Biscuits.”
The song could be criticized for being a little too similar to previous singles, “Follow Your Arrow” and “Merry Go ‘Round” but why fix something that isn’t broke? Musgraves knows her style and no one could do it better.
The song has 18 historic adds to date.
Rating: 4/5
You can buy the track on iTunes or listen on Spotify.