Kacey Musgraves talks breaking the formula and entering 'cosmic country' with third album, 'Golden Hour'

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Like athletes who wear the same undershirt or refuse to shave while on a hot streak, musicians also often embrace certain rituals - some pragmatic, some superstitious - in their efforts to deliver a peak performance.

Maverick country singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves is no exception.

While touring through the Midwest on a bill she's sharing with headliner Little Big Town and rising country group Midland, Musgraves has been checking in on FaceTime two to three times a week with her personal trainer back in Nashville for morning workout sessions.

During a dinner break ahead of her set in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recently, she loaded up on grilled squash and green beans to assuage any pangs of guilt over the modest portions of Dr. Pepper barbecued ribs and smoked Gouda mac and cheese she said "I just have to sample."

Bypassing the banana cream pie that beckoned from the catered dessert offerings that also included peach cobbler and fudge brownies, she whimpered only briefly.

Just before taking the stage a few minutes later, after emerging from her self-adminstered