'Gaslighter': The Chicks After The Fire

Plus, your guide to K-Pop and an exploration of how jazz artists improvise over video conferences.

by Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Betsy Whitney/Courtesy of the artist This week saw the release of one of the year’s most anticipated records: Gaslighter by The Chicks – formerly known as The Dixie Chicks – is here, the group’s first new album in 14 years. While Gaslighter still has The Chicks’ signature sound – three-part harmony; a fiddle, a banjo and a mandolin – it’s clear that the trio hasn’t stopped innovating. While there’s plenty of fire on the album, there’s also the kind of quiet confrontation that comes with loss. In her review, Ann Powers notes that beyond the anthems, Gaslighter is a quiet awakening, one that articulates vulnerability and grapples with the lonesomeness that comes after the storm.  The trio is returning to the public eye in a changed world, though many of the music industry’s machinations remain troublesome. (For example, it’s still shockingly common for women and artists of color to have trouble getting airplay on country radio.) The band has never shied away from addressing the wider world around it – and, in fact, has a history of public controversy, having faced serious repercussions in 2003 for comments about then-President George W. Bush. In the time between albums, members of the trio have gotten married and divorced, raised children and worked on other projects. Martie Maguire, Emily Strayer and Natalie Maines spoke to NPR’s Morning Edition about what brought them back together, the changing world of country (and pop) and how they think about their own legacy.  Wide open spaces, Marissa Lorusso and Lyndsey McKenna Newsletter continues after sponsor message Featuring The world of K-pop can be pretty overwhelming – it's not quite a genre, but rather a catchall for a variety of sounds. If recent headlines have you curious about the Korean export, find your way in with the help of our new playlist. If you’re already an experienced listener, dig deeper by going beyond the idols and hit factories, where you’ll find a cacophony of influences from all over the world.  As the New York jazz scene fractured into separate camps, Brooklyn-born trumpeter Eddie Gale, an eager practitioner of the free jazz approach, found a welcoming environment in the wide-ranging Bay Area scene. An underground legend revered by his peers, Gale died on July 10 at the age of 78. Can musicians perform together while quarantined separately? Even as everything else moves online, can artists collaborate through video conferencing? In a new Jazz Night in America short, pianist and tech innovator Dan Tepfer explores the complexity created by video latency.  🦜 A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, a new electronic compilation, samples the sounds of endangered birds; the album's proceeds go directly towards efforts to save the birds sampled. New Music This week on the All Songs Considered new music mix: Bob Boilen is thrilled by the new single from singer Golda May, Bobby Carter brings us the soul-filled sounds of Snoh Aalegra and Marissa Lorusso delights in the existential dread of rock band Knot. With a nod to our French friends who marked Bastille Day this week, the NPR Classical playlist is filled with musique française by composers from Rameau and Ravel to Pierre Boulez, Henri Duparc and Éliane Radigue. Tiny Desk Courtesy of the artist Earlier this year, producer and guitarist Tom Misch released a stunning and surprising collaborative album with drummer Yussef Dayes called What Kinda Music. In the duo’s Tiny Desk (home) concert, they invited a handful of special guests – including John Mayer – for a short set that evokes a dreamy utopia, blending live electronica, psychedelia and avant-garde jazz. This week, we also shared a Tiny Desk (home) concert from Diana Gordon, whose performance gave us a window into a delightfully cramped home office and her eclectic, R&B-meets-alt-rock sound. Plus: We asked the team that makes the NPR podcast How I Built This to tell us their five favorite Tiny Desk concerts. Incoming Next Wednesday, July 22, Jazz Night In America will premiere a concert film with featured artists Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Jazz Night host Christian McBride and Brian Blade, made during the supergroup quartet’s two-night stand last fall at The Falcon in Marlboro, N.Y. The band will be hanging out in the chatroom during the show and will participate in a live Q&A afterwards with NPR Music and WBGO’s Nate Chinen. RSVP and learn more. One More Thing Move over, Adele. Meet 93-year-old Vera. She and her fellow residents at the Sydmar Lodge Care Home in Edgeware, England, have recreated iconic album covers from Adele, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie and more.  What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy