It’s time to talk about the Grammys! (It’s not, but still, here we are)

Plus, we commissioned a Pulitzer Prize winner to interview and assess the work of Jason Isbell.

View this email online June 24, 2023 by Stephen Thompson The Grammys announce a bunch of rule changes that actually make a fair bit of sense; plus, we commissioned a Pulitzer Prize winner to interview and assess the work of Jason Isbell. Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Image It’s easy to think of Grammy season as the straightforward life cycle that takes place between the announcement of nominations and the conclusion of a lavish televised ceremony in which everything seems to be going OK until they get to the major categories, the whole thing flies off the rails and everyone gets mad on social media for a day or two. It all unfolds in a manner not unlike the life cycle of a majestic butterfly: Step 1, egg: Beyoncé gets a lot of Grammy nominations Step 2, larva: Beyoncé gets shut out of major wins yet again Step 3, pupa: A bunch of people get mad on the internet Step 4, adult: Everyone forgets about the Grammys until sometime in the late fall But this past week, we were struck by several Grammy-related headlines, each signifying a new rule change: new guidelines restricting the Grammy eligibility of songs written and performed by AI (no word on songs that merely sound like it), new categories (for best pop dance recording, best African music performance and best alternative jazz album) and a reduction of nominees in the general categories. Album of the year, record of the year, song of the year and best new artist had risen from eight nominees apiece to 10 in 2021, and now they’re going back to eight.  All of these changes make a fair bit of sense, especially by Grammy standards. No one wants ChatGPT winning album of the year (aside from the singularity itself, of course). All three new categories seem long overdue. And 2023 has been such a blockbuster-light year so far, at least in terms of music, that it doesn’t seem foolish to winnow the field in advance. (With fewer than three months of the eligibility window remaining, the major categories still kinda feel like Taylor Swift v. SZA smackdowns, and both of those records came out late last year.) If you feel like getting into the weeds of awards-show rules, I highly recommend bookmarking the website Gold Derby, which recently broke down a bunch of the less-discussed rule changes: a smart alteration to the way they choose the best music video of the year, an expansion of the general field (to allow every Grammy voter weigh in on songwriter of the year and producer of the year, non-classical), a narrowing of the number of specialized fields in which voters may choose to participate and so on.  Most of them make perfect sense, raising the question of exactly how the Grammys will stumble in early 2024. Award record of the year to some as-yet-unannounced collaboration between Jack Harlow and ChatGPT? Leave a vast array of upturned rakes on stage so that the world’s biggest pop stars spend the night stepping on them and getting thwapped in the face? Or simply trust the process, let Grammy voters act like Grammy voters and announce a series of inexplicable or otherwise embarrassing choices at the end of the night? Only seven months left until we find out! Newsletter continues after sponsor message More to read, watch and hear Writing well about music is tricky business, and doing justice to a great songwriter is harder still. So, when assigning a piece of writing about Jason Isbell on the occasion of his new album, Weathervanes, we couldn’t just have someone slap down a few superlatives and be done with it. So we got a recent Pulitzer Prize winner, historian Jefferson Cowie, to interview Isbell and analyze what makes his songs so powerful. Among other things — and I highly recommend reading the appraisal in its entirety — Cowie has a tremendous ear for which lyrics best illustrate Isbell’s genius. (Bonus points for his shoutouts to Drive-By Truckers’ “Outfit” and Isbell’s “If We Were Vampires,” which rank among my favorite songs of the 21st century so far.) The German free-jazz giant Peter Brötzmann died Thursday at age 82, and our own Nate Chinen does a characteristically beautiful job contextualizing his considerable legacy. Brötzmann’s music was a thing of incredible ferality and muscularity; even if you didn’t think you were into free jazz, you could find something deeply hypnotic in the way he deployed saxophones as blunt instruments.  Jeff Lunden looks back on the life of decorated Fiddler on the Roof lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who died Friday at 99. This week’s crop of NPR Music album reviews brings us Stephen Kearse on rapper Gunna, Ann Powers on the veteran pop singer Lloyd Cole and Marissa Lorusso on singer-songwriter Jess Williamson. All three records receive thoughtful consideration, each from a writer whose byline is essentially unskippable. Speaking of Jess Williamson, be sure to watch her bring her new songs to life at Member station KUTX in Austin. A couple weeks ago, we published a fantastic drummer-to-drummer conversation with Daoud Tyler-Ameen and Algiers’s Matt Tong. Now, we’ve got another one for you — this time with lovable Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras and the legendary Sheila E.  Also in your All Songs Considered feed: Bob Boilen sits down with two of the best and smartest humans in the business, Hazel Cills and Marissa Lorusso, to celebrate new music from FIZZ, L’Rain, Glasser, Allegra Krieger, Silvana Estrada and Luluc. And on New Music Friday, Robin Hilton and a distinguished panel — LaTesha Harris! John Morrison! Ann Powers! — showcase new albums by Coi Leray, Big Freedia, Tommy Prine, Kelly Clarkson and Arthur Russell. Tiny Desk Michael Zamora/NPR There’s, “Aw, I can’t wait to see that Tiny Desk concert,” and then there’s, “If I have to wait one minute for that Tiny Desk concert, I may literally die.” MUNA, whose self-titled record was my favorite album of 2022, falls squarely into the latter camp. String arrangements! Instrument swaps! A monologue about queer joy! A countrified reworking of “Silk Chiffon”! A rendition of the powerhouse ballad “Stayaway” that doubled as an epic vocal workout! (Seriously, they were so relieved to have it behind them.) I have enough favorite Tiny Desks that they’re essentially impossible to rank at this point, but this one’s up there. Also this week: With the help of an 11-piece band, Ghanaian-American singer Amaarae serves up what Sidney Madden describes as “an overflowing stream of genre-swerving liquid dopamine.” And R&B star Ambré isn’t shy about representing her hometown of New Orleans: She performed surrounded by magnolias, while wearing a T-shirt bearing the image of Crescent City hero Juvenile. (Look for his Tiny Desk concert soon…) One More Thing If you haven’t heard Drive-By Truckers’ 2003 song “Outfit” in a while — or, heaven forbid, at all — please rectify that right now. Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music 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? 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