Both on a global scale and right here in our backyard, the music industry is evolving at a dizzying pace. And this new series is designed to make sense of the Key Changes.
The 59th annual CMA Awards were last night. Among the big winners are names you’d expect, Lainey Wilson in particular. She not only hosted the show again — a reminder that she’s already secured her place in the pantheon of current country superstars — she came away with female vocalist, album and entertainer of the year trophies.
Others in the mix are newer to the spotlight, and their growing success points to trends potentially reemerging in the country genre
There’s new artist of the year recipient Zach Top, who’s impressing his elders and attracting a new generation of fans with a knowing, neo-traditional finesse that hasn’t been a young artist’s game since the ‘90s. He amused the crowd by bringing his beer can on stage to make his acceptance speech, a seemingly insignificant gesture that nonetheless reflects a very real aspect of his appeal: he sense of mischief is as evident as his reverence for country forebears.
The least likely breakthrough belongs to Stephen Wilson Jr., who’s found stardom in his forties after leaving music for a time. He didn’t win anything, but still made his mark on the night with two performances, one joining Shaboozey in their broody duet “Took a Walk” and the other alone with his battered acoustic guitar. And when Wilson sang the R&B standard “Stand By Me” like an emo-style elegy–a cover version he’d worked up to mourn his dad’s passing that went viral–even got a chance to shred a little by way of thrashy, power-chord crescendos.
Wilson’s originals hearken back to grunge dynamics, with his grave, clenched drawl and dark, dissonant chord voicings. Only, he leans into grown-up, down-to-earth dread more than the youthful angst of his ‘90s influences.
The show was full of rock references. That’s hardly new for country music, which has at times seemed like a replacement for the faded rock mainstream, but it felt like a subtle response to country’s recent reliance on trap beats and hip-hop cadences, and the impact of blockbuster crossover projects from Beyoncé, Post Malone and BigXThaPlug, who teamed with Luke Combs for a live version of “Pray Hard” on the show.
The Red Clay Strays and Chris Stapleton both leaned into ‘70s blues-rock on stage, complete with sinewy instrumental vamps. Stapleton’s touring steel guitarist, Paul Franklin, was finally named musician of the year on his 33rd nomination. And when George Strait presented Vince Gill with the Willie Nelson lifetime achievement award, Strait’s comments emphasized Gill’s present-day gig touring with West Coast soft rock icons the Eagles.
Even Lainey Wilson, when it was her time to sing, showcased the muscular swagger of the boogie rock side of her repertoire.
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