Music Features

Growing up, Dylan LeBlanc bounced between households — his mother’s in Shreveport, Louisiana, and his father’s in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. For LeBlanc, music was not only an escape hatch, it was a portal to transcend a young, dysfunctional existence. In many ways, LeBlanc is still running from that existence, and …

Swifties have known since early February that Taylor Swift has a new album, Tortured Poets Department, due April 19, with some notably provocative song titles (“So Long London,” “But Daddy I Love Him”) and big-name guest stars (Post Malone, Florence Welsh). But since then, information on the album has been …

Beyoncé has so many audacious culture-clash triumphs all over Cowboy Carter. But one of the most stunning moments is also one of the simplest: her version of the Beatles classic “Blackbird.” Paul McCartney wrote the song in the summer of 1968, inspired by the American civil rights movement. All that …

When Beyoncé unveiled a poster homage to country jamborees to announce the track list to Cowboy Carter, the project’s country tie-ins became even more clear. The artwork included references to Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton — and Linda Martell, a name that may have only resonated with country scholars. Although she …

Welcome to ourweekly rundownof the best new music — featuring big new singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more.This week, three highlights from Beyoncé‘s game-changing Cowboy Carter (including a sweet Miley Cyrus duet), Camila Cabello returns with a super-charged hyperpop single, and St. Vincent previews her forthcoming album …

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter is finally here and fans of both country and pop are poring over the album. While the artist behind it made a point to say, “This ain’t a country album. This is a Beyoncé album,” the record has its share of country songs, sounds, and signifiers. But …

Emmy Russell has vivid memories of her childhood, riding in the tour bus alongside her grandmother — or Meemaw as Russell calls her — Loretta Lynn. She’d sometimes join her onstage or they’d sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” together. It took years, though, for Russell — who lives in Nashville …

In 1973, Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia fulfilled a longtime dream when he formed the bluegrass supergroup known as Old & In the Way. For the rock & roller, circling back to his acoustic roots was more than just scratching a creative itch — it was a spiritual calling. “It …

Houston was the first lecture hall Beyoncé encountered in her studies of all things country. There, her professors were the Texans building community through church, cuisine, and cowboy culture. Even as her rising star whisked her away from her hometown, the musician’s roots continued to run deep, and the studio …

Zach Bryan has never hidden his deep love for Bruce Springsteen, so there was no reason to think he was sending any hidden message when he used “Johnny 99” as his walk-on music Wednesday night in Brooklyn at Barclays Center, or even when he came onstage in a Springsteen tour …