Louder: The Album Steve Earle Never Wanted to Make

January 1, 2021

By Caryn Ganz

Pop Music Editor

One of the first releases of 2021 comes from Steve Earle and has a tragic back story: The album, “J.T.,” is a tribute to his son, the singer and songwriter Justin Townes Earle, who died from an accidental drug overdose in August. “I’ve never loved anything in this world more than him,” Steve Earle told Ben Sisario. “I was connected to him in ways that, you know — he’s my first born, he did the same thing I did and we both had this disease.”

Before 2020 ended, Jon Pareles reflected on a year in which isolation taught pop music precisely how much proximity matters. And Giovanni Russonello wrote about three recent films that center on jazz and blues — and were all made by Black directors or co-directors.

And because I seem to wait until the conversation about the best music of the year has totally died down to release my own year-end lists, I finally posted them. No. 1 album: Hayley Williams’s “Petals for Armor”; No. 1 song: Phoebe Bridgers’s “Kyoto”; and here’s where you can find “Folkmore” and playlists for both lists).

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The Album Steve Earle Never Wanted to Make: A Tribute to His Son

Less than two months after Justin Townes Earle’s death from an accidental overdose, his father entered Electric Lady Studios to record an LP’s worth of his songs.

By Ben Sisario

Disney Pixar, via Associated Press

Critic’s Notebook

Jazz Onscreen, Depicted by Black Filmmakers at Last

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Sylvie’s Love” and “Soul” understand the music and its place in African-American life, a welcome break with Hollywood history.

By Giovanni Russonello

THE CRITICS

All Alone With a Microphone

In 2020, pop learned how much simple physical proximity affects music, and how to cope with isolation.

By Jon Pareles

11 Things Our Critics Are Looking Forward to in 2021

Nicolas Cage hosts the history of swearing. Lorde writes a book and Julie Mehretu takes over the Whitney. This new year has to be better, right?

QUESTIONS FROM THE BOSS

Love Music to Surprise You? Jon Caramanica Recommends TikTok Dives

The Times’s Culture editor has questions. Our critic has answers.

By Gilbert Cruz

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MF Doom, Masked Rapper With Intricate Rhymes, Is Dead at 49

Born Daniel Dumile, MF Doom built a cult following with his wordplay and comic-book style. He died in October, a statement shared by his record label said.

By Julia Jacobs

John Fletcher, a.k.a. Ecstasy of the Group Whodini, Dies at 56

He was, the executive who signed Whodini said, “truly one of the first rap stars” and a sex symbol “when they were very scarce in the early days of rap.”

By Jon Caramanica

Rita Houston, WFUV D.J. Who Lifted Music Careers, Dies at 59

From a studio in the Bronx, she introduced listeners to artists from a wide range of genres. She was also a mentor to the stars, and a sometime-confidante.

By Richard Sandomir

Tony Rice, Bluegrass Innovator With a Guitar Pick, Dies at 69

The nimble king of flatpicking had enormous influence on a host of prominent musicians. And he could sing, too, until he could no longer.

By Bill Friskics-Warren

Phyllis McGuire, Last of a Singing Sisters Act, Dies at 89

Starting in the ’50s, the McGuire Sisters were one of America’s most popular vocal groups, their three-part harmonies a balm to audiences rattled by rock ’n’ roll.

By Robert D. McFadden