As many of you must know, the CMAs were last night, as a self proclaimed non-fan of country music this illustrious Nashville evening nearly went unnoticed. However, one gem has snuck through my willful ignorance fueled defense and completely blown me away. Justin Timberlake (yes, that Justin Timberlake) has really stepped out of the pop/R&B spotlight and touched on some exciting new genres. I believe it became noticeable when he filmed Inside Llewyn Davis the Coen Brothers 1960s Greenwich folk picture. We also saw shades of diversity on his album 20/20.
Well last night on the great Nashville stage, he joined Chris Stapleton for a duet in phenomenal fashion. The first, “Tennessee Whiskey,” an old George Jones standard, followed by a Justin Timberlake original called “Drink You Away,” were both excitingly well done. One almost wouldn’t expect the two voices to pair well together, and Timberlake’s smooth well-manicured voice did sometimes feel out of place, but that didn’t detract from an overall impressive performance. The soul delivered by the entire ensemble, particularly in “Tennessee Whiskey” is something truly special and I’m happy to share it with all of you here:
