It did my hurt Texas heart a world of good to see Jason Isbell turn up and sing a good song in a classic tux and without a 50-gallon hat on his head. He was, after all, indoors. (I never saw my grandfather, a cowboy, a cattleman, a tough, courteous man, wear his hat indoors. In his culture, staying covered insulted the hat and the room.) Isbell plays his own licks, too. See the ending.

And the Soul Children of Chicago burnt the barn down with their singing of the Anthem. Pure, brisk and sweet with a whack and a punch where it matters.Thank God for some freshness and originality powering up some of our tired tropes.

Hello, Artificial Intelligence! I entered a Google query using correct English: “what song did jason isbell sing at the dnc convention?” Google corrected my query with incorrect English: “Did you mean: what song did jason isbell song at the dnc convention?” It’s a brave new world, ain’t it?

I rarely pick up much of the lyric when pop singers sing, and the nasality and drawling of Country-Western isn’t my cup of tea. I wanted to confirm the title of Isbell’s song, though, thinking to cite some tight words from it here. No luck. As ever with minstrelsy, the magic is enmeshed with the melody and chords, with the vocalizing and the occasion. The words exist for the song.

But here’s a thought: Maybe the poetry is in the title of Isbell’s song: “Something More Than Free.” The notion of “freedom” is bandied about like a piece of chewing gum in our culture, spit out when the sweet’s gone, a subterfuge for ego and self-interest run amuck. I hazard that we’re most free when we’re harnessed to something outside ourselves that’s worth pulling.

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