Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette to feature in new MGM+ docuseries ‘Words + Music’

It’s like MTV Unplugged crossed with VH1 Storytellers — with some new technology added in.

Words + Music, a new TV series based on the Audible audio series of the same name, is coming to MGM+ Nov. 30. Among the artists who’ll be featured in the first episodes are Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, John Legend and Alanis Morissette.

Like Unplugged and Storytellers, each episode will feature artists sharing the stories behind their most iconic songs, followed by performances of those songs, either solo or with a band. There will also be an immersive video experience, courtesy of a stage that includes a 79-by-80-foot LED screen and 105 motion capture cameras, according to a press release. 

As the artists tell their stories, they’ll be surrounded by “dynamic visual narratives”: the environment around them will “transform to reflect each anecdote and song,” the release says.

The show is being produced by Gunpowder and Sky, the studio run by Van Toffler, the former president of MTV Networks. Toffler says, “The result is something as intimate as a backstage confession and as cinematic as a feature film. These aren’t just stories about iconic songs – they’re portraits of how those songs, and the artists behind them came to be.”

Toffler tells Variety that some of the visuals include photos from Crow’s childhood and Costello’s original artwork.

Also involved in the show are Alex Coletti, who produced Costello’s original Unplugged 30 years ago, and Bill Flanagan, who co-created VH1 Storytellers.

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