TV Tuesday: The 54th Grammys

I did not sit through the entire telecast of the 54th Grammy Awards ceremony. I did tune in long enough to see LL Cool J call Taylor Swift his “Around the Way Girl” – which was totally awesome. And then I had to explain to my parents what an “Around the Way Girl” was, which is harder than you might think.

The prayer and tribute to Whitney Houston at the beginning was nice. They kept it respectful without going completely over the top – not something you can always expect out of the music industry. I watched most of the performances either last night or caught up with them today online. Overall, I would say it was a pretty successful show.

Grammy Predictions – How Did I Do?

I’m not a huge music buff (despite my killer Album Club cred), but I didn’t do too bad. I only picked winners in six categories, but I managed to go 4 for 6. My biggest mistake was underestimating the power of Adele.

For the two I missed, I absolutely should have gone with Adele again for Song of the Year, but I had to pay tribute to my hip-hop loving core. For Best Duo, I wasn’t entirely familiar with all the songs, so I just picked my favorite (and ignored the posthumous effect). In hindsight, both choices seem so clear. But what are you going to do?

Record of the Year

My Pick: Rolling in the Deep – Adele
The Winner: Rolling in the Deep – Adele

Album of the Year

My Pick: 21 – Adele
The Winner: 21 – Adele

Song of the Year

My Pick: All of the Lights – Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie)
The Winner: Rolling in The Deep – Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)

Best New Artist

My Pick: Bon Iver
The Winner: Bon Iver

Best Pop Solo Performance

My Pick: Someone Like You – Adele (Track from: 21)
The Winner: Someone Like You – Adele (Track from: 21)

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

My Pick: Pumped Up Kicks – Foster The People (Track from: Torches)
The Winner: Body And Soul – Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse (Track from: Duets II)

Grammy Performances

• Adele was Adele. She always brings it.
• I am not a huge Bruno Mars fan (mentioned numerous times in the previously-linked post), but his set was hot. He pulled off that big band Motown swagger and I liked it.
• I like Coldplay. I love Rhianna. But damn. That was not so great.
• What the hell, Nicki Minaj? I love you, but I don’t even know what the eff that was. When Lady Gaga starts making more sense, you’ve got a problem.
• I know a lot of people thought the Whitney Houston cover by Jennifer Hudson was too soon, but I think it was great. Hudson did a nice job and she didn’t try to sound just like Whitney. It was a tribute, not an impersonation. She kept it classy and I think most people recognize and appreciate that.
• The Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney are getting old.
• Chris Brown. I don’t know exactly how I feel about this. I do think people can change. And that’s coming from someone who knows more than she ever wanted to know about domestic violence. So if Rhianna can forgive him, that’s enough for me. But this made me sick. So… yeah.

The Trumpet Child (or How I Learned Americana is More Than Just the Junk on Antiques Roadshow)

I started the Album Club to get introductions to new music. The Trumpet Child – Over the Rhine, our January selection, introduced me to the americana genre of music. Prior to this, I thought Americana just referred to country kitsch with an overwhelming American-flag motif. Not my style, sorry. But I was pleased to find that the music didn’t leave a similar bad taste in my mouth.

Our friends at Wikipedia tell us:

Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles such as bluegrass.

My (somewhat questionable) taste in music steers me toward Top 40 pop hits and R&B/hip-hop tracks. If it’s got a good beat and I can shake my ass to it, I like it. Lyrics are mostly irrelevant, which leaves a lot of singer-songwriters out with me, while “producers” reign supreme. It’s a limited musical niche for sure, one I was looking to break out of with the help of my Album Club mates.

The Trumpet Child is not something I would have picked up on my own, but that’s the whole point. I wasn’t really expecting to even like it, much less love it. I had never heard of Over the Rhine, so I did a quick Google search to learn a bit about the husband-and-wife duo of Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist. Wow, Karin’s kind of hot. Nice. But can she sing?

Oh, yes. She can sing.

I brought my usual overly managed style to my album review and did a spreadsheet that you’re welcome to view if you find yourself achingly bored. For this post, I’ll spare you my track-by-track analysis and just stick with the main points.

The album opens strong with two of my favorite tracks. Bergquist’s sultry vocals quickly suck you in on “I Don’t Wanna Waste Your Time” and by the time you get to “Trouble,” you’re more than ready to have a little fun. “Nothing is Innocent” and “Let’s Spend the Day in Bed” are also high on my list. I enjoyed almost every track, even “If a Song Could Be President,” which hasn’t gotten much love from my fellow reviewers.

Two tracks scored a “Meh,” grade from me. “Desperate for Love” doesn’t do much for more. I don’t like the lyrics, and as a single woman, I certainly don’t like to think of myself as “desperate” for much of anything. “Waiting for Tom” is my least favorite track. It’s also the only track where Bergquist doesn’t take the lead on vocals. Maybe that’s a coincidence or maybe it’s not. I’m not familiar with Tom Waits’ work, so I didn’t get any of the references and there is just something about the arrangement that’s not working for me.

Overall, it’s a great album. I probably listened to it a half-dozen times and went back and listened to my favorite tracks a few times on their own as well. It’s definitely going into my regular rotation. I would love to see them perform live. And I just learned that Over the Rhine are performing TONIGHT and TOMORROW in Maryland. Due to a lack of funds and prior plans, I won’t be attending. But certainly not because of a lack of interest.

Grammy Award Nominees

I’ve tried being a bit more music minded lately, so for the first time ever, I’m actually going to pay attention to the Grammy Awards.

It helps that LL Cool J is the host for the 54th Grammys. I like him lots.

There are an unbelievable 78 categories. It was a struggle for me to pretend I knew which winners to pick for the first six categories. I’m not even going to attempt to discern what’s going on in the Alternative or Gospel or Contemporary Christian genres. You can find a full list of nominees and categories here.

Record of the Year

Rolling in the Deep – Adele
Holocene – Bon Iver
Grenade – Bruno Mars
The Cave – Mumford & Sons
Firework – Katy Perry

Well, here’s our first hurdle in my lack of musical knowledge. What’s the difference between a record and an album? It seems like the record is the single. Okay then. Bruno Mars annoys me. I don’t know who Mumford & Sons are. Katy Perry is over exposed (both literally and figuratively). I do love Bon Iver, but I’m going to have to go with Adele.

Album of the Year

21 – Adele
Wasting Light – Foo Fighters
Born this Way – Lady Gaga
Doo-Wops & Hooligans – Bruno Mars
Loud – Rihanna

This lady rocks my world. Lady Gaga, not so much. I like the Foo Fighters, but I’m not aware of even a single off of this album. Loud has nothing on Good Girl Gone Bad. And Bruno Mars annoys me, remember?

Song of the Year

All of the Lights – Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie)
The Cave – Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford & Country Winston, songwriters (Mumford & Sons)
Grenade – Brody Brown, Claude Kelly, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
Holocene – Justin Vernon, songwriter (Bon Iver)
Rolling in The Deep – Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)

This would be another source of my record/album/song confusion, but this is for the songwriter, not the artist. Y’all probably already knew that. Heh. I don’t think All of the Lights will really win, but that’s my jam.

Best New Artist

The Band Perry
Bon Iver
J. Cole
Nicki Minaj
Skrillex

Okay, I love me some Nicki. But Bon Iver is amazing on an entire other level. The Band Perry will probably give them a run for their money, but c’mon. That’s what the CMAs are for. I have no idea who J. Cole or Skrillex are. My bad.

Best Pop Solo Performance

Someone Like You – Adele (Track from: 21)
Yoü And I – Lady Gaga (Track from: Born This Way)
Grenade – Bruno Mars (Track from: Doo-Wops & Hooligans)
Firework – Katy Perry
F***in’ Perfect – Pink

I think you know by now that I adore Adele and don’t care so much for Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Katy Perry. I like this Pink song, but it doesn’t have the power of Someone Like You.

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Body And Soul – Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse (Track from: Duets II)
Dearest – The Black Keys (Track from: Rave On Buddy Holly)
Paradise – Coldplay
Pumped Up Kicks – Foster The People (Track from: Torches)
Moves Like Jagger – Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera (Track from: Hands All Over)

I love this song. That’s my only justification. The end.