Category Archives: Pink
Year In Music, 2011
Posted by d1esel6 in Adele, Beyoncé, Big Sean, Britney Spears, Bruno Mars, Busta Rhymes, Cage The Elephant, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Drake, Fleet Foxes, Florence & The Machine, Foo Fighters, Foster The People, Frank Ocean, James Blake, Jason Aldean, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, Jessie J, Joe Jonas, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Kelly Rowland, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, LMFAO, Maroon 5, MGMT, Miguel, Mumford and Sons, Nicki Minaj, Pink, Pitbull, Rihanna, The Strokes, tUnE-YaRdS, Year In Music, Year In Music 2011, Yuck
2011 Music, adele, Album of the Year 2011, Artist of the Year 2011, Award Show Performance of the Year 2011, beyonce, Big Sean, Britney Spears, Bruno Mars, Busta Rhymes, Cage The Elephant, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, Cobra Starship, Disappointment of the Year 2011, Drake, Fleet Foxes, Flop of the Year 2011, Florence & The Machine, Florence and The Machine, Foo Fighters, Foster The People, Frank Ocean, Guilty Pleasure of the Year 2011, James Blake, Jason Aldean, Jay-Z, JayZ, Jennifer Lopez, Jessie J, JLo, Joe Jonas, Jonas Brothers, Kanye West, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Kelly Rowland, Lady Antebellum, Lady GaGa, LMFAO, Mariah Carey, Maroon 5, MGMT, Michael Jackson, Miguel, Mumford & Sons, Mumford and Sons, Music Video of the Year 2011, Nicki Minaj, p!nk, pink, Pitbull, rihanna, Sabi, Selena Gomez, Single of the Year 2011, Taylor Swift, The Jonas Brothers, The Strokes, The Throne, tUnE-yArDs, tuneyards, Year In Music 2011, yuck
Honestly, 2011 was a pretty horrible year for Mainstream and Top 40 music. The bar is terribly low for a Pop hit these days, and even performance wise there's nothing really exciting about the goings on of this year. So it's a little difficult to try and make it seem exciting when it really was just BASIC on the whole. Adele slayed pretty much all year, and she was one of the only exciting things to happen to the industry this year. The under performing of Britney Spears and Beyoncé signaled a change in the winds, where formerly unstoppable Pop stars were being out peaked and out sold by the likes of LMFAO and Pitbull. Speaking of, Beyoncé may or may not be pregnant (*laugh). Katy Perry and Rihanna got closer to breaking chart records of Michael Jackson and Mariah Carey. Nicki Minaj got her biggest hit from her Pop-iest song and Foo Fighters put in a bid as the last great rock band of the 90's. Other than all of that, and a few hot-mess feuds and shady comments, not much else happened this year that's really worth reporting.
So here's my take on the year, try to enjoy! And let's hope 2012 kicks 2011's Basic Ass!!
Artists Of The Year,
Coming off the critical praise of 2010's "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", West took a seat instead of his usual loud-mouthed antics. He took a seat in the studio though with Jay-Z, and towards the end of the Summer released the Epic collaboration album "Watch The Throne". So let's raise our glass to Kanye shutting up long enough to keep the focus on his talent, which ended in him leading the Grammy nominations and co-headlining a sold out tour.
While the media excitement for GaGa trailed off towards the end of the year, Mother Monster still had a triumphant year overall. She clocked over a million sales of her third (or second) album "Born This Way" after record breaking sales of the first single of the same name. She was ever present on television, including an HBO concert and a network Holiday special that got healthy ratings. Most importantly, she made some risky single choices that worked in exposing a different and versatile side to her as an artist.
3. Pitbull
This might be a surprising choice, but Pitbull was every where this year. He's been very consistent ever since his debut in the early 2000's, but this year he almost became a household name. He had a Huge #1 hit with "Give Me Everything" and his feature work with Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and Shakira further helped his exposure. He ended up being invited to perform at nearly every big Award ceremony of the year, and translated his new found mainstream fame into endorsement deals. He may just be the flavor of the moment, but he definitely crossed over to a new level of fame in 2011. And as hard of a worker he has shown he is, he could potentially get bigger down the line.
Miss "I Kissed a Girl" didn't necessarily break out as the "It" girl of this year, but she made a lot of accomplishments and set herself up to possibly be a force in the industry. Still continuing a hit streak from her 2010 album "Teenage Dream" she collected two more #1 singles this year, tying Michael Jackson for the most #1's from one album. She ended the year with a hosting spot on "Saturday Night Live" and a 7th Top 5 Hit. Hopefully she's in the studio working on a follow-up, and we'll see how long her star will shine.
1. Adele
No surprises here, for whatever reason the beginning of the year all the way till the end Adele was on everybody's lips and on top of every chart. And she did this without compromising her sound. In the field of sexed up Pop chicks talking about nothing on their songs with auto-tuned vocals, Adele really was a shocking success being the polar opposite of all that. Her "21" album, steeped in R&B Jazz and Balladry, became the #1 selling album of the year and her two hits "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You" used proper instrumentation and strong vocals to become huge hits as well. So proud of her, and if she can just get her nerves together for a tour she'll be a Legend in no time.
Albums of the Year,
10. Chris Brown "F.A.M.E."
Say what you will about Breezy, but "F.A.M.E." showed off how truly talented he is. Not only does it cross genres from Pop to R&B to Hip Hop to Dance, but it's all catchy and well-sung with some surprisingly great lyricism. A great step in the right direction, and a true testament to why he's on top of the R&B heap these days.
9. tUnE-yArDs "w h o k i l l"
Crazy album, going from Folk sounds to Tribe Called Quest-like Hip Hop sounds and everything in between. This is something new and different and ultra experimental, but it works. It shows off the talents of Merrill Garbus, vocally and lyrically, and it gives listeners something totally fresh to counter-act all the same-sounding stuff released this year.
8. Beyoncé "4"
Like I said in my review of this album, it's truly one from an artist that is so comfortable in her talents she can just do what she feels and not worry about fitting in. "4" is laid back R&B in a time when tempos must be high and lyrics must be repetitive, so in a way Bey took a risk but she really stayed in her zone and delivered a very solid and classic sounding album.
7. Adele "21"
Do I even need to go into detail about the album probably EVERYBODY has heard by now. Adele really goes back, with lots of early blues and soul inspired material, matched with a few funk tracks. The entire album is made to showcase the amazing voice of hers and why she's one of the best singers in the game right now, and mission accomplished.
6. Frank Ocean "Nostalgia, Ultra"
This is a Mixtape, and I started not to include it. I couldn't leave it off though because it was one of the most exciting and fresh pieces of music I've heard this year. From the out of the box concepts of the songs, to the pretty amazing and random samples he sings over, his knack for great lyricism and his love of singing. If you need to watch anybody that has major potential to blow up in 2012, than Frank is the one. "Nostalgia, Ultra" can be enjoyed by so many, even if it's not what the masses are typically used to hearing.
5. Fleet Foxes "Helplessness Blues"
The mainstream-friendly Folk/Pop group delivered another set of very soothing, relaxing chill tracks that's really true to the roots of the genre. A very natural continuation from their debut album, just elevated and with a much bigger sound. The stories clouded in very intelligent lyricism make it an album that can be enjoyed for decades, but it still somehow feels very now. And the harmonies and cascades of instrumentation is perfectly beautiful on every track. It truly deserves all the praise and hype it got, it's definitely a go-to album if you need to relax.
4. Lady GaGa "Born This Way"
Unlike the rest of her Pop contemporaries, GaGa really tried hard on her third album to stand out from the pack. And she did in so many different ways with "Born This Way", still catering to her Top 40 audience she manages to make little changes and explore different sounds. From Country, Industrial, House and Rock the album is clearly one of the most diverse of the year, yet the overall album works. And it's not just the tracks, her attacking different vocal styles and writing some pretty impressive lyrics this go round "Born This Way" shows the artist behind the crazy outfits.
3. Jay Z & Kanye West "Watch the Throne"
The event album of the year, I almost didn't believe it would ever come out but luckily it did. The album is Anthem after Anthem, it definitely caters to Kanye's more energetic and humorous side. However mixed with Jay's more serious verses, they both end up rubbing off on each other with Jay sounding like he's having more fun and Kanye even waxing philosophical on some tracks. A great collaboration by two utter geniuses, how could it go wrong really?
2. Drake "Take Care"
Drake really is a surprising character in the industry. As much as you want to, you really can't hate on what he brings to the table and it's almost always unexpected and to the left of what you might have assumed. "Take Care" is a surprisingly deep and personal album at times, that transitions seamlessly from an Indie/R&B feel to a harder Hip Hop feel, and you don't really notice because you are just captivated overall. His sophomore is just as good if not better than his very impressive debut, and this does show he has the chops to stay in the game for a long while.
1. James Blake "James Blake"
An album that takes a few listens to really appreciate, Indie self-produced "Dubstep Prince" (still don't know why his music is classified as dub step but whatever) James Blake delivers a very minimalist album that even without many lyrics has such emotion and heart in the soundscapes he provides. It's an album that plays well altogether and really stands out above anything else released this year, because it's so non-conformist in almost every way. Tonally and emotionally it's really an amazing album that shouldn't be missed.
Singles of the Year,
15. Jessie J "Who You Are"
You would think the "love yourself" inspirational ballads died with Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful", but UK star Jessie J makes a great bid for bringing them back. The lyrics match so well with the emotion and rawness of her vocals, it doesn't feel like sap it feels much more personal.
14. Yuck "Rubber"
An eery, forever building ode to 90's Alternative. With it's strange and creepy instrumentation and slowly changing tempos, and the vocal delivery of Daniel Blumberg. It's almost like a scary movie you can't stop listening to until you get to the end.
13. Britney Spears "Til the World Ends"
Easily one of the best songs of Britney's career, and apparently she owes it all to Ke$ha who wrote this incredibly addictive call to the dancefloor. It's perfection in it's intentional stupid-ness, and a perfect song to suit Britney's (*cough) limitations. (And the remix is even better than the original)
12. Lady Antebellum "We Owned the Night"
A beautiful yet underrated single from the power trio of 2010. The song works on many levels with a cute storyline, beautiful harmonies and a relaxed track that gets some real country energy in parts.
11. Maroon 5 "Moves Like Jagger"
Surprisingly great Pop track, not very deep but do you really expect that from a Top 40 song? No! What you expect, and what you get here, is a nice dance tempo and an insanely catchy hook. Add Christina Aguilera's power notes and you have one of the best Pop offerings of the year.
10. Jason Aldean "Dirt Road Anthem"
Aldean has had a great run in the country world, and this rap/country hybrid (later remixed with a verse from Ludacris) does a lot to gain unlikely fans. He goes from his southern rap to belting it out towards the end over a very simple backing sample.
9. Rihanna "S&M"
The MOST Fun Dance song released this year, there are several portions that are crazy addictive and Rihanna's sexy but coy vocal delivery takes it to another level. Another reason why no one can touch Rihanna in the Dance/Pop field, she consistently delivers the most dance-ready (and most true to the classic House sound) tracks of all her contemporaries. (And for the record, I'm pretending that Britney remix never existed! *awful)
8. Cage the Elephant "Aberdeen"
A great rock track, with clear homages to a more alternative 90's rock sound but adding the groups standard weird effects and instrumentation to make the song totally fresh. Addictive and creative, what more do you want.
7. Chris Brown "Look at Me Now"
This is a Chris Brown song, but most of the praise for this weird electro/Hip Hop winner goes to producer Diplo and featured rapper Busta Rhymes whose flawless and breathless flow made this The urban track of the year, and once again showed he's still a relevant player.
6. Lady GaGa "Yoü and I"
Mother Monster delivered a Pop Anthem, an Industrial Dance track, and a ballad-like House-r this year but her Country/Pop/Rock rump "You and I" is clearly the most memorable and the one that shows what a great artist she is. A great storyline, a confident vocal and a track so hype and powerful you'll be singing and clapping along in no time.
5. James Blake "The Wilhelm Scream"
This is the genius of James Blake, at first the song is really unassuming. A simple repetitive vocal over scant electronic backing, but if you listen you start to feel and appreciate the layers and how the song builds to a beautiful climax. His songs just creep up on you and force you to feel something.
4. Miguel "Sure Thing"
In case anyone thought R&B was dead Miguel came through with a beautiful and loving R&B track that Urban Radio has been lacking for years. The writing is exceptional, a love song without any contradictions or stipulations like the "I love you but I'm probably gonna cheat on you" type songs we've been forced to accept in the past few years. A great return to form for R&B.
3. Jay Z & Kanye West "Otis"
Like I said in my review of "Watch The Throne", this hit single has a very complicated and technical use of the Otis Redding "Try a Little Tenderness" sample. Everything else about the song feels so laid back and breezy in comparison, with two of the biggest Hip Hop Icons of the day genuinely having fun and not being try-hards with their second single. Epic song that's downplayed to just being a fun record.
2. Adele Rolling in the Deep
Incredible vocals. Amazing (and LIVE) instrumentation. Killer lyrics. End.
1. Kanye West "All of the Lights"
One of Kanye's most simple songs, in both production and verses. However the more you listen, the deeper it gets when you realize the story he's trying to tell about the inner cities. And though the calvacade of featured artists are nice, they aren't necessary. It's a strong, powerful, energetic, catchy and flawless song.
Disappointments of the Year,
3. Rihanna "Talk That Talk"
I LOVE Rihanna, this won't change anytime soon. And because of my love, I was really excited for her 6th album even if it was clear it would be a bit rushed with the busy year she had. Now, over a month after it's been in stores, I tend to listen to her previous album "Loud" over this one. Too many un-done songs, which gives the bare minimum in song structure, almost like her label said "whatever you have now is fine we'll just release it". I feel like her label jipped us fans and gave us a half-ass outing for Holiday sales, when with just a month or three more it could have been a pretty great album.
2. The Strokes "Angles"
After waiting 5 years for a new album from the once great Garage Rock band, when it album finally came it was a bit of a dud. "Angles" was way too all over the place and not making any real statement of their growth as a band. Not a terrible album by any means, but definitely not worth the long wait. Hopefully there is a quick follow up to redeem themselves.
1. Britney Spears "Femme Fatale"
I don't know why (maybe because her team kept Tweeting about it), but I expected this album to be a sign of growth for Miss Spears who has been stuck in Robot-Mode for almost 5 years now. Unfortunately, the album was yet another Dance/Pop heavy, heavily vocally altered singles album with virtually no real effort coming from the star. And even with hype about insane choreography and performance lessons, Spears continued to disappoint by doing the bare minimum performance wise this year. Signaling the fact that Britney will probably never get any better as an artist, thus the potential demise of her career. (Her fans are the most faithful of any stan base though, as long as they are easily impressed she'll be fine)
Guilty Pleasures of the Year,
5. Big Sean "My Last"
This, for any other rapper, would have been pure filler. There's nothing truly stand out about anything in the track, and the whole"we do it big out in public" concept is so annoying. Than the "a-a-a-all, a-a-a-all" hook pulls you in and you spontaneously start singing along.
4. Jennifer Lopez "On the Floor"
Could the lyrics get anymore elementary, or the track be anymore basic? I doubt it, but somehow the "La la la la"'s and the overly repetitive "On the Floor"'s were too catchy to deny.
3. LMFAO "Party Rock Anthem"
Overproduced, Pointless, Stupid, Basic… yet after a few times being forced to hear it on the radio you kinda get used to it. I know for me, the first time I heard it "Noisy Garbage" came to mind, after about 4 listens I was actually anticipating hearing it. Shameful, but that's the beauty of a Guilty Pleasure.
2. Rihanna "We Found Love"
I called this when I first reviewed the single, the song is basic in every sense of the word. Random lyrics, and a hook that seems to never end. Not even the production is anything all that noteworthy, as Rihanna has had much better Dance singles. However that hook, after about the millionth time, engraves itself in your brain and you go a little crazy for 3 minutes.
1. Pitbull "Give Me Everything"
Pitbull's verses are rather weak, Nayer is like a non-factor, the track is almost a "paint-by-numbers" dance track… but who can deny Ne-Yo's infectious and addictive hook. Overall, everything comes together pretty nicely and you just get in a zone when the track comes on.
Flops of the Year,
3. Kelly Rowland
Kelly's solo problems have always been that she's choked at the wrong opportunities. Her BET Award performance was all everybody could talk about, that was the time to hit us with a new single and video capitalizing on that exposure. But she waited until after her very decent album "Here I Am" had already flopped. And the supposedly "dance heavy" UK edition fared even worse, and that's after all her "X-Factor" exposure. She seems to be stepping her performance game up, so there may be a chance next year.
2. (tie) Beyoncé, Britney Spears
How the mighty have fallen! Even though both divas posted respectable numbers in either album or single sales, 2011 showed that their time as relevant artists might be up.
Britney had major success on the singles charts, but her album sales took a steep dive given her track record. She truly became a singles artist this year, in the same realm as Ke$ha and LMFAO. And most of that is due to her consistently lazy performances, and refusal to do any interviews or press.
With Beyoncé, her album "4" posted good numbers but her single choices were disasters and … well, plain stupid. Her mistakes were clear, and she didn't seem to take the hint (or maybe she didn't care because of her pregnancy). She saves face with a few great live performances including the now iconic pregnancy reveal at the VMA's, but now that she's ditched her father as manager she's totally accountable for this flop.
1. Joe Jonas
Poor Kid. He's cute, he's at least minimally talented, and you'd think with the success of The Jonas Brothers his solo career would make some kind of sales dent. Unfortunately, after hyping his first single for what felt like months it only peaked at #92 and the album "Fast Life" only managed to stay on the Billboard 200 for 2 weeks. I guess with Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber there was no spot left on the charts for another "teen heart throb".
Music Videos of the Year,
5. Beyoncé "Run the World (Girls)"
Beyonce went as big as she could to try to salvage the poor first single choice of "Run the World (Girls)". Hyenas, Lions, Task Forces, Exploding Cars, a Few Hundred Backing Dancers. She threw the kitchen sink in there too, but luckily it's saving grace is the dancing. She incorporates different styles and attacks, the type of big dance video Janet or Michael Jackson would do.
4. Jason Aldean "Tatoos On This Town"
They could have went a totally different way with this song, but they gave us the tear-jerker storyline. And it actually really works in a beautiful way with the lyrics of the song.
Enter the crazy world of Mother Monster, where there's no judgement and… blah blah blah. GaGa is known for being a bit pretentious, but overall this video came off visually very different from most Pop videos. And it's always nice to see GaGa drop the seriousness and have fun, which she does towards the end.
2. P!nk "Fuckin Perfect"
Speaking of GaGa, P!nk this year proved you don't have to make an 11 minute video to tell a compelling and emotional story that unfolds in surprising and beautiful ways. Really one of the most heart wrenching and inspiring videos of the year.
This video is one that didn't try too hard, but did an amazing job of bringing alot of depth and rawness to the basic song and it's lyrics. In very quick glimpses yo almost see the entire length of a destructive relationship, the highs and lows, and with the flawless editing job it really does get surprisingly real, but still a beautifully shot video.
Award Show Performances of the Year,
3. Bruno Mars "Valerie"
Bruno finally showed he has the chops to deserve his spot at the top right now. His 2010 Grammy performance showed a performer who truly loved music, but his vocals were a bit off. At this VMA tribute to Amy Winehouse, he really makes the song his own and is almost perfect vocally. His energy, and clear love for performance and singing really shined.
2. Beyoncé "Love on Top"
(this clip is mirrored, so it looks a little weird. sorry)
Bey pulled out all the stops for her Billboard Award performance, but this simple VMA routine was the one that got everybody talking. She's known as a great performer, so she doesn't have to do much to impress. And her flawless vocals before her reveal already clinched this as another great one in her long list of live performances. It's the pregnancy reveal, and the reaction of the crowds, that made this what it is though.
1. Mumford and Sons "The Cave"
This is the kind of performance I love to see, where the group is ecstastic to be performing and you get a true sense that they really love what they are doing. Mumford and Sons delivered an un-jaded, energetic, and technically perfect Grammy performance this year. It helped "The Cave" become a major player on the charts as well as their debut album "Sigh No More".
So, what have we learned this year. It's actually a little hard to say because it was so crazy and unpredictable. You never really knew what song would hit, what promotional opportunity would help sales. Random circumstances like YouTube videos ended up helping singles more than "American Idol" appearances (case in point Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" aided by Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift videos). The industry continued to get majorly shaky, but it seemed whatever Radio was backing would determine who would shine.
Which brings up a weird issue with Adele being so huge, it was kind of funny to hear one of her songs (like the piano ballad "Someone Like You") on pop radio than right after hearing Cobra Starship or LMFAO dance trash single. You'd think radio might take the hint that people are ready for talented vocalists and great song structure. Obviously they didn't, but they need to realize that a little diversity never killed anybody.
And I have a few remarks for two of Radio's biggest stars Katy Perry and Bruno Mars. They both get the Step Your Game Up Award, because both are talented in their own ways. Bruno is a great performer and a good writer when he wants to be. It's just the songs he's been putting out are very below the bar and elementary, when he's capable of putting out some classic and creative stuff. And Katy really needs to take her exposure and step out of the "Pop Top 40" realm a bit and get a little deeper. "Teenage Dream" actually does offer some depth and artistry ("Circle the Drain" "Pearl"), so she needs to let the world hear a different edge to her.
My I Don't Get It Award goes to Foster the People and Florence and the Machine. "Pumped Up Kicks" was a huge single this year, but to me it just sounds like a horribly distorted MGMT rip-off with a forced catchy hook. It's not just that they took their sound and tried to process it through a Mainstream filter, but it doesn't even sound good and it's surprising that it fit into the Mainstream machine at all. With Florence, I just can't get into her voice long enough to hear an entire song, but she's hyped as this amazing vocalist somehow. I just don't get it.
The Have a Seat Award goes to Rihanna, and we know I love her by now. She is just over-working herself, and I need for her to be healthy and ready because she's clearly being run to the ground. I already talked about her latest album, but her performances went from a major high earlier this year to a drastic and saddening low at the Jingle Ball in December. Six months of not working wouldn't kill her, but Three more months of her pace might actually do it.
I WAS gonna Go In on Nicki Minaj. With touring with Britney, the success of "Super Bass", and her recent David Guetta collaboration has become more of a Pop sensation than a Hip Hop Star. I won't though because I'm hoping "Roman's Reloaded" will make me love her again. And that's pretty much all I have for this year, which like I said was pretty boring but some good things came out of it I guess.
>Concert Review: Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera and P!nk.
Posted by d1esel6 in Christina Aguilera, Concert Review, Mariah Carey, Pink
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>Hey readers.
I haven't posted anything, obviously, since the Grammy update. I was experimenting with Tumblr (d1esel6.tumblr) and wrote some quick music reviews there. And than I was contemplating closing this blog out, but maybe I just need to revamp how I go about this.
So anyway, I thought maybe I should start by reviewing what I saw this weekend. This past Sunday, the LOGO network had a cool little Pop Diva marathon. They were showing Behind the Music when I woke up (Eve and Jennifer Hudson), and than after that they showed 4 concerts in a row. Concerts that I actually had on my Netflix Q, Mariah Carey's "Adventures of Mimi Tour", Christina Aguilera's "Back to Basics Tour" and P!nk's recent "Funhouse Tour". I'm pretty sure most of the shows were edited down for time and commercial breaks (I know, for instance, that P!nk not doing "Stupid Girls" or Christina not doing "Genie in a Bottle" was more of an editing thing because to not perform those hits seems strange) but they gave a good indication on whether or not the shows were any good.
Mariah's show, well I give her an A for effort.
"The Adventures of Mimi" came after her big comeback with the album "Emancipation of Mimi" and I think she felt like she had to pull out all the stops. So there were big dance numbers and elaborate set pieces, and her scantily clad throughout. Mariah is great with her interaction with the crowd, that's definitely where she excels. She was fun and funny, and at times genuinely heartfelt. Her voice, at times, was still phenomenal although not flawless. There were times when she kind of fell off the melodies, or just hit the wrong notes, but those were few and far between. And her stage presence, well it ain't that great. I feel like her problem is that she's too overly conscious of every move she makes. Though sometimes she busted out some dance moves that looked really natural on her. At the end of the show, I was satisfied with the concert. She ran through pretty much ALL her big hits and it was fun taking a trip down memory lane (I hadn't listened to "Dream Lover" in I don't know how long and I forgot how much I love it), she even brought out Boyz II Men (well three of the four original members) to do her gigantic mid-90's hit "One Sweet Day". Mariah really did give her all, she really tried and you can't really fault her for the mis-steps, just comparatively it wasn't the best show out there. Obviously great for True Mariah fans like myself.
Rating: 7 of 10
Christina Aguilera's "Back to Basics Tour" faltered only because she pretty much sang nothing but "Back to Basics" material, and that's not my favorite Christina album.
I respect the album because she truly did go for the sound that she was into and didn't get persuaded to change it, however that R&B meets Old School Jazz meets Pop sound doesn't lend itself well for a big arena tour. I also should add, I think this was the most edited show of the three I watched. I just kept feeling like "Okay, WHEN is she gonna sing a song I know" and it didn't come until the end. (I also got the feeling she was lipping big chunks of her show… I just never heard her BREATHE which is an indication) Where Christina excelled on this show was her confidence and her stage presence blew me away. She was ripping up the stage, and not that she was doing intricate dance moves or anything like that, she just was all over the stage with sass and attitude that was necessary for the material. Even the overall staging of the show was superb, "Makes Me Wanna Pray" and "Candyman" specifically were really well thought out as far as look and utilizing the stage. Towards the end, Aguilera lost some steam it seemed like. She ended with her classic "Beautiful" (terribly oversung) and "Fighter" which I felt was an ODD closer, but it worked. Overall, the show seemed a little disjointed and out of sync (and I think it's because of the LOGO editing) but she LOOKED great, and her stage presence was on point. Better than I expected, but still not all that impressive.
Rating: 6 of 10 (based on the LOGO broadcast which I still think was heavily edited)
Now I saw P!nk's tour in support of "I'm Not Dead" on DVD a few years ago, and it blew me away. I always knew she was a great singer and great performer but that concert was just EVERYTHING you'd want in a show.
Her most recent "Funhouse Tour" took it up a bunch of notches. The stage presence that Christina had, and the interaction with the crowds that Mariah had, combined with some real Cirque du Soleil stunts, true musicality, and wonderful costume and set design really OWNS both the other concerts. I guess the thing that P!nk has is pure energy and not taking herself too seriously. And I should add, true versatility. She goes from Rock Anthems (the excellent cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody") to slower acoustic sets ("I Don't Believe You") to pure Pop extravaganzas (a great rendition of "Get the Party Started") all while joking with the crowd, making fun of her dancing, and being playful with her band. Of the three shows (there was a 30 minute Lady GaGa show I didn't watch) P!nk really just seemed like she was the one actually having fun up on stage, and of course the audience and the viewer enjoyed it more because of it. Immediately after watching, I added the show to my Amazon playlist because I could definitely imagine myself giving that more than 10 viewings.
Rating: 9.5 of 10
>Grammy's 2010, Update
Posted by d1esel6 in 50 Cent, Beyoncé, Black Eyed Peas, Brian Eno, Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, David Byrne, Dr. Dre, Elton John, Eminem, Grammys, Jamie Foxx, Jason Mraz, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga, Maxwell, Phoenix, Pink, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band
50 Cent, beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, Brian Eno, Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, David Byrne, Dr. Dre, Elton John, Eminem, Grammys, Jamie Foxx, Jason Mraz, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Kings of Leon, Lady GaGa, Maxwell, p!nk, Phoenix, pink, rihanna, Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band
The Grammy's were Sunday night and I probably should have written something either Sunday night or Monday, I've been kind of busy at work and starting this Spring semester. And on top of that I unfortunately missed a good chunk of the telecast. When I finally actually remembered it was on, Jamie Foxx was performing. Having missed all of my favorite artists performances I watched the rest on Mute.
So what I'll be doing here is just to Gloat on how close I was with my predictions and just talk about the wins.
First let's talk about Me, (and by the way, i advertised the Mess out of my Grammy prediction blog on Twitter, and only one comment. I Love comments, so if you happen to be reading my blog now or in the future, don't be afraid to leave a comment) of the 20 categories I ventured to make predictions on, I got 11 of them correct and only 8 wrong. I got a half point for the biggest surprise of the night Album of the Year, I said Dave Matthews Band "Will Win" (they didn't) but I said Taylor Swift "Should Win" (she did).
Here's a quick rundown of the predictions I got right:
New Artist – Zac Brown Band (Only because I don't see any other act winning)
Female Pop Vocal Performance – Beyoncé "Halo" (A Heartfelt Emotional and Intense vocal on a really popular song)
Male Pop Vocal Performance – Jason Mraz "Make it Mine" (Sometimes Grammy's give an artist an award one year because they lost the previous year. Mraz should have gotten Grammy gold for his now Record Breaking hit "I'm Yours" but went home empty handed. This award might be his redemption.)
Pop Vocal Album – Black Eyed Peas "The E.N.D." (this may be their category)
Dance Recording – Lady GaGa "Poker Face" (If she only gets one award on Sunday, this will be it. It has her name written all over it.)
Rock Performance, Duo or Group – Kings of Leon "Use Somebody" (No Brainer. I talked them up for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, so there's no reason they can't take this.)
Female R&B Vocal Performance – Beyoncé "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" (I don't think Mrs. Carter has anything to worry about here.)
Male R&B Vocal Performance – Maxwell "Pretty Wings" (Another No Brainer... nobody else even comes close.)
R&B Album – Maxwell "Blacksummers'night" (His first album in 8 years, it debuts at #1 and has a #1 single. No way he won't win.)
Contemporary R&B Album – Beyoncé "I Am… Sasha Fierce" (Although I consider this album a POP album, this should be the clear winner.)
Rap Album – Eminem "Relapse" (His album was a major disappointment, but in this race he's the most popular and most successful name. So unfortunately this goes to him.)
and here's what I got wrong:
Record of the Year – Kings of Leon "Use Somebody"(in my defense: Kings of Leon have a really great shot at winning both of these awards for "Use Somebody")
Song of the Year – Beyoncé "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
Electronica/Dance Album – Lady GaGa "The Fame" (GaGa is their biggest competition)
Rock Song – Kings of Leon "Use Somebody"
Alternative Album – Phoenix "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix" (I was so extremely happy to see Phoenix and Yeah Yeah Yeah's nominated in this category… Although I ranked Phoenix higher)
R&B Song – Beyoncé "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
Rap Solo Performance – Jay-Z "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)"
Rap Song – Jay-Z "Run This Town" (Note: i picked Jay-Z for "Should Have Won" just the wrong song… I actually have no idea who is the favorite here. I could say Jay-Z cancels himself out, but "Run this Town" was a pretty big hit for him and he's bound to win at least one award on Sunday)
Although I didn't have a perfect score, I got more than half of my predictions right (but with a 57.5% average, I most certainly would have failed if this was a test) and I'm totally Not surprised by the actual wins. Well a few. Since I had predicted it, I wasn't shocked by Taylor Swift's Album of the Year win. Like I said she's had a great run this past year, and she's like America's Sweetheart of the moment. And in the absence of any real Legendary artists, it was a pretty open race to begin with. I predicted Dave Matthews Band would take that award, but surprisingly enough they lost both of their two nominations for the album.
My predictions for Kings of Leon were pretty spot on though. I actually gave them Song of the Year and not Record of the Year, so I was a little backwards there. They triumphed over Lady GaGa for Record of the Year with "Use Somebody", but Beyoncé took the Song of the Year prize. That actually surprised me, I honestly didn't think the songs popularity would translate into a Songwriting award. However, Kings of Leon ended up winning three awards total and I predicted they'd win two of the three.
Jay-Z's wins were a little surprising to me. Well not his, Rihanna and Kanye West's win for Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Run This Town", but his dominance in every rap category outside of Album (his "Blueprint3" missed the cut off date for nominations, expect it to be nominated next year). He snatched up Rap Solo Performance and Rap Song from newbies Drake and Kid Cudi, who I predicted would win. For Rap Album, I was actually hoping I wasn't right but Eminem's mediocre album won anyway. (I will say that "Crack a Bottle", featuring 50 Cent and Dr. Dre, which won for Rap Performance Duo or Group DID deserve the win it got)
I wanted to point out how happy I am that Phoenix won for Alternative Album. I was certain that award would go to Brian Eno and David Byrne because of their legendary status. I feared that Phoenix was still clinging to the "underground" crowd too much for the more mainstream Grammy voters to give them the prize. They managed to scoop up the very deserved trophy though. The only other win that I was really surprised by was the R&B Song race. Beyoncé triumphed over Maxwell in this category, and I personally don't think it's right. I said it over and over on the last blog post, "Pretty Wings" was almost the epitome of an R&B song whereas "Single Ladies" was more or less a catchy Club song. And I also disagree with the win for Short Form Video to Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow". I bought the video from iTunes, so it is a great video. Not better (in my opinion) than Coldplay's weird but hilarious "Life in Technicolor ii".
So that's the extent of my complaints about the winners. As I said before, I didn't actually see the telecast but I did catch a few of the performances on Youtube. I watched Lady GaGa, prior to the ceremony it was announced that her and Elton John would perform together. She opened the show with "Poker Face" and than her and John sat at a double-sided piano, which was adorned with severed limbs, and belted out a mix of GaGa's "Speechless" and John's classic "Your Song". A Good performance, not as groundbreaking or forward thinking as some of her previous outings but still one of the best of the night.
Upon hearing that Beyoncé broke the record for most wins by a female in a single night, I had to go onto her board and Gloat to all the haters. And on the boards people were talking, glowingly, about Pink's performance. She performed "Glitter in the Air" from her nominated album "Funhouse". The performance started off simple with her just walking and stripping on the stage, than she attached herself to a massive piece of cloth and started her now too familiar Trapeze act. Sure she did practically the same thing on the 09 VMA's (and on her tour DVD from 2007), but it was slightly different in that she ended the performance with water dripping off of her. I was personally not impressed.
I also wasn't very impressed with Beyoncé's performance of "If I Were a Boy". She sounded okay, but I just really don't like the live arrangement of that song with Alanis Morrissette's hit "You Oughta Know" attached. And the way she changed the lyrics to the first verse made the performance feel like a medley of three songs. Not her best, but still pretty solid I suppose.
And of course as I mentioned before I caught a glimpse of Jamie Foxx. His backing track was at a seriously loud volume to drown out his voice, the only way I could tell he was actually singing was due to some glitch with the sound system where you could faintly hear vocals coming from his mic randomly. He brought a bunch of other people on stage, but I muted his performance almost as soon as I turned it on. There were countless performances, but really GaGa, Beyoncé and Pink were the only ones I even cared to watch.
So until next year!
>Grammy 2010 Predictions!!
Posted by d1esel6 in Adele, Anthony Hamilton, Beyoncé, Black Eyed Peas, Brian Eno, Bruce Springsteen, Colbie Caillat, Common, Dave Matthews Band, David Byrne, David Guetta, Drake, Eminem, FloRida, Grammys, Green Day, Jamie Foxx, Jason Mraz, Jay-Z, John Legend, Katy Perry, Kid Cudi, Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Maxwell, Melanie Fiona, MGMT, Mos Def, Pet Shop Boys, Phoenix, Pink, Pleasure P, Q-Tip, Silversun Pickups, T-Pain, Taylor Swift, The Ting Tings, The-Dream, Trey Songz, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Zac Brown Band
adele, Anthony Hamilton, beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, Brian Eno, Bruce Springsteen, Colbie Caillat, Common, Dave Matthews Band, David Byrne, David Guetta, Drake, Eminem, Flo Rida, FloRida, Grammy Predictions, Grammys, Green Day, Jamie Foxx, Jason Mraz, Jay-Z, John Legend, Katy Perry, Kid Cudi, Kings of Leon, Lady GaGa, Madonna, Maxwell, Melanie Fiona, MGMT, Mos Def, p!nk, Pet Shop Boys, Phoenix, pink, Pleasure P, Q-Tip, QTip, Silversun Pickups, T-Pain, Taylor Swift, The Black Eyed Peas, The Pet Shop Boys, The Ting Tings, The-Dream, thedream, Ting Tings, TPain, Trey Songz, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Zac Brown Band
>This Sunday, the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards will be telecast via CBS.
The biggest night in music, and as always I'm definitely interested to see who picks up one of those beloved trophies. The nominations came out at the end of 2009, and they were pretty odd. Grammy has steadily been trying to change their image over the past 10 years, so it's become less about a critical success, or even just honoring established artists. It seems that the Grammy's are more about who has sold the most and who is more popular overall. Hence the Album of the Year race, which (imo) is one of the weakest in Grammy history. There are also some very odd happenings in the races for Song of the Year, Record of the Year and New Artist. And certain artists seem to be misplaced, for instance Black Eyed Peas nominated for Pop Album and not Dance album. The nominations are very odd, but like I do every year I'm going to try to make sense of all the nominees and make some sound predictions and Hope that I can maintain my near-flawless record.
Album of the Year:
Beyoncé, I Am… Sasha Fierce
Black Eyed Peas, The E.N.D.
Lady GaGa, The Fame
Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King
Taylor Swift, Fearless
There have been some very questionable Albums up for this award in recent history, but they always lose out to classic artists (Robert Plant and Alison Krauss last year, Herbie Hancock in 2008 and Ray Charles in 2005). This year, the only act you can consider Classic is Dave Matthews Band. And for that reason I think they will win. Though when I look at Metacritic, the album got a really average rating. The album was a #1 hit and managed to sell a million copies, but I'm not quite sure it's their year. Black Eyed Peas and Lady GaGa are pretty much out of this race, and I would say the same about Beyoncé and Taylor Swift. These four acts and their music are too young and contemporary for older members to vote for them. However both Taylor and Beyoncé have a shot because they are both insanely popular and well-respected in the industry. This is a hard call, but…
Will Win: Dave Matthews Band. Classic and well -respected band. Enough said
Should Win: Taylor Swift. And I've not heard this album, but she writes her own songs and was a huge phenomenon this year and she's only 17. Though what's going to hurt her most in this category is the fact she'll most likely sweep all the Country categories she's up for.
Record of the Year:
Beyoncé, Halo
Black Eyed Peas, I Gotta Feeling
Kings of Leon, Use Somebody
Lady GaGa, Poker Face
Taylor Swift, You Belong with Me
Maxwell, Pretty Wings
Beyoncé, Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)
Even though I think it's one of their worst songs, Kings of Leon have a really great shot at winning both of these awards for "Use Somebody". They emerged as the Hot Rock Group of the year thanks to their far superior single "Sex of Fire" (and last years Grammy winner for best Rock Vocal, Duo or Group). "Use Somebody" became their first Top 5 US Hit, and completely assaulted Pop radio this summer. I wouldn't be surprised, and I wouldn't even mind if they won both of these categories. They've been working hard and it took them their fourth album to successfully cross over to the mainstream.
However, "Poker Face" and "Single Ladies" were HUGE this past year. And this is where things get odd. Generally Record of the Year goes to the song that was most popular that year, and Song of the Year goes to the more critically lauded single. "Single Ladies" would have been a natural in the Record of the Year race, but it's not there and lyrically, I don't think the song was as critically acclaimed so it will probably lose the Song of the Year race. Which leaves "Poker Face", nominated in both categories. This addictive hit basically put GaGa on the map, so for that reason I think it has a good shot at Record of the Year.
Will Win: Lady GaGa. Insanely popular and catchy, a natural for the category.
Should Win: Black Eyed Peas. Guetta's production and the Peas' energetic delivery make this song a clear 10.
Will Win: Kings of Leon. An inspirational A/C leaning Rock Ballad. Total Grammy bait.
Should Win: Maxwell. This is probably the best and most authentic R&B song in a long while, plus Maxwell's gotta win something this year.
New Artist:
Also very odd. This category is always odd though. Like when Lauryn Hill was nominated and won in 1998, although she had previously won multiple Grammy's as a member of Fugees. And this year we have Lady GaGa out of the running because she was nominated for a Grammy last year, but MGMT and Ting Tings who released their debuts in 2008 are up for new artists this year. And worst than that Silversun Pickups released their first album 4 years ago. Very Very odd, but I think this race comes down to Silversun Pickups and Zac Brown Band, the two acts I know the least about. I do know that the Zac Brown Band are the only country acts up for the award. In the past 10 years only one country act has won this award (Carrie Underwood in 2007), but this race is so wide open it might go to the most popular act and Zac Brown Band might be that act, with over a million in sales and a #1 Country single.
Will Win: Zac Brown Band. Only because I don't see any other act winning.
Should Win: MGMT. "Oracular Spectacular" was one of the most talked about and critically acclaimed albums of that year. And more important than that, they brought a fresh new sound more so than anybody else nominated.
Female Pop Vocal Performance:
Adele, Hometown Glory
Katy Perry, Hot N Cold
Pink, Sober
Off the top we can cancel out Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. Their nominated singles are no doubt fun, but not in the same league vocally as the rest. Pink has a good shot, but Beyoncé will probably take this one home.
Will Win: Beyoncé. A Heartfelt Emotional and Intense vocal on a really popular song.
Should Win: Adele. Because this song is one of the best vocal performances of the decade.
Male Pop Vocal Performance:
John Legend, This Time
Maxwell, Love You
Jason Mraz, Make it Mine
Seal, If You Don't Know Me By Now
Stevie Wonder, All About the Love Again
Will Win: Jason Mraz. Sometimes Grammy's give an artist an award one year because they lost the previous year. Mraz should have gotten Grammy gold for his now Record Breaking hit "I'm Yours" but went home empty handed. This award might be his redemption.
Should Win: John Legend. Just for an amazing song which is pretty much the definition of this category.
Pop Vocal Album:
Colbie Caillat, Breakthrough
Kelly Clarkson, All I Ever Wanted
The Fray, The Fray
Pink, Funhouse
Will Win: Black Eyed Peas or Colbie Caillat. Even though they were one of the nominee leaders, I don't see Black Eyed Peas winning a bunch of awards this year. So this may be their category. Although Caillat is becoming a rising star in the pop world, and I wouldn't be surprised if she pulled the win on this one.
Should Win: Pink. Only because I consider "The E.N.D." to be more of a Dance album, while "Funhouse" is a really good mix of different Pop sounds.
Dance Recording:
Black Eyed Peas, Boom Boom Pow
David Guetta and Kelly Rowland, When Love Takes Over
Madonna, Celebration
Britney Spears, Womanizer
Will Win: Lady GaGa. If she only gets one award on Sunday, this will be it. It has her name written all over it. Her only real competition is the equally successful "Boom Boom Pow".
Should Win: Madonna. Since "Sexy Bitch" by Guetta and Akon isn't in the running, this song is the only one with a straight up and genuine Dance sound. And it's one of her best singles in years.
Electronic/Dance Album:
The Crystal Method, Divided by Night
David Guetta, One Love
LMFAO, Party Rock
Pet Shop Boys, Yes
Will Win: Pet Shop Boys. Only because they are Classic artists, and classic artists in this specific genre too. GaGa is their biggest competition, but I think they have a really good chance here.
Should Win: David Guetta. For getting some really top name acts, and giving them some real dance music to sing over.
Rock Performance, Duo or Group:
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood, Can't Find My Way Home
Coldplay, Life in Technicolor II
Green Day, 21 Guns
U2, I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
Will Win: Kings of Leon. No Brainer. I talked them up for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, so there's no reason they can't take this.
Should Win: Green Day. Because I'm not going to give the award to a Live recording (Clapton and Winwood) or a Remix (Coldplay) or a song from an album that completely sucked (U2). And this song is another instant classic like their Record of the Year winning "Boulevard of Broken Dreams".
Rock Song:
Pearl Jam, The Fixer
Bruce Springsteen, Working on a Dream
Will Win: I would say Kings of Leon, but Bruce Springsteen has won this award Two years in a row (and Four times total) and it looks likely that he'll win for a third.
Should Win: Green Day. See previous category.
Alternative Album:
David Byrne & Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
Death Cab for Cutie, The Open Door
Depeche Mode, Sounds of the Universe
Phoenix, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, It's Blitz!
I was so extremely happy to see Phoenix and Yeah Yeah Yeah's nominated in this category. They are two very worthy competitors (and my #3 and #6 Top Albums of 2009), but unfortunately I feel like they are going to lose out.
Will Win: David Byrne & Brian Eno. Simply because they really are the orchestrators of the Alternative (back than No-Wave and New Wave) sound. In fact, I'm 100% sure all of the acts nominated were heavily influenced by either Byrne or Eno at some point in their careers.
Should Win: Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Although I ranked Phoenix higher, I think "It's Blitz" is closer to the Alternative sound, and the production value is Loud, Punk and Rock but also very polished.
Female R&B Vocal:
Melanie Fiona, It Kills Me
Lalah Hathaway, That Was Then
Ledisi, Goin' Thru Changes
Jazmine Sullivan, Lions Tigers and Bears
Will Win: No Brainer. Beyoncé. In fact it looks like they nominated lesser known acts and songs just so Beyoncé would have no problem winning this. Slight upset possibility with Melanie Fiona, but I don't think Mrs. Carter has anything to worry about here.
Should Win: Beyoncé. "Whu-Uh oh, oh oh oh oh oh ooh, oh oh oh, Whu-Uh oh!" how can lyrics that great NOT win? =P
Male R&B Vocal:
Anthony Hamilton, The Point of it All
Musiq Soulchild, Sobeautiful
Pleasure P, Under
Charlie Wilson, There Goes My Baby
Will Win: Another No Brainer. Maxwell. And this seems to be the same case with Female R&B Vocal, nobody else even comes close.
Should Win: Maxwell. but Anthony Hamilton's nominated song is just as flawless as Maxwell's hit.
R&B Song:
Jamie Foxx, Blame It
Will Win: Maxwell. Like I said before, this song is Pure and Classic R&B.
Should Win: Maxwell. For the very same reason.
R&B Album:
India.Arie, Testimony: Vol. 2 Love & Politics
Ledisi, Turn Me Loose
Maxwell, Blacksummers'night
Charlie Wilson, Uncle Charlie
Will Win: Maxwell. His first album in 8 years, it debuts at #1 and has a #1 single. No way he won't win.
Should Win: Anthony Hamilton. Maxwell's album had 8 songs on it, Anthony Hamilton put together a FULL album with very few flaws.
Contemporary R&B Album:
Jamie Foxx, Intuition
Pleasure P, The Introduction of Marcus Cooper
Trey Songz, Ready
T-Pain, Thr33 Ringz
Now first I want to get on a little tangent. Where is The-Dream!? And in fact where was he last year when J. Holiday's inferior album "Back of my 'Lac" (even the title sucks) was nominated in place of The-Dream's "Love/Hate". Can't cry over spilled milk, but than this year comes along and The-Dream's "Love vs Money" is excluded, but under performing and nearly forgotten T-Pain and Pleasure P (WHO?) are nominated instead. I don't understand what they are doing, but it might be similar to the Female R&B Vocal where they are just giving this award away to Beyoncé.
Will Win: Beyoncé. Although I consider this album a POP album, this should be the clear winner.
Should Win: Beyoncé. Sure go ahead and give it to her. The only albums that could upset are Trey Songz and Jamie Foxx, but I doubt many voters would pass her over for these two guys.
Rap Solo Performance:
Drake, Best I Ever Had
Eminem, Beautiful
Jay-Z, D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)
Kid Cudi, Day n Nite
Mos Def, Casa Bey
Will Win: Drake. That was clearly the most popular song of the 5, and the rap categories are always less about the quality and more about who has the most recognizable name and which song was most memorable.
Should Win: Mos Def or Kid Cudi. "Casa Bey" might be too short of a song, but Mos Def's flow on the song definitely trumps everybody else nominated. Cudi because his hit "Day n Nite" was the most different, it didn't sound like a typical Hip Hop/Rap song. In fact, Cudi might be next in line to win.
Rap Song:
T.I., Dead and Gone
Jay-Z, Run this Town
Will Win: I actually have no idea who is the favorite here. I could say Jay-Z cancels himself out, but "Run this Town" was a pretty big hit for him and he's bound to win at least one award on Sunday. Cudi and Drake also have great chances of winning this. I'm gonna just take a wild guess and say Kid Cudi "Day n Nite" will take the prize.
Should Win: Jay-Z, D.O.A. This single marked a true return to form for Jigga. It's agressive and hectic, and he's actually saying something worthwhile. However, Cudi also Should win (now that I think of it, why wasn't he nominated for best New Artist??)
Rap Album:
Common, Universal Mind Control
Eminem, Relapse
Flo Rida, R.O.O.T.S.
Mos Def, The Ecstatic
Q-Tip, The Renaissance
Just like I was very happy to see Phoenix and Yeah Yeah Yeahs up for Alternative Album, I was VERY happy to see Mos Def Q-Tip and Common up in this category. Unfortunately they won't win. All of those very classic and very original Hip Hop albums didn't make any noise sales wise, or even singles wise. I just pray that Flo Rida doesn't come in and get the Popularity vote (I doubt he will, he hasn't been very relevant since "Right Round" finally fell off the charts after an impressive run.
Will Win: Eminem. His album was a major disappointment, but in this race he's the most popular and most successful name. So unfortunately this goes to him.
Should Win: Q-Tip. Common and Mos put together some fantastic albums, but Q-Tip is the one that had the clearer message and the most consistent sequencing of material.
Alright that's it. There's like, 22 Million categories but these are the ones I feel I'm more qualified to have an opinion on. Looking through the nominations I did see a bunch of stuff I need to actually listen to. Maybe if I can listen to everything by Sunday my predictions may change. I doubt it though, the quality doesn't really matter at the Grammy's. And that's not really a bad thing I suppose, The Grammy's do mean a lot. They just basically mean your peers respect you, maybe just for one album or just one song, but I'm certain it means a lot to artists who were inspired by Music Legends and their peers. To be inspired by them, and than being awarded by them has to be Awesome.
So watch the Grammy's on Sunday. Among the performers are Bon Jovi, Maxwell, Pink, Green Day, Lady Antebellum, Beyoncé. Mary J Blige and Andrea Boccelli are going to duet (Whoa!). And the obligatory Michael Jackson tribute performance, which I read somewhere was going to be in 3D (probably a terrible rumor). Most importantly, watch to see how Awesome I am at predicting the winners!