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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Amy Winehouse

  • …And The Winner Is…

    So, with the CMTs just past and the American Music Awards in just a couple of weeks, the music award season is in full bloom.
    The cutoff period for consideration for the Grammy Awards was September 30th. This means that albums with a release date ranging from the first week of October 2006 to the first week of October 2007 can be considered, with the later period of releases included because they ship to stores during the last week of September.
    Grammy has become a bit hard to predict over the course of the past couple of years, and the muted list of this year’s releases makes things even easier to predict. Parity will be the name of the game here, with no surefire Norah Jones, Dixie Chicks or OutKast release to clean up at the ceremony. However, there are a couple of folks that I think will be smiling hard when the nominations are announced in mid-December.
    KANYE WEST: He’s been nominated for Album Of The Year for each of his first two albums, and (in case you’ve been under a rock and have not heard his complaining) he lost both times (to Ray Charles and U2). “Graduation” has had the biggest balance between critical cred and sales (1.7 million in two months of release), so this could be the year Mr. West finally receives his big trophy (although it would be highly ironic that he would win for his weakest album…) His competition??…
    BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: “Magic” snuck in just under the deadline, and…well, Bruce is as much of a gimme in Grammy world as any other artist. It’s Bruce’s return to rock after the well-received “Seeger Sessions” & ‘Devils & Dust”, and “Radio Nowhere” is his most catchy single in two decades. I see Record and Album Of The Year nominations in Springsteen’s future, with an outside chance at winning both awards.
    AMY WINEHOUSE: She’s almost a lock for Best New Artist (unless the stench of bad press from her assorted substance issues follows her). “Back To Black” is one of the year’s biggest surprise successes, and, despite her problems, she’s quite obviously a real talent. Besides, how much of an entertainment lift would the Grammy telecast receive based on a performance by the wildly unstable Winehouse?
    WILD CARDS: Paul McCartney and Joni Mitchell both went over to Starbucks and scored fairly successful albums. Grammy has a history of awarding veterans. It’s not out of the realm of possibility to see either of these legends up for Album of the Year, where anything from Linkin Park to the Dreamgirls Soundtrack Album could be up for this. Two things that will NOT be nominated are the two biggest selling albums of the year so far-Daughtry and the High School Musical 2 Soundtrack. “HSM2” is way too kid-friendly, and Grammy has never been kind to grunge-lite. Daughtry will get a Best New Artist nomination (where Winehouse, Lily Allen, Robin Thicke and Colbie Caillat all have a chance at getting nominated), but that’ll be the extent of it.
    Speaking of “Dreamgirls”: although Beyonce’s “B-Day” is no longer eligible, several singles from the album are, and I’d be completely stunned if “Irreplaceable” didn’t end up with a Record of the Year Nomination. Other potential nominees: Springsteen’s “Radio Nowhere”, West’s “Stronger”, Fergie’s “Big Girls Don’t Cry”). On the R&B side, look for big mentions for Thicke, John Legend (whose “Once Again” is eligible this year although it seems like the album has been out longer) and the strong comeback effort by Chaka Khan.
    With a month to go before nominations are officially announced, lots of speculation will ensue, but I’m pretty confident that my picks will end up coming out of the presenters’ lips.

  • They Tried To Make Her Go To Rehab, But She…No, That’s Too Easy

    Amy Winehouse? What the HELL is wrong with you? You’re an amazingly talented singer and songwriter. Granted, creative people are supposed to have demons, but (and I’ve seen this far too often) your demons are threatening to consume you and eat you alive! You obviously have a drug problem, and from recent comments you’ve made, you’re dealing with some serious self-esteem issues as well, refusing to go to rehab unless your husband goes with you, making comments to the effect of “I’m not worthy of anything…I was put here to take care of my man”. This is frustrating because, unlike Britney and Lindsay and all those other girls who are flushing their careers (and possibly their lives) down the toilet, you have TALENT!!! With the cancellation of show dates (including the MTV VMAs), you’ve got me wondering if you’ll even be around to collect the Best New Artist Grammy you are almost ensured of winning next year!
    Check out the excellent video for “Tears Dry On Their Own” here:

  • What Machine Are They Raging Against? We Learn About Something Monday

    Rage Against The Machine, California’s metal men, are toying with the web community years after breaking up with an album in the can. Their website features two counters. Could one be for a new release? Perhaps, although their supposed last tracks were released several years ago. A tour? Even more likely, especially for the first counter.

    The two counters are spaced to go off at very different times. The early counter expires Monday, while the later counter is set for August 24.

    This is Internet viral marketing buzz at its best. No messy MySpace pages, no email blasts to “fan clubs”. There’s just a simple mystery at its finest from one of rock’s most creative outfits. Special props to MTV for learning that the site’s name is registered to a concert promoter.

    Since the boys reunited as the headliners for Coachella’s last night this year, that’s a good bet. Now if only their promoter knew that you can pay a few bucks more and make your registration anonymous. And what’s that second timer for?

    Spinning In The CD
    Amy Winehouse is fast becoming one of my new favorites. Back to Black is more than a year old, but it was one of those discs that just sat there. She is getting nowhere near the chart success she deserves in the US so show her some love next time you’re near a download or music store.