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Tag: Aretha Franklin

  • 2011 Grammy Awards Live (Sort Of) Blog

    Well, it’s another year of blogging the Grammys. Luckily, I don’t think I’ll need much more than one or two cups of coffee. I’m pretty awake this time. And I hope to see my favorite track from the time period, Empire State Of Mind win some awards tonight.

    There is no host for this year’s show. I was hoping that they’d bring Arsenio Hall back to reprise his MTV Music Video Awards hosting gig. Sadly, that’s not happening.

    Looks like it’s Aretha Franklin Appreciation night. I wonder if someone drives up in a Pink Cadillac?

    (I’ll be cherry picking my favorite Grammy tweets of the night and adding them.)

    8:04PM – Christina Aguilera, fresh off a National Anthem disaster with definite mother’s milk boobs going on, decides to wail alongside Jennifer Hudson and Martina McBride on Natural Woman. I think Florence Henderson is up there too. Wait, that’s the girl from Florence And The Machine. My bad. Hey, I think Yoli Adams is up there too.

    8:20PM – All five girls are back on stage to give out the best Pop/Duo/Group Grammy. Yoli Adams is Manute Bol to Christina Aguilera’s Mugsy Bogues. Train won with Hey, Soul Sister, if anyone cared.

    MissLove32
    Rihanna looks like she’s wearing christmas wreathes as a dress.

    8:23PM – Lady Gaga is out performing her new song, Born This Way. It sounds so much like a Madonna song that Alex Rodriguez nearly jumped on stage mesmerized.

    gidget
    Now I have Hey, Soul Sister stuck in my head. DAMN YOU, GRAMMYS.

    8:34PM – Miranda Lambert looks like Paris Hilton if someone fed Paris Hilton.

    8:51PM – Hmm, I think Bruno Mars may have forgotten to put gel in his hair.

    8:53PM – Janelle Monae’s hair looks like an afro-puff diving board. She kinda tore it up though.

    9:09PM – Justin Bieber is transitioning into Joey McIntyre right in front of our eyes. My eyes are tearing up.

    9:10PM – To counter Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith, Will Smith and Jazzy Jeff should’ve joined them and showed them a thing or two.

    9:11PM – If you’re Usher, do you just piggyback on Justin Bieber for the rest of your career? Just go back to Chili, find out what she wants, and let Bieber rake in the money for you homie.

    knbrmurph
    Big ups to the rapper B.o.B. for rocking the monocle at the #Grammys. But Mr. Peanut called. He wants his look back.

    9:22PM – Jealous of Beyonce and Nicki Minaj for their bodacious badonkadonks, Lady Gaga is wearing external butt pads. Doesn’t work like that home girl. You weren’t born that way.

    WhitneyCummings
    Does Donnie wahlberg know he’s not blind?

    9:31PM – I wonder how many times Bob Dylan tries to clear his throat before he’s just like, “Argh! Forget it!”

    9:32PM – If I were Jakob Dylan, I’d change my name to Jaden and hope my dad put me in a song or something.

    liss98
    I can’t believe Kate Hudson let that dude from Muse touch her, much less knock her up. Eeek. Then again, Chris R. was skeevy, too.

    9:45PM – I think the Jersey Shore crew should cover Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now and rename it, D.T.F.

    girlwonderful
    Oh, I just saw Cee-Lo, y’all didn’t tell him he dressed up as the NBC logo.

    9:49PM – If Gwyneth Paltrow had boobs, I’d be turned on by her outfit right now. But at least she can sing a little bit.

    steveaustinBSR
    is koko b. ware at the grammeys?

    10:05PM – I’m pretty certain that John Mayer has a bet with his friends that he can look as scraggly and unkempt as possible and still pull chicks.

    10:15PM – Hey, it’s the claymation version of Eminem. Wait, that might be the real Eminem.

    10:19PM – Dr. Dre’s going to need a doctor to bring him back to life unless he gets off them steroids.

    10:40PM – Who knew that one of the oldest cats on stage would give the liveliest performance. If I was wearing a cap, I’d tip it to you Mick Jagger. Instead, I’ll tip Janelle Monae’s afro-bangs.

    10:50PM – True story – my mom’s go-to song in karaoke was Barbra Streisand’s Evergreen. But it was before there was karaoke.

    10:53PM – Eminem needs to give his Grammy to Questlove, or at least buy my man a platinum afro pick.

    MissRiza
    Turned to the Grammy’s just in time to see Nicki Minaj’s outfit…good to know I didn’t miss much! #hotmess

    11:04PM – Lady Antebellum beat out Jay-Z and Alicia Keys for Record Of The Year and I haven’t been this angry since Huey Lewis And The News got jobbed out in 1986 by We Are The World.

    11:22PM – I think I saw Eminem with a sign that said, “If Lady Antebellum wins, we riot!”

    11:23PM – And the winner of the biggest award, Album Of The Year goes to Arcade Fire. Where’s ODB when we need him? Wu-Tang is for the children!

  • What’s in a Voice? Rolling Stone Presents The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time

    Aretha Franklin. Photo by Ryan Arrowsmith.

    Ah, lists. Meant to be discussed, meant to be argued. The latest list to come from the folks at Rolling Stone magazine is “The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time”. It’s a semi-interesting list, with some curious choices as well as some expected ones.

    To no one’s surprise, Aretha Franklin tops the list. In her heyday, the Queen of Soul could have sang a TV instruction manual and made it sound soulful. I can’t argue with her placement even though she’s fallen into a super-sized parody of herself in recent years. Thankfully, Patti LaBelle, a singer whose voice is just as strong and has held up better, also pops up further down the chart, although the admission of Mary J. Blige while omitting Chaka Khan is a head turner.

    There are plenty of distinctive musical voices here. Some are inarguable. You can’t have a list like this without including Freddie Mercury, whose voice could blow the fur off a farm animal. Actually, if this was my list, I’d have placed him a hell of a lot higher than #18. Otis Redding? Check. Bono? Check. Van The Man? Double check. They even made room for my boys MJ and Prince.

    However, no list would be a list without a couple of head-scratchers. While Bob Dylan and Bjork are certainly unique vocalists, I wouldn’t necessarily call them “great” singers. Dylan’s nasal whine is grating on a good day. I’ve always maintained that while he is obviously a genius songwriter, his songs sound a helluva lot better coming out of someone else’s mouth. I personally love Bjork, but while I think her voice is expressive, I think it’s part of an overall package with her music and her visuals. I would pay (or have paid) money to see Nina Simone or Luther Vandross sing without musical accompaniment. There’s a bluesiness or a soulfulness in the voices of John Lennon or Steven Tyler that resonates even when they’re singing the blandest material-hey, no one else could have made me like “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing”. But Bjork? Not so much. Unique does not always equal great.

    Anyway, since I haven’t been able to get my grubby little hands on a copy of the magazine, I haven’t gotten the chance yet to see what the tributors have to say about the artists profiled on this list. However, you can have a look at the list here and let us know what you think. Is there anyone on the list who shouldn’t be there? Was anyone incorrectly omitted?

  • New Music In Stores & Online 10/14/08: Keane, Ray Lamontagne and More!!

    The cover of Keane's new album "Perfect Symmetry".Keane: Perfect Symmetry:

    I posted Keane’s new single “Spiralling” in a Single Life column a couple weeks back, and I was surprised not only with its’ quality, but also with how peppy it was. I mean, Keane aren’t totally mopey, but their songs generally have a melancholy quality to them-those Coldplay comparisons aren’t totally farfetched. Perfect Symmetry is rumored to have a more upbeat, Eighties vibe to it, and I can’t wait to hear it.

    Ray Lamontagne: Gossip in the Grain

    Speaking of mopey, raspy voiced singer/songwriter Ray Lamontagne has not been known for being completely upbeat, but there are moments on Gossip-his third album-that are relatively cheery and even reveal a-gasp-sense of humor!! Of course, there are also plenty of tortured ballads here, but the album would be worth it if just to hear his creepy/hilarious tribute to “Meg White”.

    Nikka Costa: Pebble to a Pearl

    Each of the three artists profiled so far is releasing their third album today. Nikka Costa might be the most frustrating of the bunch. Her first album revealed quite a bit of promise, fusing funk and rock in a way not seen since the heyday of Teena Marie. The follow-up, to put it plainly, blew. Switching labels from Virgin over to Stax, Nikka returns after a three-year layoff with a new album, and I’m skeptical about spending my hard-earned ducats on it, so one of you guys reading is gonna have to tell me how the album is.

    …and, there’s not really much else out this week. You can get your metal fix with the new album from Boston’s own Unearth and check out a new EP from singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson. There’s also a new one from alt-country giant Lucinda Williams, plus live efforts from Buena Vista Social Club and Phoebe Snow. Otherwise, it’s all reissues and holiday albums.

    The Ho Ho Ho train is in full swing at this point, as there are new holiday-themed efforts from the likes of Los Lonely Boys (!), Sixpence None the Richer (!!) and the Queen of Soul. Aretha Franklin takes some time from bashing Tina Turner and is putting out the first Christmas album of her five-decade career. Of course, it would have been nice if she’d released a holiday album back when she could actually, you know, sing.

    On the reissue tip, Philadelphia International is releasing several of its’ most treasured classic albums, including selections from The O’Jays, Teddy Pendergrass and Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. The two-disc compilation “Multi-Dimensional Warrior”, featuring some of Carlos Santana‘s best work, is also in stores. There’s also a 2-CD, 1-DVD special edition of Johnny Cash‘s “Live from Folsom Prison”, and the first compilation from R&B crooner Joe hits shelves today.

    Get your full list of new music here