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Tag: Bruce Springsteen

  • …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.

  • At The Wrecka’ Sto’: 10/2/2007 Edition

    Wow-I completely forgot what the date was. Get out of the summer and the days all run together. At any rate, there’s nothing that compares to last week’s onslaught of new releases. Actually, the entire month of October looks kind of quiet in regards to things that I would actually like, but there is a pretty good amount of stuff hitting shelves today.

    BRUUUUUUCE: Mr. Springsteen is back, although quite honestly, he never left. Didn’t The Seeger Sessions come out last year? Anyway, this time he’s brought the E Street Band with him and their album is called Magic. First single Radio Nowhere is pretty awesome, and it’s nice to hear Bruce and company rockin’ again after taking a little detour to be folky.

    Welcome Back: A couple of hit artists are returning after fairly lengthy absences. Annie Lennox is back after four years with the intriguingly titled Songs of Mass Destruction. It was produced by Glen Ballard, who has been behind the boards for artists ranging from Dave Matthews Band to Alanis Morissette to Michael Jackson. Annie’s long been a proponent of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, so her albums have retained a remarkable consistency. Meanwhile, matchbox twenty, who have been dormant for almost half a decade, are back with Exile on Mainstream, a double album that features one disc of their greatest hits (as if you don’t know Unwell by heart) and one disc of new material.

    Gimme The Hits!: From Exile On Mainstream to the guy that made Exile On Main Street, The Very Best of Mick Jagger arrives in stores today. Considering the man never really made much of an impact as a solo artist, I’m quite curious to see what was included on this compilation. There will be no such worries on Faith Hill’s The Hits, which will feature #1s like This Kiss and There You’ll Be along with her many duets with her smokin’ hot hubby Tim McGraw.

    R&B (Rhythm & Bonin’): R&B’s creative freefall comes partially (well, mostly) from the fact that many of the artists making soul music nowadays sound so similar. Ordinarily, I would have a bit of a problem telling Trey Songs apart from J. Holiday, but Holiday has one of the most addictive singles out right now with Bed, which basically follows this formula:

    Rihanna’s Umbrella + Prince’s Do Me, Baby X hip-hop influence.

    I’ll probably download the single from iTunes and bypass the album, but hell, what a single. Anyway, both artists have albums coming out today, but I will forgo them in favor of newcomer Kevin Michael, who has gotten a lot of press (allegedly, his sound is Prince meets Robin Thicke) and at the very least has a really cool Afro.

    A full list of today’s new releases can be found here:

    http://www.pauseandplay.com/02october2007.htm

    Happy shopping!!

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  • Should He Stay Or Should He Go? Springsteen Denies Split


    Damn the New York Post, says The Boss. Usually that’s a Steinbrenner quote as he mutters about the crosstown Mets getting more praise now, but this is New Jersey’s boss, Bruce Springsteen.

    With a somewhat reluctant tone, the legendary rocker’s website featured a front page today refuting a Post story that said Springsteen and guitarist wife Patti were splitting. Over a graphic of his signature, Springsteen apologizes for turning a music site into something else and addresses the “ugly” rumor by writing,

    Patti and I have been together for 18 years- the best 18 years of my life. We have built a beautiful family we love and want to protect and our commitment to one another remains as strong as the day we were married.

    First, raise your hand if you actually remember Springsteen getting married and thought it happened 18 months, not 18 years ago. Second, and most important, who cares? We see splits every day. Bands hire and fire people, celebrity couples split. Bruce did a nice thing by going public with his announcement because it’s awfully hard to back away now.

    What’s Spinning In The Stereo: Evanescence’s new single, Call Me When You’re Sober. Amy Lee’s voice sounds strong. I can’t wait for the album!

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