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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Grammy Awards

  • Nope, Nothing Came Out This Week, Either…

    Well, we’re only a week or so until Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson and Lenny Kravitz kick off with the first superstar releases of 2008. In the meantime, there are a handful of more niche-y kind of albums out this week.
    The Grammy Awards are a week from Sunday, and of course, every year there’s a compilation CD spotlighting the nominees. This year’s comp features Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, Paul McCartney and just about everyone else noteworthy up for a gramophone. If you’re looking for a step-up from the average “Now That’s What I Call Music” compilation, this just might be up your alley.
    Shelby Lynne, who you might remember winning a Best New Artist Grammy in 2001 (despite having recorded for over a decade by that point) has an interesting new release out called “Just A Little Lovin’”. 9 of the 10 tracks are covers of songs that Dusty Springfield originally recorded, and although I don’t really have much use for Dusty, I am madly in love with Shelby (I even got to hug her once), and this album is now part of my collection.
    Joe Jackson (no, not Michael’s dad) has a new album out this week called “Rain”. The guy’s been around 30 years and still has the goods-I hear this album’s excellent (although the jury’s out on whether I’ll actually buy it). Joe is well-known for his eclecticism, jumping from power-pop to jazz to reggae at a whim, so if you’re the adventurous type, you might wanna check it out.
    Also, there’s a new set from the indefatigable (it must be the weed) Willie Nelson out, the sophomore set from hard rock upstarts Bullet For My Valentine, a 2-CD deluxe version of Beck‘s breakthrough “Odelay” (I call it his breakthrough because, seriously, how many of you thought he was a one-hit wonder after “Loser”?), a new Blind Boys of Alabama record (if you wanna get your spiritual on), a new Sarah Brightman record (if you wanna get your classical on), and the first Statewide release from Swedish pop singer Robyn in nearly a decade. You might remember her from hits like “Show Me Love”. She was one of the first artists to benefit from that Max Martin pop sound that ruled the late Nineties, and then Britney Spears went and stole her career. Well, she’s still big in Europe, and “The Rakamonie EP” marks the first time that global hits like “Konichiwa Bitches” are available on these shores.
    And I admit it. I wanted to say “Konichiwa Bitches”. So I’ll say it again.
    Happy shopping.

  • Still Slow, But Moving…

    The music industry is slowly waking up from it’s January slumber. No huge releases are scheduled out this week, but a couple of acts who have modest followings poke their heads out (just like the groundhog…what can I say, I’m early), including Grammy-nominated pop star Natasha Bedingfield. If you don’t know who Bedingfield is, you’ll remember her big hit “Unwritten”, which I believe is a shampoo commercial now? Anyway, her sophomore release, titled N.B. (how imaginative!!) hits stores today despite having been out in Natasha’s native U.K. for something like six months now. Allegedly, the British version is much better, having been sliced and diced to make it more “palatable for American audiences”, which is another way of saying people who do marketing for major American record labels don’t know their asses from their elbows.
    At any rate, there’s also a new covers album from indie darling Cat Power, a brand new CD from alt-country faves The Drive-By Truckers, and a new set from equally mellow Jack Johnson associate Matt Costa…perhaps whetting appetites for Johnson‘s own new set, which arrives in two weeks.
    Let’s take a quick side jaunt around the news for a sec to fill this out, huh?
    A news report quoted the Associated Press as saying that they’ve already created an obituary for Britney Spears. Now, I’m all for the Brit-bashing, but don’t you think that’s a bit creepy??
    The Writers’ Union has stated that they will NOT strike the Grammy Awards, happening in less than three weeks. With the Oscars under threat of being cancelled (and a less-than-stellar list of nominees), this may be the last major award show you see for quite some time. Although considering the list of nominees and scheduled performances (a list that so far only includes the overexposed Beyonce and the predictable Foo Fighters), this could potentially be a snoozefest.
    Finally, in the “this might be worth waiting for” department, George Michael (memba HIM?) is writing his memoirs-for the SECOND time. The pop superstar initially wrote an autobiography called “Bare” back in ’90, which wound up baring little at all. In the time since, he’s lost a lover tragically, fought with various record companies, torpedoed his own career, come out of the closet and gotten busted numerous times for drug or sex-related offenses. If George lets it all hang out, this could be really, REALLY good. Happy Tuesday!!

  • 2008 Grammy Nominations: As Usual, Huh?

    Some folks view the Grammy Awards as a congratulatory pat on the back for music executives and record industry types, and they’re partially right. However, not all 12,000 members of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences are the Clive Davises of the world. Actually, a good chunk are the artists, songwriters, producers and engineers themselves. However, that’s not to say that even the folks behind the scenes can’t get things wrong sometimes. Here’s a look at some of the gimmes, the “huh?”s and the “WTF”s that today’s nomination announcements brought:
    Kanye West led the pack with eight nominations, surprising no one. Actually, up against this year’s Album of the Year field (which features Amy Winehouse, Vince Gill, The Foo Fighters and Herbie Hancock), Grammy practically paved a path for him to walk up and claim his very first Album of the Year prize. His only true competition is…
    Winehouse, whose nutty factor makes her a wild card. Will she show up at the ceremony? Will she live to see the ceremony? Will she deliver one of her famously off-kilter performances? Will she impale herself on any award she wins? Will that aforementioned wild card hurt her chances as the one award which should be a landslide for her, Best New Artist?
    The Best New Artist nominees also include Canadian hipster fave Feist, MTV-anointed metal band Paramore, neo-soul also-ran Ledisi and country hitmaker Taylor Swift. Conceivably, Swift and Feist could both challenge Winehouse for the award. Although Winehouse would have faced stronger competition from four artists who didn’t even get nominated-soul singer Robin Thicke, American Idol castoff Daughtry (who got nods in several other categories), folk-pop singer Colbie Callait (the most surprising omission) and Amy’s fellow Brit Lily Allen (who inexplicably is in the Best Alternative Music category), despite the fact that Allen’s “Alright, Still” is as pop as Gwen Stefani.
    Herbie Hancock and Vince Gill’s nominations in the Album of the Year category (Gill’s album is a 4-CD box set) are both surprises, beating out predicted nominees like Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney. Hancock’s album, in particular (a Joni Mitchell tribute record) seems a bit out of place.
    Where the hell is Linkin Park? They have the biggest-selling non-soundtrack album released in 2007, and all they have to show for it are empty hands. With members appearing at the nomination ceremony, you figure they’ve gotta be a little pissed? They’re this year’s most surprising shut out, and the only glaring omission I can think of (aside from Thicke, who enjoyed nealy double-platinum success this year…I’m a bit surprised at Pink’s absence this year as well).
    The Foo Fighters? Seriously? I like Dave Grohl as much as the next guy, but has he not made the exact same album six times over the past twelve years?
    “Hey There Delilah”, a song even easier to hate than Soulja Boy’s “Crank Dat” (which was also inexplicably nominated…for Best Rap Song) gets nominated for Song of the Year?
    There are enough female rockers out there. Why has Grammy not yet reinstated the award for Best Female Rock Vocal?
    While it’s a bit early to speculate on potential winners, you can find a complete list of this year’s nominees at http://www.grammy.com/