web analytics

Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Kanye West

  • …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.

  • Can’t Tell Kanye Nothin’

    With August having been such a dreary month for new music, it’s nice to see this week’s release schedule so power-packed, with new albums out from hip-hop heavyweights Kanye West and 50 Cent, as well as a new set from country heartthrob Kenny Chesney. Folks are headed to the record stores in droves this week, as it looks like the top three will debut with a total close to 2 million albums combined. And more than likely, the folks who are running in to buy one of the three albums will find something else worth picking up, which is a good thing. The industry needs some excitement like this.
    1st day projections have West handily defeating his challengers with what will be the biggest first-week total of the year. Graduation” has already sold almost Gold in one day. The best thing about it? Kanye’s not some fly-by-night pop sensation. He’s a legitimate talent-although truthfully, he’s probably not as talented as he thinks he is! That said, having purchased and listened to Graduation several times already, he’s made a damn good album. Considering he’s also contributed to two other solid hip-hop releases this year (Common and Talib Kweli) and you’ve got the rarity of a critically acclaimed artist who happens to sell records in quantity as well! What a concept!!
    Check out these websites: http://www.kanyewest.com/
    OH!!: We’ve got a Myspace page now!! Please add us at www.myspace.com/musichelpweb

  • Remembrance

    As much as I’d like today not to be about music for a minute, the fact of the matter is that 9/11/01 did fall on a release date (Tuesday). I was managing the music department of a store at that time, and I remember one eye being on the registers with another eye on the news. I remember closing the store early and finding the streets of NYC in absolute chaos. I remember taking the subways and watching the stunned looks on everyone’s faces. I remember getting back to my apartment, staring at a sky thick and black with smoke, with nothing else to do but listen to the music I’d just bought. There was no phone service in Manhattan, no internet…nothing to do except slap the headphones on my ears and try to make sense of the tragedy that had just occurred.

    Of course, music went on to become a healing balm for many after the events of 9/11: plenty of songs took on a special significance. Music has always provided the answers to my questions at times when nothing else could answer, so everything from POD’s “Youth of the Nation” to Five for Fighting’s “Superman” to…well, just about anything from U2’s “All That You Can’t Leave Behind”. Although I was 25 when the attacks happened, the suddenness of everything and the lack of reasoning behind what was going on almost turned me into a five-year old again. With no one to provide a rational explanation to what was happening and no one to offer a solution or even any kind of consolation, I (and many others I assume) took solace in music.

    And this is why, no matter how many businessmen say that the music BUSINESS will die, music itself remains as vital as ever. For many people, music is the one of the few things that makes sense in an uncertain world. You can celebrate, mourn, motivate and take solace in music in a way that no other media can really offer.

    But let’s forget about music for a second and take a second to mourn as well as show appreciation for the lives that were unnecessarily lost, the brave firemen, policemen (and women) and ordinary civilians who gave selflessly in a time of need. Let’s appreciate our servicemen and women fighting overseas. Whether you agree with the war or not, the men and women out there need our support. Let’s take a second and look in the mirror and realize that tomorrow’s not promised. Let’s try to do good things for and to people-not just today, but every day. Let’s show a little more tolerance, a little more appreciation, a little more love. So many of us just take for granted that life will continue as is, and we fail to appreciate the little things in life as they happen (hell, sometimes I do too).

    Kanye, 50 and Kenny Chesney can wait. I thought taking a second to remember was more important than discussing music that comes out today. I hope you agree.