American listeners may not know the name (or they may confuse it with that of the late glam guitar icon Mick), but Mark Ronson was the producer behind one of the hottest musical messes of the last decade, Amy Winehouse’s Back To Black album, not to mention albums and tracks by an impressive cross-genre pantheon of artists as disparate as pop diva Christina Aguilera, British rockers Kaiser Chiefs, and rapper Wale. His signature sound rejected Autotune and all sorts of other sonic CGI in favor of gritty R&B horn sections (no samples please), real life drum sets, and actual singing. The results could be thrilling, but they could also come off sounding unbecomingly gimmicky – a hazard underlined by his 2007 collection of covers called Version. Though that record did yield his biggest hit yet – a cover of the Smiths’ classic “Stop Me If You Think That You’ve Heard This One Before” with Daniel Merriweather on vocals – it was not without a few spectacular duds, like his tedious take on Radiohead’s “Just”, which could only have been worse if he’d recruited Paul Anka or Pat Boone to deliver it.
For his latest album called Record Collection, he’s billing himself as Mark Ronson and the Business Intl. The record’s first single features guest rapper Q-Tip and singer Amanda Warner of the California techno-pop duo MNDR – it’s called “Bang Bang Bang” and re-embraces electronics, albeit in a similarly retro way, building a sleak 80s-inspired sci-fi dance epic out of the disassembled bits of the French children’s song “Alouette”. While as a producer Ronson has been storming the U.S. charts for the last ten years, he hasn’t had an American hit in his own right. This song, as groovy as it is (seriously, it’s been ages since Q-Tip has been this much fun) isn’t likely to change that. But it’s already a Top 10 hit overseas.
I have a love/hate relationship with the Grammy Awards. I love lists, and I love award shows, so even a minor-league award show piques my interest-and there’s nothing minor-league about the Grammys. This ceremony is to music what the Academy Awards are to movies. Not only is the receiving of this award a validation of sorts for the artists that win (after all, this award is voted on by other musicians as well as assorted execs and other industry folk), but it also pays dividends at the cash register-ask artists like Bonnie Raitt and Ricky Martin. Raitt’s surprise sweep in 1990 finally turned her into a superstar after decades of performing. Martin’s performance of “The Cup of Life” 11 years ago introduced him to a huge Middle American audience who had no idea who he was.
On the other side of the coin is the fact that the people who are part of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the team that nominates artists and chooses who wins) have made some foolish choices over the years. An overly conservative block of voters has conspired to overlook some incredibly influential artists and bands over the years. Led Zeppelin never won a Grammy. Neither did Bob Marley. Other artists who have never won a Grammy Award: Diana Ross, The Clash, Hall and Oates, The Talking Heads, Public Enemy…need I go on? Smokey Robinson and James Brown have one Grammy each. The Rolling Stones have two.
There have also been some pretty major errors in judgment over the years. Remember Christopher Cross’s Grammy sweep in 1981? How about Jethro Tull winning the first Grammy ever awarded in a heavy metal category? Steely Dan’s “Two Against Nature” beating “Kid A” and “The Marshall Mathers LP” for Album of the Year in 2001? What about Herbie Hancock beating Kanye West and Amy Winehouse in the same category just two years ago? The fact of the matter is that the majority of Grammy voters are over 50 (and thus, out of touch with what current musical tastes and genres are) and comprise whatever the music industry version of the Old Boys’ Network is, which leads rock crit-types (or really, anyone with more than a passing interest in contemporary music) to go batsh*t insane every year when the nominees and then the winners are announced.
This year’s nominees are not so much out of touch as they are predictable. For better or for worse, this year’s big nominees represent what was actually popular in 2009. So the leading nominees are R&B diva Beyonce Knowles, country sweetheart Taylor Swift, dance diva Lady GaGa and (it pains me to write this) The Black Eyed Peas. All of the above named artists are talen-three of the four above named artists are talented, but even in what was a pretty crappy year for music, it’s hard to argue for any of these folks being the best that the industry had to offer last year.
At any rate, I’ll be bringing you my predictions in the major categories and genres (except for country, which I will admit is not my most knowledgeable genre, despite more than a passing interest), with all the appropriate commentary. My success rate over the years has actually been pretty good, which should clue you in on how predictable the Grammys really are. Or maybe I have the inside track and actually know who the winners are before they’re announced? (No, that’s not the case. Although several people I know receive ballots, they’re quite tight-lipped about their choices).
Anyway, we’re gonna start this party off with the rap categories. While the very first rap Grammy (back in 1989) went to the mom-friendly DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince despite the fact that the previous year was a watershed moment in hip-hop, the voters have gotten better about nominating and awarding quality with the passage of time. The past decade’s big winners have been Kanye West (who has won 11 of his 12 Grammys in rap categories) and Eminem (who has 9 of his own), and they’re the big nominees this year, although all of West’s nominations save one come from appearances on other artists’ records, and Eminem’s “Relapse” was of questionable quality, to say the least. Let’s take a look at the nominees, shall we? Anything to shut me up…
Best Rap Song (awarded to the songwriter)
Nominees: Best I Ever Had (5 songwriters, including Drake and Lil Wayne), Day ‘n Nite (2 songwriters, including Kid Cudi), Dead and Gone (3 songwriters, including T.I. and Justin Timberlake), D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune) (7 songwriters, including Jay-Z), Run This Town (5 songwriters, including Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West) Will Win: T.I. and Justin Timberlake Should Win: Tough choice
Drake and Kid Cudi represent hip-hop’s new breed, and a win for either of them would represent a changing of the guard. Too bad that won’t be happening. Grammy has always been slow to recognize new talent, and the fact of the matter is that the older sector of voters recognize the names “Jay-Z” and “Kanye West” and not the names “Drake” and “Kid Cudi”. I’m tempted to say Jay-Z will win, but two things turn my vote in favor of T.I. One is the fact that Jigga is nominated twice and the two songs will likely split the vote, and the other is that the T.I. song has a socially redeeming message. Jay will win this award next year for “Empire State of Mind”, anyway. Hand this one to “Dead and Gone”, which, incidentally, is the best written song of the five and should win anyway.
Best Rap Album
Nominees: “Universal Mind Control” (Common),”Relapse” (Eminem), “R.O.O.T.S.” (Flo-Rida), “The Ecstatic” (Mos Def), “The Renaissance” (Q-Tip)
Will Win: Eminem Should Win: Q-Tip
The nominees in this category should serve as a reminder of how much crappy hip-hop music has been made in the past year or so. This award is Eminem’s to lose (“Relapse” got some critical love, Eminem is a Grammy favorite, and the album sold more than the other four albums put together), but let’s take a closer look at the nominees for a second. Flo-Rida’s nomination is a f*cking joke, Common made a completely embarrassing album that was the worst of his career, and, quite frankly, “Relapse” didn’t do Em any favors, either. Mos Def and Q-Tip, despite making the only two albums here worth a damn, aren’t commercially successful enough to triumph. While Mos’s “Ecstatic” was a nice bounceback after the artistically shaky (I’m being kind) “Tru3 Magic”, “The Renaissance” is clearly the best album of the 5 nominees from a qualitative standpoint.
Oh, for those wondering where Jay and Kanye are: “808s and Heartbreak” was considered ineligible for the rap categories, and “The Blueprint 3” was released after the eligibility deadline and will most likely be nominated next year.
Best Rap Solo Performance
Nominees: “Best I Ever Had” (Drake), “Beautiful” (Eminem)”, “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)” (Jay-Z), “Day ‘n Nite” (Kid Cudi), “Casa Bey” (Mos Def)
Will Win: Jay-Z Should Win: You get no argument from me here.
Here’s an interesting category with 5 relatively strong nominees. The same premise that held true for the Best Rap Song category holds true here regarding Drake and Cudi, despite the fact that “Best I Ever Had” and “Day ‘n Nite” were actually the two most popular songs here (Drake could potentially pull off an upset-this guy has a deafening industry buzz). Mighty Mos is uber-talented, but is out of his league from a popularity standpoint. While Eminem has a chance, I think that at this point, Jay-Z has pulled in front of him in terms of Grammy recognizability, if only by virtue of his run as an actual record executive-people take care of their own. Besides, “D.O.A.” was the best of the five songs nominated here.
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
Nominees: “Too Many Rappers” (Beastie Boys and Nas), “Crack a Bottle” (Eminem, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent), “Money Goes, Honey Stay” (Fabolous featuring Jay-Z), “Make Her Say” (Kid Cudi, Kanye West and Common), “Amazing” (Kanye West and Young Jeezy)
Will Win: “Crack a Bottle” Should Win: “Make Her Say”
This is the most difficult of the categories to decide so far. If you put yourself in the head of the average Grammy voter, the only nominee you can definitely count out would be Fabolous-he doesn’t have enough name recognition, and the song he’s nominated for was an album track and not a single. The sympathy vote could go to the Beastie Boys, on account of MCA’s battle with cancer last year (and it would also give Nas his first ever Grammy), but seeing as a full recovery’s been made, I would bet against it (callous but true). The Grammy folks have been noticeably allergic to 50 Cent (who is Grammy-less so far in his career…and deservedly so, I might add), so even though “Crack a Bottle” was the biggest hit of the five nominees (hitting #1 on the Billboard singles chart), NARAS voters might pause when it comes to giving Curtis a trophy. Part of me still says the Aftermath trio will come out on top, but “Make Her Say” was just as big, has the intelligent/quirky/edgy factor going for it, samples one of the year’s biggest pop hits (“Poker Face”, which is nominated for Record and Song of the Year) and features previous Grammy winners Kanye and Common. Could go either way.
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Nominees: “Ego” (Beyonce featuring Kanye West), “Knock You Down” (Keri Hilson featuring Kanye West and Ne-Yo), “Run This Town” (Jay-Z featuring Rihanna and Kanye West), “I’m on a Boat” (The Lonely Island featuring T-Pain), “Dead and Gone” (T.I. featuring Justin Timberlake)
Will Win: “Run This Town” Should Win: “I’m on a Boat”
Should “I’m on a Boat” even be in this category? Well, truth be told, Andy Samberg and his boy Akiva (is that a black name or what?) have better rhyme skills than half the rappers out there. I’d love to see this song come out on top for the pure comedy aspect. Hey, like Kevin Garnett, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE!!!!!
No, seriously. It won’t win. This award essentially comes down to two songs: “Dead and Gone” and “Run This Town”. While I gave “Dead and Gone” the edge in the songwriting category, I think “Run This Town” has the edge in the performance category. In this case, you have to consider the Rihanna factor. Her infamous assault at the hands of then-boyfriend Chris Brown took place before last year’s Grammy ceremony, and that fact alone could guilt a lot of voters into awarding a song that features her. The only roadblock? Kanye West, who is nominated in this category THREE times and could very well split the vote. In that case, T.I. wins, at which point Grammy will be saddled with a winner who can’t attend the ceremony (as T.I. is in a halfway house right now) and, if “Dead and Gone” wins in both the categories it’s nominated in, it will mean that of Justin Timberlake’s eight career Grammy wins, three of them will have been in the “rap” category. And that’s just weird.
No point in any long, drawn-out intros right? I posted #s 25-13 yesterday. Here’s my Top 12 for the year.
12. Keane “Perfect Symmetry”
Yep, Keane made a better album than Coldplay. Even if you pit the two bands’ signature piano ballads against one another, Keane wins based on Tom Chaplin’s near-operatic voice. However, for album #3, Keane flipped the script, adding a guitarist on some tracks and going for an Eighties’ dance-pop sound with songs like the excellent Spiralling. I’m amazed that this album didn’t do better than it did, this might be the year’s most underrated album.
It took me a long time to get into this album, because the former Tony Toni Tone’s Motown homage seemed like it was made with the specific intention to appeal to people like me who have major issues with current R&B music. However, unnecessary Jay-Z remix aside, The Way I See It won me over with grooves that recall the best of the Temptations, Tops and Miracles, not to mention the Chi-Lites and Delfonics. Seeing Saadiq perform these songs live a month or so ago only reinforced how good this album is.
10. Kings of Leon “Only By the Night”
Kings of Leon make their second straight appearance on one of my year end charts by expanding on the formula that’s brought them success so far. Caleb Followill still has that weird, haunting quality to his voice that makes everything he sings sound kind of spooky, but the rest of the band has stepped up their game to the point where they’re making real rock anthems. Sex on Fire was a winning single whose slightly dirty vibe justified its’ title.
9. Gnarls Barkley “The Odd Couple”
Best rapper/singer currently working? Cee-Lo Green. Although the rotund half of Gnarls Barkley dropped emceeing from his repertoire with this album, it wasn’t missed-Cee-Lo remains one of the most expressive singers in any genre. Oddball songs like Blind Mary and the haunting Who’s Gonna Save My Soul blended perfectly with dancefloor rave-ups like Run to successfully beat back the sophomore jinx. If I had trophies to give out, Danger Mouse would get one for best producer of 2008.
8. Girl Talk “Feed the Animals”
Remember back in the day when sampling was more creative than just dropping vocals over the instrumental to a popular song? Girl Talk certainly does, and this enjoyable collection of mashups-think Three 6 Mafia rapping over Avril Lavigne’s Girlfriend or BLACKstreet’s No Diggity over the beat from Kanye West’s Flashing Lights-is sure to get the party started every time. Although half the fun is sitting, listening and trying to figure out what samples are being used.
7. Mike Doughty “Golden Delicious”
The latest solo effort from the former Soul Coughing frontman has a loosey-goosey quality to it-like a bunch of dudes just showed up at the studio and decided to jam. The fact that it’s a little sloppy-sounding is part of it’s charm. My favorites on this album are the somber Wednesday (Contra La Puerta) and the politically-charged Fort Hood, which lifts the chorus from the Sixties classic Let the Sunshine In to create one of the most emotionally affecting songs of the year. One of my favorite moments of 2008 was being able to tell Doughty in person how much that song meant to me.
6. Shelby Lynne “Just a Little Lovin’”
Shelby Lynne was meant to sing to intimate arrangements like the ones on this album-a collection of Dusty Springfield covers that sounds like it was recorded in a smoky nightclub. Lynne’s readings of songs like Anyone Who Had a Heart and How Can I Be Sure are almost painfully direct-like she’s singing the songs to you alone. This album made me run out and buy Dusty in Memphis to hear where Shelby got her inspiration from.
Most females in pop these days have a sort of manufactured sassiness. With the exception of P!nk, it’s hard to find one American girl pop singer with an attitude that doesn’t seem put on. Thankfully, Swedish singer Robyn returned after a ten (ten!!) year absence to show the girls how it’s really done. Whether rapping or singing, these electro-bounce tunes had chutzpah to spare, and songs like Be Mine proved that Robyn could put across heartbreak just as easily as she could put across badassitude.
4. Kanye West “808s & Heartbreak”
And to think, I thought this album was going to be a huge disappointment. Kanye deserves your props just for abandoning a style that had earned him critical respect and commercial rewards for something a little more intimate. Maintaining his stellar production standards, Mr. West went all the way left and made an album influenced more by Thom Yorke than Jay-Z. While the lyrics could have used a bit more fine-tuning, 808s proves that Kanye is a master at setting a mood, and anyone that makes Auto-Tune tolerable deserves a hearty pat on the back from me.
3. Ne-Yo “Year of the Gentleman”
The guy with one of the sharpest pen games in pop music sharpened that pen even more for his excellent third album. If you’re looking for an album that discusses relationships with more realism than the average album, you wanna check this out. If you just suffered a breakup and you want to wallow a little, check this album out. If you just want to hear well-crafted pop/soul music, check this album out. Year of the Gentleman vaulted Ne-Yo far above the Chris Browns, Ushers and Timberlakes of the world. Those guys have a lot of catching up to do.
2. Q-Tip “The Renaissance”
Another artist returning after nearly a decade-long break was Q-Tip, former leader of A Tribe Called Quest. As a member of that groundbreaking hip-hop outfit, Tip was responsible for two if not three of the greatest albums in rap music history. The Renaissance‘s smart rhymes and booty-shaking beats proved that Tip didn’t need Phife Dawg or Ali Shaheed Muhammad to make a classic.
1. Vampire Weekend “Vampire Weekend”
Four Columbia University undergrads, armed with a handful of Afrobeat records (and I’d imagine copies of Paul Simon’s Graceland and Talking Heads’ Remain in Light), decide to make an African-influenced indie pop album that references the M-79 bus, Lil’ Jon’s Get Low, Peter Gabriel and oxford commas, while giving shouts out to the “bears in Provincetown”. Sounds like a recipe for the best album of the year? Not quite. However, Vampire Weekend made 2008’s most enjoyable album by following one very simple rule-HAVE FUN. Their self-titled debut brought a smile to my face and a wiggle to my hips every time I heard it, and sometimes, that’s all you need.
So there you have it, folks. My favorite albums of 2008. Here’s hoping that 2009 brings you all that you wish for. Happy New Year!