Metro»
A Night at the the Grammys
KATHMANDU, FEB 08 -
A part from a few surprises, the Grammy Awards this year was a rather predictable affair, in the popular categories at least. Beyoncé was the queen of the night, winning a record six awards at a single night. Doing so, she beat Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Amy Winehouse, Alison Krauss, and her own record of five awards on a single night. Close on her heels were Taylor Swift with four, and the Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z and Kings of Leon with three.
But the biggest letdown at the awards this year was the absence of Susan Boyle. As Stephen Colbert, one of the hosts (and also the winner in the less-popular Best Comedy Album category), put it, “Justin Timberlake may have brought sexy back (or Sexy Back), but Susan Boyle sent it away again.” This doesn’t necessarily prove her singing prowess, but certainly highlights Boyle’s impact on contemporary music. Rather, Boyle’s exclusion seems to be logistical: albums have to be released between October and August to be eligible for the Grammys. Boyle’s album, I Dreamed a Dream, was released in November.
Of course though, the absence of Boyle’s sexy did not faze the ceremonies in the slightest. Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and Pink’s own almost non-existent cellophane dress worked wonders in the sexiness department. The biggest question at this year’s ceremony seemed to be whether Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, or Taylor Swift would walk away with the most awards.
Though the three women are equally talented, Beyonce’s sweep may come as a surprise to some. It must be remembered that she is no stranger to the Grammys, having already won seven earlier. What that means is that the Grammy jury, and the audience, have been acquainted with her music for a while now. But the surprise package of the night was Taylor Swift--a 20-year-old girl who came out of nowhere (despite having the biggest selling album of the year), and won four awards in her very first Grammy--including the biggest award: the Album of the Year (for Fearless).
The Rock awards, however, were much more competitive. AC/DC won their first Grammy (finally), for the Best Hard Rock Performance for War Machine. It was disappointing to see Green Day sweep the Best Rock Album award (for 21st Century Breakdown). Not because the album wasn’t good, but because U2’s No Line on the Horizon, AC/DC’s Black Ice, and Dave Matthews’ Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King were better. More pleasing was Kings of Leon’s three wins: Best Rock Performance by Rock Duo or Group with Vocals, Record of the Year, and Best Rock Song, all for Use Somebody. Bruce Springsteen added one more Grammy to his already extensive list, with one for Best Rock Solo Performance on Working on a Dream. I did feel that Pearl Jam’s Backspacer deserved a few awards too, but I’m not complaining.
Despite the Black Eyed Peas rather-mediocre live performance of I Gotta Feeling, they walked away three awards. Jason Mraz, the man behind I’m Yours, walked away with Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (Lucky) and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for Make It Mine. Quite a suitable pick to, if you see how phenomenal his I’m Yours, A Beautiful Mess, and The Remedy are.
But the most competitive awards this year were in the Rap category. Despite nominations of Drake, Mos Def, and Kid Cudi, I don’t think there was much competition to the behemoths that are Eminem and Jay-Z. While Jay-Z did win more awards, Eminem won the Best Rap Album (for Relapse), almost tallying the score. Interestingly, despite six nominations, Kanye West only won awards in the group category, and none for his individual songs or album. Possible retribution for the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards fiasco--where he yanked the mike from Taylor Swift and proclaimed that Beyoncé’s video was much better? Possibly.
And how can we forget A.R. Rahman’s victories? He won, not surprisingly, for Slumdog Millionaire and Jai Ho. My personal favourite in that category though, was Bruce Springsteen’s haunting solo from The Wrestler.
Headlines
Advertisements
