Do They Know it's Christmas?: Grammy Noms '08
Maybe it's the steady stream of Christmas hits spilling from shop speakers, but my first thought when reading the 51st Annual Grammy Award nominations was "Do they know it's Christmas?!"
In the Band Aid iteration, "they" were distended-bellied, bulging and fly-studded eyeballed Ethiops and by extension the miscellaneous poor from world 3 where famine usurped all tinsel and toddies with no consideration for how culture had already marked these sparkly things irrelevant. For me "they" are the pedestrian Grammy Award nominees, who, if they have maintained any perspective in their celebrity, will attribute their appearance on this vaunted list to an undiscerning Kris Kringle who has no demonstrated use for coal.
So Merry Christmas to the rusty icons and undistinguished cool kids who managed to make American music's most important short list irrespective of achievement. It must be nice. The recession won't allow me many of the gifts I deserve much less any unearned.
Some egregious examples and some commentary:
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
* Me, Myself And I
Beyoncé
Track from: The Beyonce Experience Live Audio
[Columbia/Music World Music]
* Heaven Sent
Keyshia Cole
Track from: Just Like You
[Geffen]
* Spotlight
Jennifer Hudson
[Arista]
* Superwoman
Alicia Keys
Track from: As I Am
[J Records]
* Need U Bad
Jazmine Sullivan
[J Records]
It's a 5-year-old song, admittedly from a 2007 live recording, but nevertheless relatively ancient.
Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
(For duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
* Ribbon In The Sky
Boyz II Men
Track from: Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA
[Decca Records]
* Words
Anthony David Featuring India.Arie
Track from: Acey Duecy
[Soulbird/ Universal Republic Records]
* Stay With Me (By The Sea)
Al Green Featuring John Legend
Track from: Lay It Down
[Blue Note Records]
* I'm His Only Woman
Jennifer Hudson Featuring Fantasia
Track from: Jennifer Hudson
[Arista Records]
* Never Give You Up
Raphael Saadiq Featuring Stevie Wonder & CJ Hilton
Track from: The Way I See It
[Columbia Records]
I love "Motownphilly" et al as much as anyone else but their time has long since passed. And the Al Green record that should have got the nod was "You've Got the Love I Need" with Anthony Hamilton. (Don't AH on background make you miss D that much more?!)
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
* Chasing Pavements
Adele
Track from: 19
[Columbia/XL]
* Love Song
Sara Bareilles
Track from: Little Voice
[Epic]
* Mercy
Duffy
Track from: Rockferry
[Mercury]
* Bleeding Love
Leona Lewis
[J Records/SYCO Music]
* I Kissed A Girl
Katy Perry
Track from: One Of The Boys
[Capitol Records]
* So What
Pink
[LaFace]
I don't like Nan one of the three Brits nominated and I don't understand the white/mixed Atlantic's perpetual pop cultural novelty.
Best Alternative Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
* Modern Guilt
Beck
[DGC Records/XL Recordings/Interscope]
* Narrow Stairs
Death Cab For Cutie
[Atlantic]
* The Odd Couple
Gnarls Barkley
[Downtown/Atlantic]
* Evil Urges
My Morning Jacket
[ATO Records]
* In Rainbows
Radiohead
[TBD Records]
Funny, Gnarls isn't "Urban/Alternative" anymore.
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
* A Change Is Gonna Come
Wayne Brady
Track from: A Long Time Coming
[Peak Records]
* You've Got The Love I Need
Al Green Featuring Anthony Hamilton
Track from: Lay It Down
[Blue Note Records]
* Baby I Know
(Linda Jones) With Helen Bruner & Terry Jones
Track from: Soul Talkin
[Philerzy Productions]
* Love That Girl
Raphael Saadiq
Track from: The Way I See It
[Columbia Records]
* In Love With Another Man
Jazmine Sullivan
Track from: Fearless
[J Records]
Brady strips the GRAMMYS of its minimal remaining cred. Saadiq executes the vintage shit and should take this but I wish he would imbue his affinity for the old with the new à la "Little Walter."
Best Comedy Album
(For comedy recordings, spoken or musical)
* Anticipation
Lewis Black
[Comedy Central Records]
* Flight Of The Conchords
Flight Of The Conchords
[Sub Pop]
* For Your Consideration
Kathy Griffin
[Columbia/Music With A Twist]
* It's Bad For Ya
George Carlin
[Eardrum Records]
* Songs Of The Bushmen
Harry Shearer
[Courgette Records]
Happy for Kath'!
Tags: GRAMMYS
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Comments
1.
professorf says:
I'm of the mind that the current award show format is way past its prime. The Emmy's, Oscar's and Grammy's are long overdue for complete overhauls. In the case of the Grammy's, I'd turn the evening into a mini-documentary about the five albums up for album of the year. In five twenty minute docs we'd get a chance to hear from the songwriters, producers and other folks who worked on the album. Interspersed would be concert footage and other behind the scenes commentary how this album came to be, and the impact that it's had. All five artists would be in attendance for a Q&A session, where they take questions from the live audience at home and in the theater...before a winner is finally announced.
12/15/2008 at 10:41 AM