The nominations for the 54th annual Grammys were announced a couple of weeks ago but it is only now that I can take a good look at it,being not the most musical adept person on the planet.
Although some of these names are far from being familiar to me(Skrillex,for one,which sounds like the name of a monster from World of Warcraft),I do have a pretty good handle on some of the standouts in their respective fields.
Adele,for example,is the heiress presumptive to multiple awards this season for her album "21" and her best known hit song "Rolling in the Deep." She is up for just about everything,including Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Solo for "Someone Like You". With her powerfully haunting voice and exceptional style,Adele is an artist who truly deserves all the accolades that she gets from her peers and fans alike:
In checking out the nominations list,a particular group and title just popped right out at me in the Best Dance Recording category-Duck Sauce for their tune "Barbra Streisand"
I gave it a listen and found the punchy little number fun and very toe tapping worthy. The video is great,too and something tells me that the diva herself might not be too flattered here,which adds to the subversive joy here:
Speaking of subversive,it's interesting that out of the three nominees for Best Musical Theater Album,only one of them is an all new production.
The Book of Mormon certainly didn't seem to be the kind of musical that regular Broadway would embrace but then again,Spamalot packed the houses for every performance there.
Nothing against the revivals of Anything Goes and How to Succeed in Business but encouraging more original shows instead of movie based remakes is something that I believe is vital to keeping musical theater fresh for future generations:
Best Comedy Album naturally has parody king Weird Al Yankovich's Alpocalypse amongst it's nominees and yet it was a sweet surprise to see his Lady GaGa salute "Perform This Way" as a contender in the Best Short Form Music Video section.
Staying current with the music scene isn't easy and in Weird Al's case,doing so is key to keeping his own wits sharp and snarky. Like many of the folks that he mocks,Weird Al is a dedicated craftsman whose insults are praises and it would be delightful to see him win:
I noticed that music from television and film has been lumped into one big catch-all category called "Visual Media". Guess it makes things simple for the voters but I suspect that many other viable candidates can get lost in the shuffle due to this.
The Best Score Soundtrack section is entirely composed of major motion pictures,however,and I hope that Daft Punk gets the nod here for their work on Tron:Legacy. They were overlooked at Oscar time and it would be nice if this do-over really paid off for them:
The Grammys will be handed out in February of 2012,so there is more than enough time to get acquainted with most of the big songs and singers up for honors. Even if you don't want to listen to some of these new fangled tunes,take comfort in knowing that many of them appear to be truly talented and with any luck,will get to take home the trophies they've rightfully earned.
On a sad note,there are a good number of people who will be sorely missed that night,especially Amy Winehouse whose untimely departure from this earth was a great loss indeed.
No doubt,there will be a tribute to her musical imprint upon the music scene which will probably include her duet with Tony Bennett and while there will be sorrow,let us try to recall the good that she left with us instead of dwelling upon what we won't be hearing from her in the years to come:
Adele deserves any and all awards they can throw at her.Weird Al is awesome! It would be great to see him win.
ReplyDeleteIt would be cool to see Weird Al win and ,if we're lucky,to see him and GaGa sing "Perform This Way."
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping:)