February 11, 2008
Grammy Cliffs Notes
Posted by Stacy Chandler at February 11, 2008 1:02 AMIn addition to the aforementioned Springsteen, here's a quick look at some of "our" people who grabbed Grammys on Sunday night, in case you missed it.
Artist: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Work honored: Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) (from "Raising Sand")
Category: Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Chumps they beat: Xtina, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake
Artist: Willie Nelson and Ray Price
Work honored: Lost Highway (from "Last Of The Breed")
Category: Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
Chumps they beat: Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and -- not chumps -- Steve Earle and Allison Moorer
Artist: Jim Lauderdale
Work honored: The Bluegrass Diaries
Category: Best Bluegrass Album
Non-chumps he beat: The Cherryholmes, J.D. Crowe, The Seldom Scene, Tony Trischka
Artist: Ricky Skaggs and The Whites
Work honored: Salt Of The Earth
Category: Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album
Non-chumps they beat: Billy Joe Shaver, Kenny & Amanda Smith Band
Artist: JJ Cale and Eric Clapton
Work honored: The Road To Escondido
Category: Best Contemporary Blues Album
Most definitely NOT a chump they beat: Bettye LaVette
Artist: Levon Helm
Work honored: Dirt Farmer
Category: Best Traditional Folk Album
Perfectly excellent people he beat: Peter Case, Charlie Louvin
Artist: Steve Earle
Work honored: Washington Square Serenade
Category: Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album
Perfectly excellent people he beat: Ry Cooder, Patty Griffin, Tom Waits
Artist: Zachary Nipper, art director
Work honored: Cassadaga (Bright Eyes)
Category: Best Recording Package
Chumps he beat: You've never heard of any of them.
Artist: Johnny Cash, Tony Kaye, video director; Rachel Curl, video producer
Work honored: God's Gonna Cut You Down
Category: Best Short Form Music Video
Perfectly excellent -- and living! -- people they beat: Videos made for Feist and Gnarls Barkley
Everybody, but EVERYBODY, expected the great Bettye LaVette to win the Grammy. But, she didn't and that's okay, she was nominated! There's always next year. And, I hope that the Grammys will reorganize and put REAL SOUL SINGERS in the R & B categories and get those hip/hop people out of there: THEY ARE NOT R & B, for God's sake.
Bettye, Aretha, Chaka, Patti are soul singers, not Mary J., Jill Scott, Alicia Keys or Amy Winehouse!
Posted by: nneprevilo at February 11, 2008 10:40 AMYou are so wrong if you think that Amy Winehouse is not a soul singer. She also writes better country songs (just look at her themes) than most so-called country writers out there, though she sings them as soul songs, eh. Just listen.
Posted by: colonel at February 11, 2008 1:20 PMAmy Winehouse is a great soul singer and Eric Clapton is the king of the blues! Once again the Grammys got it right!
Posted by: Hal at February 11, 2008 11:08 PMAs much as I think Winehouse's problems will kill her if she can't throttle back, I also have to recognize that she has kicked the door open for an awful lot of up-and-coming British singer-songwriters.
Crazy, yes.
Stoned, most of the time.
But brilliant?
Absolutely.
Posted by: Jim Pipkin at February 11, 2008 11:10 PMWhile we're on this subject, does anyone else thing that "Rehab" is way, way over-rated? I like Amy Winehouse, and "Rehab" is OK, I guess, but I find it mostly annoying to listen to. I think the much better song from "Back to Black" is "I'm No Good." Anyone with me?
Posted by: stacy at February 12, 2008 11:53 AM
