Holler!
Did any of you watch the Grammy nominations show on CBS? I did! (Obvi.) I want to talk about my fave category: Album of the Year. This post will focus on my thoughts regarding the nominees.
In my opinion, an Album of the Year nominee should meet at least one of the following two requirements:1. The album should be innovative / ahead of the curve.
2. The artist has taken risks, trying out musical/production/vocal/lyrical styles that are completely different from what's out there (and/or what's expected of him/her).
With that said, I totally agree with the following two nominations:1.
21 by Adele: This record has been the best-selling album of the past year, and I think one of the many reasons why is because it's so refreshing. As I've mentioned previously, Adele's music is emotionally forceful and confessional. Girlfriend is obviously one of the most vocally talented artists, but she's also a solid songwriter (Adele has said that she may write and produce her third album without any outside help, which would be QUITE a challenge. I hope she goes through with it. I'd love to hear what it will sound like). Furthermore,
21's songs contain an eclectic mix of soul, blues, and POP, which contrasts with the current electro-POP landscape. Many people may disagree with the following statement, but
21 is an album full of indie/alternative spirit. As JT's
FutureSex/LoveSounds album kicked off the dance craze, creating a space for albums like Britney's
Blackout and Lady GaGa's
The Fame, Adele's
21 will be the catalyst for the return of the indie/alternative genre, which reigned most powerfully during the early '90s with Nirvana's
Nevermind and Alanis Moorisette's
Jagged Little Pill, among other albums.
21 meets requirements #1 and #2. Adele and her writing/production/engineering team deserve the hardware on Grammy night more than any other artist.
2.
Born This Way by Lady GaGa: As the Lady has said herself, she's talked the talk, but never incorporated her fight for the outsider and LGBTQ community into her music until now. While the
Born This Way album hasn't penetrated pop-culture as deeply (hehe!) as
The Fame or
The Fame Monster, its lyrical content is far superior. GaGa sings about being yourself, no matter your sexual orientation or ethnicity on
Born This Way, claiming your identity on
Hair, and illegal immigration on
Americano. This is a POP album with a strong emphasis on social justice, which we haven't seen since Janet Jackson's
Rhythm Nation 1814 in 1989. With the song
Born This Way, Gaga doesn't beat around the bush as Katy on
Firework, Ke$ha on
We R Who We R, or P!nk on
Raise Your Glass. Those are all great songs, but none of those artists had the chutzpah to address the LGBTQ community directly. GaGa's
Born This Way is the first Billboard Hot 100 #1 with the word "transgender," so kudos to her.
While sonically, I prefer GaGa's first two albums, I can't deny that she's taken musical risks on this record, completely unlike her co-reigning POP divas Katy, RiRi or Ke$ha. She's fused industrial electro, rock, and POP in completely unexpected ways. This album is what Bruce Springsteen would sound like if he made a record for the gay clubs. Only GaGa would come up with such a concept. The
Born This Way album meets requirement #2. While it's definitely more sonically risky and experimental then her first two, those records were ahead of the curve, influencing the dance tracks that came after (from other POPsters). This album's production and sound won't strongly influence other artists' future work. It's too experimental. In this regard, GaGa's creativity works against her.
The following albums should have gone without the nomination:3.
Loud by Rihanna: This album is one of my favorites of the year, but it doesn't deserve a nomination for the top prize. It's a great record, but it's not innovative or experimental/risky. Let's be real for a sec. Rihanna may be fly, and we love her for that, but she's not super-creative. Her music is composed by others. That wouldn't be an issue if those songwriters and producers tried to make music that was outside of the box, like
Beyoncé's did on
4. I didn't like
4 very much - it was a bit too out there for me, and apparently for others too - none of the singles charted in the Top 15 of the Billboard Hot 100. In other words, none of the songs were hits. However, the album was gutsy.
Beyoncé may not be a songwriter or producer (even though she unfairly manages to get her name into the credits, according to Ne-Yo and others who've worked with her - a story for another day), but she is willing to take musical risks with the help of others. Bey and her songwriting/production team deserve some props for that.
By contrast, Rihanna's songwriters and producers aimed to create radio hits for
Loud. Yes, some of the songs feature cool synths and bits of West-Indian spice, but on the whole, there was no out-of-the-box thinking during the writing, recording, and production of
Loud.
4.
Wasting Light by the Foo Fighters: I don't mean to be rude, but who cares? I'll admit that I haven't listened to any of the album, so I can't offer a fair assessment, but does anyone seriously think the Foo Fighters are still relevant? If yes, you can stick yourself back into a time machine and press 1995. It seems as though some of the Grammy voters just woke up from their decade and a half hibernation period. I know relevance isn't everything. I like my fair share of indie artists, but the Foo Fighters never set out to be a nice little indie project like Bon Iver. Dave Grohl consciously cashed in on his Nirvana fame by forming his own group, except the plan isn't working anymore (because no one cares), so go away. This spot belongs to everyone, and anyone, else.
I have mixed feelings about the last nomination:5.
Doo-Wops & Hooligans by Bruno Mars: Bruno is so talented. His voice is smooth, and despite some calling him a baby face, I'd do him in a second. He drips sex. However, I don't like that he was stupid enough to get caught with a bag of blow in the bathroom of the Vegas Hard Rock, and cocky enough to think he'd get away with it. The whole situation smells of douche bag. This all went down after a performance before his album even came out. Does he know anything about publicity? Establish who you are before looking like a mess - your audience is middle America. If you're going to powder your nose, that's your business, but go do it in your hotel room where you won't get caught. I think of Bruno as the new John Mayer - so, so talented; so, so, charming; and so, so douchey. Ugh, almost everyone in music is an a$$-hole. Whadaya gonna do?
Anyhow, all of this is irrelevant to his album nomie.
Grenade is a fantastic, catchy, and beautifully produced song.
Just The Way You Are has grown on me with time, and now, I love it. I haven't listened to the whole album, but I'm sure the vocals are heavenly, because as I said, he's a great singer. He's also a proper musician, having composed all the melodies and produced them with Phillip Lawrence and Ari Levine, who together make up the songwriting and production trio known as The Smeezingtons. With all of that said, I don't think his music is particularly risky or experimental. I'm not sure if it's innovative and ahead of the curve. I don't think it is, but time shall tell. Hence my mixed feelings.
Check out tomorrow's entry, "Grammy Album Of Year - What SHOULD Have Been Nominated?" to see which albums we would nominate in place of
Loud,
Wasting Light, and
Doo-Wops & Hooligans.Unapologetically,
Gregory
With Rated R, Rihanna was reeling over her nasty abuse at the hands of Chris Brown and the scandal it caused, and so the album was angst-filled, dark, and actually quite good. However, just because a song is good, doesn't mean that it's a proper single. The right choice for radio release must have spark, energy, and some sort of crossover mainstream POP appeal. With this album, Rihanna likely had more control over what became a single than on any of her other records. Her label saw the Rated R project as a way to build RiRi's artistic credibility, or at least that's what they said. We all know what that means - they all didn't like the album and thought it was blech. Like I said, I enjoyed it, but Rihanna's not the type of artist that requires credibility, and her label is hyper-aware of this. She's not a true musician or songwriter. She's only gotten songwriting credits on a few tracks, and I doubt that was a difficult feat - she probably penned two words on each of those. Girlfriend is a POP songstress, which is no to say that musicianship and POP stardom are mutually exclusive (i.e. - Michael Jackson, Prince, GaGa, Katy Perry, etc.), but let's not pretend that RiRi is anything other than an enjoyable sugary confection. A few of her songs may have meaning, but her celebrity persona doesn't, so unless that meaning is rolled up into POPtastic hits, it's lost on most folks. 
Some of you may think I wouldn’t care if I fit the ideal, and you’re probably right. If I wasn’t hairy everywhere on my body, including all over my back, had a six pack, and didn’t have a receding hair line, maybe I would enforce the ideal and make fun of those who didn’t fit it (the insecure a$$ that I can be), but the fact is I don’t (and I can’t afford the operations in order to). Neither does most of the world’s population, for that matter, so why don’t we evolve our purchasing patterns in order to see more representations of ourselves in music, film, television, and fashion? Why do we keep buying into this ideal and pushing it forward, in turn escalating our insecurities and self-image issues? Doesn’t this seem particularly unhealthy? Maybe it’s time we stop buying that Vogue or People Magazine on the shelf, as hard as it may be to resist, until those publications redefine beauty by throwing in some diversity. In a capitalist society, the most effective form of protest is boycott, because companies will only change if they think that doing so will make them more $$. And maybe, when we’re upset with a POP star we love for a video that makes us self-conscious, we should tweet them about it, so that’s what I’ll do for now – take it day by day, moment to moment. 
Gwen Stefani’s influence on POP showWOMANship is underrated. She West-Coastified Madonna’s looks and sprinkled in some fairy dust, creating an image that was simultaneously sexy, cute, and cartoonish. She’s mixed sporty pieces, like cargo pants and sneakers, with more formal touches, like retrofied hair. Some might say that Gwen simply copied Madonna, but those people must realize that every fashion icon has been inspired by her/his glamcestors; Nicki Minaj borrows from Lady GaGa and Lil Kim, who have both been inspired by Madonna, Grace Jones, Annie Lennox, etc. Madonna looked to David Bowie and Marilyn Monroe for inspiration, and Marilyn grew up admiring pictures of her idol, Jean Harlow. I could go back even farther, unfolding Harlow’s inspirations. There has been no evidence of carbon copying. Every old touch has been accompanied by something fresh. You might see the cone bra designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier and worn by Madonna on somebody else, but with modern modifications, including guns (Lady GaGa) or whipped cream cans (Katy Perry) tied to the bosom. Everything is derived from something that came before, but with a bit of a modern twist; it’s an evolution, not a revolution. Society takes steps forward, while keeping the past in the back of its brain.
While I’ve never been a huge No Doubt fan, and have only liked a select few songs from Gwen’s solo albums, I've always admired her for the glamazon that she is. I remember eating lunch with my sister and my friend, Stacey, at Balthazar in Soho one day. Gwen Stefani walked right by our table on her way to the bathroom. I never thought I was the starstruck type, but let me tell you, I was flabbergasted. I screamed, “OH MY GOD, LOOK, IT’S GWEN STEFANI,” while flapping my wrists so vigorously that Stacey thought I was about to fly away. Do I care that I looked like a complete dork? Just a little, but let me tell you, Gwen was totally gorgeous. She was a bit more casual, out to lunch with her hubby, sons, and their babysitter, but she still looked amazing. Her platinum blonde hair was tied into a pretty little pony tail. Her lips were the perfect shade of crimson and she was wearing leather sandals, a white tank, and a black leather jacket, all topped by a hat that perfectly matched her army green cargo pants. Here’s a picture of her leaving the restaurant that very day, flawless, as always. Did I mention that I saw four paparazzi sitting outside on the bench waiting for her to leave? It was quite an exciting day. While looking for a tabloid shot when I came home, I read that Gwen and one of her sons had gone to the nail salon that same day, where she let him get his nails done. He's just as fabulously fashionable as his mommy. She seems like the coolest, most progressive, open-minded and loving parent (and rock star, obvi).
6) Rihanna - Disurbia: When girlfriend starts off with "Bum bum be-dum bum bum be-dum bum," you know you're in for a crazy ride. Plus the haunted-jail cell video is as spooky as they get. This is dark-pop at its most fun! 
9) Metric - Help, I'm Alive: The production on this track is dark, heavy, and mechanical, while Emily Haines sings, "I tremble, they're gonna eat me alive." For something slightly more relaxed, check out the simplistically beautiful acoustic version.
