2008年 02月 11日 月曜日 10:32

If you needed confirmation of the irrelavence of the Grammy awards, you need go no further than their track record of awarding Spoken Word albums to loon left-wing politicians like Bill Clinton, Jimmie Carter, and now media darling Obama bin Laden. Can you say Left Coast love fest? I'm much more interested in the IBMA, Americana Awards, or even the annual 3rd Coast Music Freeform American Roots Best of list. Yet I suppose the Grammy's still sell records, so here goes my novel of a rundown…

Record of the Year: Amy Winehouse. I can't say anything bad about Amy Winehouse. I can say bad things about Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake. I liked Foo Fighters at one time just haven't paid them much mind. So we'll call this one best of a bad lot.

Album of the Year: Herbie Hancock. I would have loved to see These Days. I mean, pile on John Anderson, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Diana Krall & The Del McCoury Band, and how can you go wrong? Then again, like they would give Vince Gill a mainstream award. Now if he had put on left-wing darlins Dixie Chicks maybe he woulda had a chance. Herbie's not bad of a not as bad lot.

Song of the Year: Rehab. It's been interesting to watch how TV media darling Carrie Underwood flip-flopped from her breakthrough Jesus Take the Wheel with Before He Cheats. Good girl goes bad, eh? Trying for her Reba cred?? I'd say "give it up TV girl pop star" but Underwear is mostly harmless.

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) I love Alison Krauss, love, love, love. I respect and admire Robert Plant from his Led Zeppelin days, and increasingly from his more recent work. I just can not click with Robert Plant & Alison Krauss together on Rounder Records. It's just too much of a Jump-the-Shark deal for me. At Smo's urging I listened some online, even found streaming audio at Rounder's website. My sister, whose music judgement I trust more than my own, gave it thumbs up. In the end, I figured there's too many albums I want and too little money so I took a pass.

I will take some justification in the Grammy's nominating the effort as a "Pop Collaboration". I can feel superior in my snobbery against "Pop" anything, you know…

Best Rock Album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (RCA). Hey, at least the Foo Fighters won best Rock Album, there's honor in that. I wouldn't have minded Wilco winning here, but I don't mind them not (no offense intended Tweedy-ites…. well maybe just a little).

And for the "Country" categories:
Best Female Country Vocal Performance: Before He Cheats. Of course I was rooting for my gal Alison's Simple Love. Then again this field was increadibly weak. Miranda Lambert has a good radio hit, but the song itself just kinda peters out–it needs another verse to tie together the story, but that would make it too long for modern radio. I still hold LeAnn Rimes' teeney-bopper and extreme sex kitten rebound against her, yet I caught myself humming Rimes' radio tune as well. Just no beating the made-for-TV model.

Best Male Country Vocal Performance: Stupid Boy. This song completely failed to make an impression on me. I like Alan Jackson's entire album, but it's not his best effort. As always George Strait puts in a yeoman's effort with Give It Away.

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals. The Eagles are NOT COUNTRY MUSIC. I like The Eagles, really I do. But they are no more Nashville than Bon Jovi was. Grrrr.

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals: Lost Highway. FINALLY THE IDIOTS GET IT RIGHT! Willie Nelson and Ray Price on the Lost Highway. Now THIS is Country Music.

Best Country Instrumental Performance Brad Paisley. If Brad has to settle for something, this is a good place to settle. I was glad to see The Greencards nominated.

Best Country Album These Days. Payback for Vince.

Best Bluegrass Album The Bluegrass Diaries. Anybody nominated is deserving. Cherryholmes. J. D. Crowe & The New South. Seldom Scene. Tony Trishcka.

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album: Salt of the Earth. Ricky Skaggs deserves any accolades he gets. The Whites are no slackers either.

Folk…
Best Traditional Folk Album Dirt Farmer. I haven't heard this album that I know of, but I have seen ALOT of good buzz on it. Levon Helm should be on my go seek it list.

Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album Washington Square Serenade. Oooooh, I could editorialize all day on Steve Earle. This is getting long enough last.fm is getting all clunky so I'll save that for another day. Of course my fav is Children Running Through. Sorry, Patty, no beating the Left Coast media darlin.

And last but certainly not least…
Best Short Form Music Video: God's Gonna Cut You Down. God love you Johnny Cash, you are still the best man in Nashville. RIP.

-jc