Quick ‘n’ Dirty Music News: 02.08.07

Posted by Mitch Michaels on 02.08.2008

It’s the 411 Q’n’D Grammy Rundown, with your complete guide to Sunday’s Grammy Awards, including the writer’s strike drama, Michael Jackson rumors, Amy Winehouse musings, performance previews for the Foo Fighters, Carrie Underwood, Rihanna and others, nominee predictions, trivia, plus our biggest Piece Of The Week feature ever with Beyoncé, Amy, Alicia, Carrie, Feist and Rihanna!

Well HELLO my musical minions. Welcome to another edition of the Friday flagship, the weekly tradition, the Quick ‘n' Dirty Music News. As usual, I'm Mitch Michaels.

I've decided to change the format up a little this week and forego most of the usual news commentary. Hell, Britney and Amy have been stuck in institutions for most of the week anyway. Instead, I've elected to bring you something so big, so EXCITING, that it could only happen once a year.

Prepare folks, for the DEFINITIVE


It's quick. It's dirty. It's news.


STAND BY…FOR GRAMMY NEWS!

Don't forget to check out all the news items on 411 Music's newswire:

The Storylines


Picket-mania!

Aside from the awards and performances, there are more storylines going into this year's Grammy Awards than a typical Wrestlemania. The "main event" thread, however, would have to be the battle for the Grammy telecast to even HAPPEN.

With writers all over Hollywood striking, several television shows have been put on hiatus. While networks have struggled to temporarily replace these shows with reality TV (whose writers are non-union), daily variety shows like The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with Conan O'Brien have struggled to come up with their own material without writers. These same types of writers would be used for big awards telecasts. The Golden Globe Awards, which was set to take place in January, was forced to cancel their telecast as writers threatened to picket the ceremonies and supportive actors announced that they would boycott the event. The awards show, which is typically a big warm up for the Oscars, was reduced to a 30-minute reading of winners, completely deflating the gala event.

The Grammys, the next big show of the early year "awards season", seemed to be facing the same fate. Meetings between the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and the stroking writers went on for several weeks and, when it became clear that, not only were the Grammys determined to go off and that most of the musicians had announced they would play anyway (who mostly don't have ties to the writers like actors, with the exception of people like Jack White and 50 Cent, who threatened to boycott, and Beyoncé, who still didn't give a shit). So the Grammys and the writers eventually came to an agreement, as the writers felt that picketing an event with several ties to charity (specifically the Save The Music Foundation) would be bad for publicity.

So if you ever wondered why a Hollywood writer's strike would affect a MUSIC ceremony, there you go. Besides, SOMEBODY has to write all that awful, stilted banner between the presenters.


Winehousegate

Another big story headed into this year's Grammys revolves around performer and nominee Amy Winehouse. If you hadn't heard, Winehouse released a well-received modern blend of R&B and soul, Back To Black, which caught fire huge in 2007. Unfortunately, she's currently working as a trainwreck drug addict. Oh and, by the way, welcome to the column. Do you like my banners?

Amy recently checked into rehab at the encouragement of her family, and checked out this week, seemingly determined to make her engagement on the show. She's even applied to renew her US visa.

This is a really fucking ridiculous way to build tension, if you ask me. How many rock stars have played the Grammys over the last 50 years? Now how many of them were fucking drug users? I'm sure Willie Nelson has been on that stage a time or two. So what does it matter? Are they trying to say that Amy can't sing "Rehab" (or most likely some other song…touchy subject matter there) for three minutes if she's on drugs? Then how did she get through a whole set when I saw her last August?

I think people believe that a good Winehouse performance at the Grammys will be her saving grace and reintroduce her into the public. I think that's a bold thing to hope for. If she does perform, it'll be both safe and scrutinized. Hell, her latest album came out in 2006 and was a massive seller. What can she give us that we haven't heard? Amy's best bet is to stay in rehab, let people perceive she's clean (or really get clean) and come back with some good PR and a good album by the end of the year.

Either that, or she could just snort crack while she does the Grammys. At least it'll make next year's VH1 special!


My Grammy Moment

Does anybody remember the guy that performed with Justin Timberlake last year? Yeah, I didn't think so. Well, the Grammys have brought the "My Grammy Moment" contest back, only this year will feature several winner, all of whom will be conducted by Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones as they play with the Foo Fighters. A feel good moment for sure, but c'mon. Now that you don't even get the spotlight, what can "My Grammy Moment" do for your career?

This should be as underwhelming as the Amsterjam mash-up between Tom Petty and the Foo Fighters, that saw Dave Grohl epically….playing rhythm guitar on "Runnin' Down A Dream". Yeah, it was so amazing that I still regret the drive to get there.


Surprise Kiddies!

The best rumors going around is that Michael Jackson is going to put on a surprise performance to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his landmark album Thriller. Jackson's people have denied that he'll be on stage, but HAVE confirmed that he'll be at the ceremony. C'mon folks, they don't break Michael out of his sarcophagus for no reason. I'm laying 50/50 odds that he does something. Hell, with the way he looks now, he could at least play one of the "Thriller" zombies.

While I don't see what all the fuss is about a possible good Amy Winehouse performance, Michael Jackson pulling the big surprise at this year's Grammys could be a huge move towards revitalizing his career. People WANT to have fond memories of Michael Jackson, he just doesn't seem to want to give us a reason lately. Unless you have some sort of missing nose fetish.

A one-gloved, zipper jacketed Michael doing 15-seconds of the moonwalk on national TV would do more for Michael Jackson than a million 50 Cent rumors. Just make sure you L.A. residents keep your young boys a safe distance from the Staples Center if he does show up.

The Performances


The best thing about the Grammys is the performances. Not that they're memorable, but more than any other show, you get a broad range of live music in a few hours. This year's show includes performances by:

Alicia Keys
Carrie Underwood
Brad Paisley
Feist
The Cast of Across The Universe & Cirque du Soliel
Beyoncé
Foo Fighters with the My Grammy Moment winners, conducted by John Paul Jones
Rihanna & The Time
Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, the Clark Sisters, Israel and New Breed, Trin-I-Tee 5:7
Amy Winehouse (questionable)

This is a pretty decent mix. I'm looking forward to the gospel segment by Blige and Franklin, seeing as how soul singers have the best connection to gospel, perhaps even better than country. I'm a little puzzled at the inclusion of TWO country singers in Paisley and Underwood, but maybe the Grammys feel that Carrie transcends the genre. Not that I'm against country getting a huge spot.

Beyoncé and Alicia Keys are getting the "big star" moments. Alicia should pull out something nice at least. Feist occupies your "new blood" spot, probably brought in as an out in case Winehouse doesn't show up. Is it just me, or is this a very estrogen heavy line-up?

My most anticipated performances are Rihanna teaming up with the motherfucking TIME (reuniting just for the night, how cool is that?) and the Foo Fighters. Despite the silly gimmick, the Foo Fighters should be the shot of ROCK that the show needs. What song they'll sing is anyone's guess. "The Pretender" probably lends itself to a big rock orchestra, I guess, though "Home" would be a gorgeous cut to hear live.

Then you have your Beatles tribute. I'll reserve judgment until I see that, I guess. Girque du Soleil is pretty awesome, but the trailers for Across The Universe really annoyed me.

The Awards

Yes, they actually give out awards at this show too. Actually, the Grammys give out about a million awards, but most of them occur offstage. I'm going to give each category some attention.

First, a disclaimer: Despite my years of service here at 411 and my certifiable position as a master of musical knowledge, I don't know EVERYTHING about each of these fields. Therefore, I am going to preface each field with a symbol, indicating how much I care about that field. The symbols are decided thusly:

Do Not Care – This is indicated by the Trent Reznor symbol. The NIN frontman, who recently discussed how there needs to be a tax on the internet to stop illegal downloading, also feels that we should get rid of the Grammys altogether. Reznor and NIN hold two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance ("Wish", 1992; "Happiness In Slavery", 1995).

Care Some – This is indicated by the Joe Satriani symbol. Satch (along with Alan Parsons) holds the record for most Grammy nominations without a victory: thirteen. He's nominated this year for Best Rock Instrumental Performance ("Always With Me, Always With You").

Care – This is indicated by the Sir Georg Solti symbol. Solti holds the record for most Grammy victories, with 31 altogether. He is best known as the conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was given the Lifetime Achievement Award Grammy in 1996, one year before his death.


General Field



Record Of The Year
* Irreplaceable - Beyoncé
* The Pretender - Foo Fighters
* Umbrella - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
* What Goes Around…Comes Around - Justin Timberlake
* Rehab - Amy Winehouse

Kind of curious that Justin is the only Record Of The Year nominee who's not performing. My favorite here is the Foo Fighters' "The Pretender", but, to be fair, I don't consider that to be their best song even on ESP&G. Nothing really offensive in this category. I'm gonna have to go with Rihanna's "Umbrella", just because the song was both inescapable and good.

Album Of The Year
* Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters
* These Days - Vince Gill
* River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Hancock
* Graduation - Kanye West
* Back To Black - Amy Winehouse

This is the most "Grammy" category, as the Academy doesn't give two shits about what was popular. The Vince Gill record was FOUR CDs, while I didn't even realize Herbie Hancock was still alive. Still, I think they'll have to give this one to Amy Winehouse, both because Back To Black was a great, unique album and they have to justify all of her nominations. They sure can't do that with "Rehab" winning anything, given the circumstances. Amy is also my personal favorite on this list.

Song Of The Year
* Before He Cheats - Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
* Hey There Delilah - Tom Higgenson, songwriter (Plain White T's)
* Like A Star - Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriter (Corinne Bailey Rae)
* Rehab - Amy Winehouse, songwriter (Amy Winehouse)
* Umbrella - Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius "Dream" Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z)

Another good set of songs, though I'll admit to being ignorant on the Corinne Bailey Rae track. This is a tough choice. "Before He Cheats" is probably my favorite, because that cut is absolutely smoking hot. "Umbrella" is a good cut, but not particularly well-written. I'm going to give Plain White T's the outside shot of taking this one home.

Best New Artist
* Feist
* Ledisi
* Paramore
* Taylor Swift
* Amy Winehouse

Once again, Amy Winehouse is my favorite here, but I think the addition of Feist to the performing line-up is very telling. I'm going with the "1,2,3,4" singer to grab the trophy.

Pop



Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
* Candyman - Christina Aguilera
* 1234 - Feist
* Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie
* Say It Right - Nelly Furtado
* Rehab - Amy Winehouse

Ah, the pop field. So much trash, very little treasure. "Rehab" is my pick here, though it won't win because of reasons previously discussed. I don't look for Feist to see TOO much love at this show, and, good God…"Candyman"??? Are you serious? I'll call Fergie as the winner, simply because she's all tender on "Big Girls Don't Cry".

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
* Everything - Michael Bublé
* Belief - John Mayer
* Dance Tonight - Paul McCartney
* Amazing - Seal
* What Goes Around...Comes Around - Justin Timberlake

So Paul McCartney is pop now? This is a much deeper set of songs than the female line-up. "Belief" is probably my favorite, though "Gravity" would have been a better selection from Continuum. I'll give the award to Justin, simply because, if it's one of the Records Of The Year, shouldn't it also be the top Male Vocal Performance?

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
* (You Want To) Make A Memory - Bon Jovi
* Home - Daughtry
* Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5
* Hey There Delilah - Plain White T's
* Window In The Skies - U2

Please, after Saturday, can we quit playing "Home"? I'll go with "Hey There Delilah" as both my favorite and pick to win from this tepid list of watered down pop/rock.

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
* Steppin' Out - Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera
* Beautiful Liar - Beyoncé & Shakira
* Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On) - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
* The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani & Akon
* Give It To Me - Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake

While I would prefer the interesting combo of Plant and bluegrass legend Alison Krauss, there's one constant in this world: The Grammys fucking LOVE Tony Bennett.

Best Pop Instrumental Performance
* Off The Grid - Beastie Boys
* Paris Sunrise #7 - Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals
* Over The Rainbow - Dave Koz
* One Week Last Summer - Joni Mitchell
* Simple Pleasures - Spyro Gyra

Who the hell is out there making "pop" instrumentals? I've never heard any of these tracks. Let's just give it to Ben Harper.

Best Pop Instrumental Album
* The Mix-Up - Beastie Boys
* Italia - Chris Botti
* At The Movies - Dave Koz
* Good To Go-Go - Spyro Gyra
* Roundtrip - Kirk Whalum

Take my question from above and multiply it by ten for this. I've heard some of the Chris Botti album and it's got good atmosphere. Though it would be nice for the Beasties to get some recognition for keeping up the non-commercial fare.

Best Pop Vocal Album
* Lost Highway - Bon Jovi
* The Reminder - Feist
* It Won't Be Soon Before Long - Maroon 5
* Memory Almost Full - Paul McCartney
* Back To Black - Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse all the way here. Like I said, they have to justify here zillion noms and without mentioning the "R" word. Plus, it's most deserving. Bon Jovi's disc was trash, Maroon 5's sank way too fast and…Paul fucking McCartney…are you kidding me?

Dance



Best Dance Recording
* Do It Again - The Chemical Brothers
* D.A.N.C.E. - Justice
* Love Today - Mika
* Don't Stop The Music - Rihanna
* LoveStoned/I Think She Knows - Justin Timberlake

Is it just me, or does the Justin Timberlake album just seem to old for this year's Grammys? I wasn't a big fan of The Chemical Brothers last album. I can barely even remember that cut. Ashamedly, I'd have to say that "LoveStoned" is my favorite track here, but I think Rihanna will take the trophy.

Best Electronic/Dance Album
* We Are The Night - The Chemical Brothers
* † - Justice
* Sound Of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
* We Are Pilots - Shiny Toy Guns
* Elements Of Life – Tiësto

If The Chemical Brothers take it, it will be by name only, because We Are The Night was BORING. If there's any justice, this will go to LCD Soundsystem. "North American Scum" is a kick-ass song.

Traditional Pop



Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
* Call Me Irresponsible - Michael Bublé
* Cool Yule - Bette Midler
* Trav'lin' Light - Queen Latifah
* Live In Concert 2006 - Barbra Streisand
* James Taylor At Christmas - James Taylor

What the hell is wrong with me? I've actually heard three of these albums. James Taylor's Christmas CD was a snorefest. Michael Bublé, on the other hand, is like the new ambassador of this stuff. See how many people are aping him on "American Idol"? I'm going with Call Me Irresponsible.

Rock



Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
* Timebomb - Beck
* Only Mama Knows - Paul McCartney
* Our Country - John Mellencamp
* Radio Nowhere - Bruce Springsteen
* Come On - Lucinda Williams

"Radio Nowhere" is Bruce's most rocking single in years, but "Come On" blows all of these tracks away. Lucinda Williams definitely deserves the trophy, but they'll probably hand it out to McCartney, simply because he's still alive.

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
* It's Not Over - Daughtry
* Working Class Hero - Green Day
* If Everyone Cared - Nickelback
* Instant Karma - U2
* Icky Thump - The White Stripes

Two tracks from that stupid John Lennon covers album? And you wonder how I just KNOW Paul McCartney will be getting a win. Still, "Icky Thump" is hands down the most badass piece of rock in the last decade. It should be grabbing the trophy here.

Best Hard Rock Performance
* Sweet Sacrifice - Evanescence
* The Pretender - Foo Fighters
* I Don't Wanna Stop - Ozzy Osbourne
* Sick, Sick, Sick - Queens Of The Stone Age
* The Pot - Tool

Easy call here for the Foo Fighters, though that Ozzy track was a pretty nice comeback.

Best Metal Performance
* Nothing Left - As I Lay Dying
* Never Ending Hill - King Diamond
* Aesthetics Of Hate - Machine Head
* Redemption - Shadows Fall
* Final Six - Slayer

What, no Jethro Tull? This is a brutal set of tracks in the metal category this year. I'd have to say Shadow's Fall is my favorite song of these five, though "Nothing Left" by As I Lay Dying is a close second. In fact, I figure AILD will be taking home the award.

Best Rock Instrumental Performance
* The Ecstasy Of Gold - Metallica
* Malignant Narcissism - Rush
* Always With Me, Always With You - Joe Satriani
* Once Upon A Time In The West - Bruce Springsteen
* The Attitude Song - Steve Vai

Well, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani cancel each other out here. I've never heard this recording by Metallica, but if it's as good as the live version of "Ecstasy Of Gold" on the S&M CD, then that should be an easy winner.

Best Rock Song
* Come On - Lucinda Williams, songwriter (Lucinda Williams)
* Icky Thump - Jack White, songwriter (The White Stripes)
* It's Not Over - Chris Daughtry, Gregg Wattenberg, Mark Wilkerson & Brett Young, songwriters (Daughtry)
* The Pretender - Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel & Chris Shiflett, songwriters (Foo Fighters)
* Radio Nowhere – Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)

Not a bad track here, minus Daughtry that is. No way I could pick a favorite, but I think the Foos will take home the award.

Best Rock Album
* Daughtry - Daughtry
* Revival - John Fogerty
* Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace - Foo Fighters
* Magic - Bruce Springsteen
* Sky Blue Sky - Wilco

This category definitely has a different tone than the other rock ones. Fogerty's Revival was an overlooked gem, while Springsteen's Magic was hailed as a major return to form. My favorite would have to be the Foo Fighters set, which grows on me with each listen. We can't ignore the elephant in the room, though. With so many nominations, Daughtry has to be taking home something, and that record was huge.

Alternative



Best Alternative Music Album
* Alright, Still... - Lily Allen
* Neon Bible - Arcade Fire
* Volta - Bjork
* Wincing The Night Away - The Shins
* Icky Thump - The White Stripes

This is the "we don't know what the hell to call it" category. Lily Allen alternative? Really? I would say my favorite album here is Icky Thump, but The Shins got plenty of attention from critics, so I figure they'll take the win.

R&B



Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
* Just Fine - Mary J. Blige
* When I See You - Fantasia
* No One - Alicia Keys (WINNER)
* If I Have My Way - Chrisette Michele
* Hate On Me - Jill Scott (MITCH'S PICK)

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
* Woman - Raheem DeVaughn
* B.U.D.D.Y. - Musiq Soulchild
* Because Of You - Ne-Yo
* Future Baby Mama - Prince
* Please Don't Go – Tank (MITCH'S PICK, WINNER)

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
* Same Girl - R. Kelly Featuring Usher
* Disrespectful - Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige (WINNER)
* Hate That I Love You - Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo
* Baby - Angie Stone Featuring Betty Wright (MITCH'S PICK)
* Bartender - T-Pain Featuring Akon

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
* Walk A Mile In My Shoes - Otis Clay
* All Night Long - Randy Crawford & Joe Sample
* In My Songs - Gerald Levert (MITCH'S PICK, WINNER)
* I Apologize - Ann Nesby
* I Am Your Man - Ryan Shaw

Best Urban/Alternative Performance
* Make A Baby - Vikter Duplaix
* That's The Way Of The World - Dwele
* Daydreamin' - Lupe Fiasco Featuring Jill Scott (WINNER)
* Fantasy - Meshell Ndegeocello
* Dream - Alice Smith (MITCH'S PICK)

Best R&B Song
* Beautiful Flower - India.Arie & Joyce Simpson, songwriters (India.Arie)
* Hate That I Love You - Mikkel S. Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen & Shaffer Smith, songwriters (Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo)
* No One - Dirty Harry, Kerry Brothers & Alicia Keys, songwriters (Alicia Keys) (MITCH'S PICK)
* Teachme - Ivan Barias, Adam W. Blackstone, Randall C. Bowland, Carvin Haggins, Johnnie Smith II & Corey Latif Williams, songwriters (Musiq Soulchild) (WINNER)
* When I See U - Louis Biancaniello, Waynne Nugent, Erika Nuri, Kevin Risto, Janet Sewel & Sam Watters, songwriters (Fantasia)

Best R&B Album
* Funk This - Chaka Khan
* Lost & Found – Ledisi (WINNER)
* Luvanmusiq - Musiq Soulchild
* The Real Thing - Jill Scott (MITCH'S PICK)
* Sex, Love & Pain - Tank

Best Contemporary R&B Album
* Konvicted - Akon
* Just Like You - Keyshia Cole (WINNER)
* Fantasia - Fantasia
* East Side Story - Emily King
* Because Of You - Ne-Yo (MITCH'S PICK)

Rap



Best Rap Solo Performance
* The People - Common
* I Get Money - 50 Cent
* Show Me What You Got - Jay-Z
* Big Things Poppin' (Do It) - T.I.
* Stronger - Kanye West

Definitely a fan of these tracks. Jay-Z's "Show Me What You Got" had a cool retro vibe, while "I Get Money" was the strongest track Curtis had to offer. T.I. is probably my favorite song here, but a little too frivolous for a Grammy. And of course, they have to reward the perceived genius that is Kanye West.

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group
* Southside - Common Featuring Kanye West
* Make It Rain - Fat Joe Featuring Lil Wayne
* Party Like A Rockstar - Shop Boyz
* Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You) - UGK Featuring OutKast
* Better Than I've Ever Been - Kanye West, Nas & KRS-One

I think that Kanye, Nas and KRS-One will take this one, though it would be nice to see Pimp C get a little posthumous love. "Party Like A Rockstar" is a guilty pleasure of mine.
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
* I Wanna Love You - Akon Featuring Snoop Dogg
* Kiss, Kiss - Chris Brown & T-Pain
* Let It Go - Keyshia Cole Featuring Missy Elliott & Lil' Kim
* Umbrella - Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z
* Good Life - Kanye West Featuring T-Pain

There's just not enough rapping in "Umbrella" to justify this award. Besides, it'll have to go to "Kiss, Kiss", which was one of the biggest hits of 2007.

Best Rap Song
* Ayo Technology - Nate (Danja) Hills, Curtis Jackson, Timothy Mosley & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (50 Cent Featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland)
* Big Things Poppin' (Do It) - Clifford Harris & Byron Thomas, songwriters (T.I.)
* Can't Tell Me Nothing - Aldrin Davis & Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West)
* Crank That (Soulja Boy) - Soulja Boy Tell'Em, songwriter (Soulja Boy Tell'Em)
* Good Life - Aldrin Davis, Mike Dean, Faheem Najm & Kanye West, songwriters (J. Ingram & Q. Jones, songwriters)(Kanye West Featuring T-Pain)

This is an easy call: "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was the best rap song of 2007, hands down. It may have not been the hit that "Stronger" became, but it set Kanye far apart from the rest of the mainstream rap trash.

Best Rap Album
* Finding Forever - Common
* Kingdom Come - Jay-Z
* Hip Hop Is Dead - Nas
* T.I. vs T.I.P. - T.I.
* Graduation - Kanye West

Common's record was flat out uninspired, while Jay-Z's seems a little too commercial for critics' tastes. Graduation is my favorite, just barely beating out T.I. (King was much better). I think the Grammy will go to Nas, though, just to shake things up. That album really got people talking. Plus, I like it when Kanye gets pissed off at losing.

Country



Best Female Country Vocal Performance
* Simple Love - Alison Krauss
* Famous In A Small Town - Miranda Lambert
* Nothin' Better To Do - LeAnn Rimes
* Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood
* Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love - Trisha Yearwood

Of all the big categories, the Grammys still treat country music as some left field oddity. While R&B, Rock, Pop and even Rap stick to the mainstream artists, Country is constantly digging under rocks to pull up nominees. I don't know if it's a lack of knowledge when it comes to the genre or perhaps very SPECIFIC tastest by the Academy. Anyway, "Before He Cheats" is probably the best track here, but not best vocals-wise. I'm going to give this to awards darling Alison Krauss.

Best Male Country Vocal Performance
* Long Trip Alone - Dierks Bentley
* A Woman's Love - Alan Jackson
* If You're Reading This - Tim McGraw
* Give It Away - George Strait
* Stupid Boy - Keith Urban

It's neck-a-neck with the old guard here. George Strait's "Give It Away" was a terrific country single, but Alan Jackson's "A Woman's Love" was by far the best song to hit country radio in 2007, a back to basics cut with great writing. Recognize.

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
* Proud Of The House We Built - Brooks & Dunn
* How Long - Eagles
* Moments - Emerson Drive
* Lucky Man - Montgomery Gentry
* Sweet Memories - The Time Jumpers

The Eagles' latest album was just awful, save for "How Long", so I wouldn't mind seeing that track win. In fact, I figure it's pretty much a lock, seeing as how the Eagles so rarely have anything new out.

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals
* Days Aren't Long Enough - Steve Earle & Allison Moorer
* Because Of You - Reba McEntire & Kelly Clarkson
* I Need You - Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
* Lost Highway - Willie Nelson & Ray Price
* Oh Love - Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood

"I Need You", the duet between Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, is the best song here, but I figure Carrie Underwood will take the award, just because her and Brad Paisley will most likely perform "Oh Love" at the show.

Best Country Instrumental Performance
* Little Monk - Russ Barenberg
* Mucky The Duck - The Greencards
* Throttleneck - Brad Paisley
* Rawhide! - Andy Statman
* Fidoodlin' - The Time Jumpers

God, the track titles here make me a little ashamed to like country music. Paisley's "Throttleneck" is the only song I've heard, and it's a pretty hot guitar track. I don't know enough to guess on this one, though.

Best Country Song
* Before He Cheats - Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
* Give It Away - Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon & Jamey Johnson, songwriters (George Strait)
* I Need You - Tony Lane & David Lee, songwriters (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill)
* If You're Reading This - Tim McGraw, Brad Warren & Brett Warren, songwriters (Tim McGraw)
* Long Trip Alone - Brett Beavers, Dierks Bentley & Steve Bogard, songwriters (Dierks Bentley)

"Before He Cheats" will have to take home something, and I look for this to be it. Probably the best all around song in this list, though the writing on "I Need You" is a bit stronger. Guess we'll just have to see.

Best Country Album
* Long Trip Alone - Dierks Bentley
* These Days - Vince Gill
* Let It Go - Tim McGraw
* 5th Gear - Brad Paisley
* It Just Comes Natural - George Strait

Tim McGraw's Let It Go is stellar from start to finish, but I figure Vince Gill's epic These Days will take this one home. The Best Album nom is a good tell there.

Best Bluegrass Album
* Cherryholmes II Black And White - Cherryholmes
* Lefty's Old Guitar - J. D. Crowe & The New South
* The Bluegrass Diaries - Jim Lauderdale
* Scenechronized - Seldom Scene
* Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular - Tony Trischka

J.D. Crowe's still around? No comment on this one.

Holy fuck, we're just halfway through? Let's just call the rest of the categories (jazz, polka, comedy, technical, liner notes, etc) a big:



MUSICAL PIECE OF THE WEEK

Our Grammy info is going long, and I don't want to break this into two columns. So, I'm scrapping the album and singles chart news this week. Check Billboard if you really care. It was nice to see Bullet For My Valentine debut strong, and even nicer to not have to see Juno on top for another week.

Anyway, I thought I would close with a pictorial tribute to the hotties performing at this year's Grammys, which is pretty much any female not involved with the gospel segment. Was Aretha Franklin ever sexy?

So here they are, the singers who will have us glued to our chairs Sunday night: Carrie Underwood, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Amy Winehouse, Feist and Beyoncé are our special Grammy nominated Pieces of the Week!

























THE END

Hope you all had fun. Be sure to drop me a line on what you liked, didn't, etc.

Keep your ears to the ground.