MAMBA SPINS: GRAMMY SPECIAL
Every year, in between the Golden Globes and the Oscars – considered the highlights of the international film calendar – the world of international music also comes together to celebrate the best of what has been released in the previous year.
Sure, there are other award ceremonies for the music industry (like MTV’s Video Music Awards, the American Music Awards, the Brit Awards, and the Billboard Music Awards), but for most musicians nothing beats winning a Grammy Award.
What makes a Grammy so special is that winners are decided by their peers – members of the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences – and is not based on sales, chart performance or public votes. The Grammys cover almost every genre and aspect of the music industry, although the televised ceremony only includes the more important – or popular – genres of the music world.
The Grammy eligibility year runs from 1 October each year to 30 September the next year, with most categories comprising five nominations. Where there are more – or less – than five nominations per category, there was a tie in the votes.
South Africa is this year represented by the Soweto Gospel Choir for Blessed in the Best Traditional World Music Album field and previous Grammy winner Ladysmith Black Mambazo for Long Walk To Freedom in the category of Best Contemporary World Music Album.
Of all the awards handed out, there are four that are considered to be the ultimate prize of the night: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist.
In this special edition of Spins, Mambaonline takes a look at the nominees in these four categories, ventures a guess at who will take home the award and even looks at a few of the other nominees in different categories.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
This award goes to the artist(s), album producer(s), recording engineer(s) and mastering engineer(s); basically everyone involved in getting the finished product on to the shelves. The 2007 nominees are:
- Taking The Long Way by The Dixie Chicks, produced by Rick Rubin
- St. Elsewhere by Gnarls Barkley, produced by Danger Mouse
- Continuum by John Mayer, produced by Steve Jordan & John Mayer
- Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers, produced by Rick Rubin
- Futuresex/Lovesound by Justin Timberlake, produced by Nate Hills, Jawbreakers, Rick Rubin, Timbaland and Justin Timberlake
Predicting a winner in this category is not as easy as it may seem; everyone will undoubtedly have their particular favourite. I believe that each of these albums are worthy of the title, although I’d be happiest with Justin Timberlake or the Dixie Chicks as winners: JT did wonders with his sophomore album, and the Dixie Chicks keep raising the bar they’ve set with their previous albums. However, John Mayer – a previous favourite at the Grammys – might just surprise everyone…
RECORD OF THE YEAR
The Record of the Year is awarded for specific songs, and goes to the artist and the producer(s), recording engineer(s) and or mixer(s). The 2007 nominees are:
- Be Without You by Mary J. Blige,
- You’re Beautiful by James Blunt,
- Not Ready To Make Nice by Dixie Chicks,
- Crazy by Gnarls Barkley and
- Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae
Yet another category where anyone could walk away with the Grammy… Personally I think Corinne Bailey Rae will come in last, even though she did very well with her debut album. She did however not have as much impact as either James Blunt or Gnarls Barkley – both who literally took the world by storm and who have an equally good chance to win the award. In this case, being a Grammy favourite – like Dixie Chicks – doesn’t necessarily count in your favour, for even though it’s a brilliant track, I don’t think they’ll walk away triumphant. I would like to see Mary J. Blige (this year’s most nominated artist) going home with the Grammy; Be Without You is a phenomenal song sung by a phenomenal voice and deserves coming out tops.
SONG OF THE YEAR
An award similar to that of Record of the Year, but in this case the award goes to the songwriter. Traditionally these two categories have been awarded to the same artist, but in recent years winning the one hasn’t always equated to winning the other. The 2007 nominees are:
- Be Without You by Johnta Austin, Mary J. Blige, Bryan-Michael Cox & Jason Perry; performed by Mary J. Blige,
- Jesus, Take The Wheel by Brett James, Hillary Lindsey & Gordie Sampson; performed by Carrie Underwood,
- Not Ready To Make Nice by Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison & Dan Wilson; performed by Dixie Chicks,
- Put Your Records On by John Beck, Steve Chrisanthou & Corinne Bailey Rae; performed by Corinne Bailey Rae, and
- You’re Beautiful by James Blunt, Amanda Ghost and Sacha Skarbek; performed by James Blunt.
I certainly wouldn’t mind if Mary J. Blige’s Be Without You gets a double-whammy, but in terms of songwriting it definitely has some stiff competition from the world of country – most notably Carrie Underwood’s Jesus, Take The Wheel and Dixie Chicks’ Not Ready To Make Nice. While Carrie Underwood’s touching song is the underdog in this category, I believe it has a bigger chance than James Blunt and Corinne Bailey Rae of winning. However, the Dixie Chicks’ politically inspired song might just be our winner here, fuelled by the American Music Industry’s often vocal opposition to the US war in Iraq.
BEST NEW ARTIST
The name of the award kind of gives it all away, but it’s a tad more technical. The award is given to a “new artist who releases, during the eligibility year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.” The 2007 nominees are:
- James Blunt
- Chris Brown
- Imogen Heap
- Corinne Bailey Rae
- Carrie Underwood
Chris Brown had a good year in the R&B market, as did Corinne Bailey Rae and even Imogen Heap. Carrie Underwood is yet again the underdog of the group, but would be my personal choice for the title; beautiful and vocally impressive; her debut album is highly underrated locally because it falls within the country genre. However, I don’t think that Carrie can beat James Blunt to the crown of the best new artist of the year, simply because of the impact his music has had (especially) on the American market; a success story that makes him the clear leader of the group.
Predicting the winners in the annual Grammy Awards is one of my favourite pastimes, but I must also admit that I’ve been wrong almost as often as I’ve been right.
The event happens on Sunday 11 February at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on M-Net the following evening.
This year, the show will be opened with a first-ever Grammy performance by Sting & The Police. Other performers include Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, the Dixie Chicks, Gnarls Barkley, John Legend, Ludacris, John Mayer, Corinne Bailey Rae, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Justin Timberlake and Carrie Underwood. If music is what feeds your soul, be sure not to miss the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.
Here are my choices in some of the other popular categories:
BEST FEMALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE:
- Probable winner: Ain’t No Other Man by Christina Aguilera
- My choice: Black Horse & The Che
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Good Thing You Werent Choosing… Its A Good Thing You Weren’t Choosing, altough you got Mary J Blige and Janet Jackson right…
Altho’ any gay man would have picked Mary, Janet and Christina. Pity about Beyonce…
To Steffi: Winners. I don’t know if I completely understand your comment, Steffi… I’m also a huge music fan and if you read the reports on who did eventually win, you’d have seen that most of Christo’s suggestions were spot on! Well done Mamba for having someone on board who actually knows a thing or two about music!
Big ups to Christina and Christo Valentyn . i agree… christo was spot on, alot of the times… well done! i think christo should do more features on music etc..
I just have to comment again on Christina, WOW! her version of a mans world blew me away, that girl can sing! and her dress, she was deffinatley (in my opinion) the best dressed there!
Big ups to Christina and Christo Valentyn (very nice name, christo is it real or a aka? i love it)
Just wondering….. Dixie Chicks!
Aggghhhhhh!
It reaks of politics in the (American)music business! Or is that simply a fact that the “members” voted with a politicised heart and not a genuine “EAR” for talent???
Just wondering!
I have never liked Dixie Chicks. American country music is the pits for me…There is a market for it sure. I am not that market! Why SHOVE it down our throats?
RHCP was as luke warm as grand ma’s soup from last winter – what gives with all the freaking papers flying all over the place? Bad night for singing or what?
And poor old Justin…..YIKES!
Millions of ppl all over the world must have gagged on their supper when he “sang”…ehhehe
Highlight of the show: Ludicris hip hopping like mad and ppl “trying” to dance! It was hysterical! I was genuinely ROFLMAO!
Slick show overall. Pity there was no real variety. Too uch popular music!
What about MUSE?
What about PINK?
What about FAITHLESS?
What about MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE?
What about I stop pissing ppl off now…
hehehehe
To Another Christo. The Dixie Chicks…well, what can I say? Unfortunately the genuine talent they have (and actually display on the rest of the album) was left in the shadows due to the lead single being purely about politics. So yes, their wins at this year’s Grammy’s was based purely on the collective political heart of the American music community.
As for Pink – she definitely should’ve had more nominations as her latest album is her finest work to date.
As for Muse & My Chemical Romance – ditto! Their latest albums are phenomenal, and we can only hope that they further prove their capabilities in the coming year. After all, they have just about a whole year left to impress and get the nominations in!
The thing about the Grammy’s are that it really is a highly predictable awards show and often the people who deserve more nominations (and wins) are left behind. Beyonce won for Best Contemporary R&B Album whilst every possible review said it’s a shockingly awful album. Someone like Nelly Furtado – who has pushed many boundaries with her new album – was nominated once (and lost out to Tony Bennett & Stevie Wonder).
You win some, you lose some?