It’s Grammy time! The golden gramophones will be handed out during the awards ceremony, which starts 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12, on CBS. No one knows or cares how these artists were nominated. (Songs from Mumford & Sons’ “Sigh No More” are nominated this year after the band already won a Grammy for the album last year.) I have a feeling that with each passing year, the Grammys mean less and less. But it’s still fun to watch the ridiculous spectacle. (Don’t forget! York County bluegrass musician Del McCoury is nominated.) We’re predicting that Adele will win the big three: Album, Record and Song of the Year. Don’t forget to chime in on the FlipSide Facebook chat Sunday night.
Here are past FlipSide reviews of some of the nominees:
Album Of The Year nominees: “21″ by Adele; “Wasting Light” by Foo Fighters; “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga; “Doo-Wops & Hooligans” by Bruno Mars; “Loud” by Rihanna
Soulful British singer Adele finally released her sophomore album “21.” The album opens with the rousing track “Rolling in the Deep.” Most of the other songs are slower, sweeping ballads, the best of which are “Don’t You Remember” and “Someone Like You.” Heartbreak never sounded so beautiful. Rick Rubin, Ryan Tedder and Dan Wilson lent their expertise to the production, but Adele’s powerful pipes need little embellishment. Her 2008 debut “19” won two Grammys and a slew of other accolades. She might want to start making room on her trophy shelf now.
Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl recently told The Wall Street Journal that the band never left the garage. That’s a little hard to believe given the Foo’s lucrative record deal, multiple Grammys and increasing pop culture presence. But its new album, “Wasting Light,” is a step back to “The Colour and the Shape” glory days. Just listen to the blazing opener “Bridge Burning” or the slamming, scream-o track “White Limo.” (The video is just as good.) For a ballad, “I Should Have Known” kicks butt. Steer clear of the tracks named after women.
Lady Gaga dethroned Oprah on Forbes’ annual Celebrity 100 list. And her sights are set on the top of the charts once again with her new album “ Born This Way.” Her star is still rising, but her chance of a smash single à la “Bad Romance” is waning. She’s been criticized for copying Madonna’s sound on the title track, and “Judas” isn’t danceable (even though the video might be her best). “Edge of Glory,” a blasting ballad that channels Cher, is a high point, but it’s too darn long. Unlike Gaga’s previous efforts, “ Born” seems scatterbrained. It glitters, but it just isn’t gold.
Rihanna is nominated for “Loud,” but her album “Talk That Talk” is her most recent effort. (I guess it might earn her Grammy nods next year?) She revisits and releases demons from her past on her sixth studio album “Talk That Talk.” Calvin Harris cameos on the club-ready single “We Found Love.” The video features an actor who bears a striking resemblance to Chris Brown. (In 2009, Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting then-girlfriend Rihanna.) Jay-Z lends his fearless flow to the CD’s title track. Other songs pulse with electronic beats, sexually explicit lyrics and Caribbean flair. Rihanna, Esquire’s Sexiest Woman Alive 2011, will steam up your stereo system. Lips will flap and booty will clap.
Read a review of “Doo-Wops & Hooligans” by Bruno Mars.
Continue reading →
