Grammy Review

Herbie Hancock for album of the year? Who the hell could have called that? Oh well, I have not listened to his recored, so I cannot make a judgment against him. Personally, I would have given the award to Kanye West. As I mentioned before, his record is and A++. I know that some people find his personality to be too abrasive, but the guy is supremely talented. Now for those of you that may question my acumen for reviewing rap records, I try to keep my eye on genres other than rock (except for abomination that is country music), which includes rap and hip-hop. Not all music from these genres suit my tastes, but I do not automatically turn a deaf ear to the artist's efforts.

As far as the best performance is concerned, it was a toss up between Kanye and the Foo Fighters. I thoroughly enjoy both of these artists, so it was tough for me to choose one. If I had to make an absolute decision, it would be Kanye due to the poignancy of his performance following the death of his mother. His rendition of the song "Hey Momma" was both heartbreaking and inspiring. Another solid performance was Alicia Keys who was joined by John Mayer. I was not a huge fan of Miss Keys when sher first burst onto the scene. Feeling that she was just a product of crafty producers, I dismissed her first album as nothing but a manufactured effort of the corporate music scene. Obviously, I was mistaken. Keys has s great voice to go along with her stellar writing, which has produced several top notch albums. If you have not given her a try yet, I highly recommend her MTV Unplugged album from 2005.

So, back to the awards themselves. As I mentioned, my one big complaint would be Herbie Hancock winning the nights biggest award. But, I also mentioned that I have not heard the album, and if his contemporaries agree, he must have deserved the recognition. The rest of the night was fairly predictable, at least as far as the predictions that I read about. Amy Winehouse cleaned up, and deservedly so. Even though she is wrestling with her own personal demons, the girl has a set of pipes and knows how to put them to use. Her Back to Black album was stellar from start to finish, while bringing a fresh sound to contemporary music.

Let's all hope that this coming year will bring lots of great music, because we all know that the industry has been lacking as a whole these last few years. Of course, that request is moot thanks to the fact that we already have Radiohead's latest masterpiece to chew on.