2005 Year in Review: Music & the Grammy's

"Go 'head girl, go 'head, get down"

With the 2006 Grammy Awards about to kickoff, how about a quick review of the year in music. After all, the site does promise music commentary, along with film.

With all of the recent talk about this years Academy Award nominees posing a problem for Hollywood and AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences), due to their "flagrant disregard for the moral majority in this country" (to quote a consensus of many pundits--more on this issue in a later post), we now are brought the Grammy's; widely regarded as the most off the map award show. Sometimes it is hard, or rather, nearly impossible, to detect who they (the Recording Academy) are trying to connect with in naming the years best achievements in music.

Who am I to say that the Academy gets the nominees wrong? Well, nobody. But, I stand by my claim that they are getting it wrong. The nominees should be derived from a combination of high-level sales, airplay, popularity, as well as critical acclaim. However, the actual nominations, and definitely the winners, seem to vastly disconnect from any of these places. I will say this, though: They are beginning, albeit slowly, to do a much better job.

I will now attempt to make a few predictions before the show begins:

Record of the Year: (for the Artist and Producer)
Will Win: Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
Should Win: Gold Digger - Kanye West

Album of the Year:
Will Win: How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb - U2
Should Win: Late Registration - Kanye West

Song of the Year: (for the songwriter)
Will Win: We Belong Together - Mariah Carey
Should Win: Ordinary People - John Legend

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance:
Will Win: Since You've Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson
Should Win: Since You've Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance:
Will Win: I have no idea, but I'll go with Paul McCartney for Fine Line

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group:
Will Win: Maroon 5 - This Love
Should Win: Don't Lie - Black Eyed Peas

Best Pop Vocal Album:
Will Win: Chaos and Creation in the Backyard - Paul McCartney
Should Win: Extroadinary Machine - Fiona Apple

Best Rock Album:
Will Win: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb - U2
Should Win: U2

Best Alternative Music Album:
Will Win: Get Behind Me Satan - The White Stripes
Should Win: Funeral - Arcade Fire

Best Rap Album:
Will Win: Late Registration - Kanye West
Should Win: Late Registration - Kanye West

Well, that isn't all of them, but it covers the most of 'em. The big ones anyway. Check back for my top 10 albums of the year.