Musical organic roots
Adele (photo from Billboard.com)
As I'm sure most of you might be sick of hearing about Adele's ongoing achievements each and every week as I am, she may be the single most important factor in music right now for other reasons other than her success on the charts. I'm referring to the actual basis of mainstream and pop music as we know it right now.
The music industry seems to go in cycles in regards to what type of music to obsess over. Ever since about 2008, we've been stuck in the electro-pop phase led by Lady GaGa, Ke$ha and the Black Eyed Peas. Nearly every major pop hit for the last three or so years has had some sort of electronic influence and in order to stay relevant and popular, you had to adapt. Many rappers went electro, as did singer-songwriters and even a lot of rock bands allowed some slight variation of synths and beats into the songs. Before that was the heavy hip-hop and rap period led by Lil'Jon, 50 Cent, Usher and Eminem, which was offset by teen-drama songwriters like Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton. The turn of the century was dominated by the bubblegum pop of boybands like 'N Sync, Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees as well as pop singers like Britney and Christina while before that, lighter rock music from Matchbox Twenty and Hootie & The Blowfish ruled.
This begs the question of what's next? As I mentioned just above, I think Adele might be the key to the answer. First off I'll point out an observation of mine. It's odd that there hasn't been any Adele-copycats since her domination began a year ago this month. Usually when someone breaks out in a huge way, there are others quick to follow a similar path but so far, there's only been one Adele which is likely why she actually has no competition at the moment. (also note that I'm completely omitting the suggestion that Adele herself is merely a pop-friendly replication of Amy Winehouse.) I think that because of the lack of anyone able to be a replica of Adele meant that we've had to endure an extended period of the current "era" in music - the electro-pop era.
Gotye (photo from Billboard.com)
But within the last several months there has been some new acts appearing in the limelight. While they are not like Adele in the traditional sense, they do follow the perceived blueprint that she has passed along, one of an organic texture. So perhaps while I was looking for a young woman with a big voice singing break-up songs to come along and compete with Adele, I should have looked at the bigger picture and taken notice to musicians that are less like Adele but rather more like her in relation to everything else at the moment. Take, for example, Gotye. His runaway hit Somebody That I Used To Know is rather simple in nature. Not relying on heavy beats but instead on the vocal offerings and the catchy musical oddity in the xylophone. Bon Iver was a big winner at the Grammys the other week who specializes in a specific brand of folk music that would never stand a chance of getting noticed outside of Paste Magazine prior to last year. Another newish band called fun. has emerged to earn a #3 Hot 100 hit last week called We Are Young. It's folky, poppy but realistic and authentic - and a great song. The songs from each of these artists are nothing alike but might get grouped together because they don't fit in with the rest of the current pop music landscape...for now.
fun. (photo from Billboard.com)
It might be some time before the electro-pop phase dies down a bit but it seems like the next phase may be focused primarily on the organic sounds of indie rock and vocal pop types of music. It would make sense after nearly half a decade of computerized, beat-heavy music. But be warned, when mainstream music picks up a new toy, it plays with it incessantly. With every great electro-pop song of the last few years came a whole bunch of crappy ones. It happens with every period so be prepared. While I personally did like the last few years of pop music, I'll also be with most people when I breathe a sigh of relief as I welcome in the new era of music.
It’s Grammy night
Tonight is the Grammy awards, the biggest night in music, and I'll be live-blogging as well as the occasional tweet. The awards begin to be given out in about 40 minutes for the non-televised categories. It all starts there. The ones I pick up on during that time I'll mention here before the actual awards start tonight.
Bringing the Grammys to you! 
6:41 (ET): So far for Grammy night: at the pre-telecast, all of the other winners were announced except for the ten awards they'll be giving out on the live show. As I hoped (but didn't correctly predict), Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for Body And Soul. Tony won Best Traditional Pop Album as well. Adele won Best Pop Vocal Album for 21 and Best Video for Rolling In The Deep. Kanye West won three in the Rap categories as did Skrillex in the Dance categories and for Best Remix. Foo Fighters won four awards. Each are up for more awards in the main categories.
6:44: These are the categories to air live tonight.
Album of the Year
Record of the Year
Song of the Year
Best New Artist
Best Rock Performance
Best Rap Performance
Best R&B Album
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Best Pop Solo Performance
Best Country Album
8:05: Bruce Springsteen brings the house down and the show has only just started!
8:06: Host LL Cool J opens the awards with a prayer to the passing of Whitney Houston. Whitney was a Grammy favourite so it seems suitable.
8:08: Adele has stolen Katy Perry's blonde hair, who herself seems to have gone faded blue...
8:14: Ok, people might not like Bruno Mars but he does put on an entertaining and lively performance.
8:18: I forgot Chris Brown was performing. I really hope it's not like his MTV Awards performance... I'm not here for #showoffs
8:22: The world needs more Bonnie Raitt.
8:24: Adele! I'm shocked! (Best Pop Performance for Someone Like You. Better have your running shoes on, Adele.)
8:35: Tony Bennett looks young for 85.
8:36: Kanye isn't there? How odd... no one to steal the show. Get it? heh....
8:50: While nothing spectacular for a Grammys televised show, I'd still love to go to a Foo Fighters concert. They're always dependable!
8:52: Grammy count so far. Foo Fighters - 4, Kanye West - 4, Adele - 3
9:02: While I think she's gotten much better since first emerging, I do sometimes wonder how Rihanna managed to get a recording contract in the first place. She doesn't have much stage presence and the backup dancers carried the We Found Love portion of her performance, Chris Martin carrying the second half of it but even I expect better from Coldplay. No more falsetto, please.
9:14: Five for the Foo Fighters so far! Adele who, perhaps?
9:19: Adam Levine sounded decent but the Foster the People guy doesn't look into it at all.
9:26: The Beach Boys were pleasant! They outdid their introducing bands.
9:34: Diana Krall is the foxiest woman in jazz. I love see her appear out of nowhere on these award shows.
9:38: If these were the MTV Awards, the camera would have panned to Rihanna every time Chris Brown made an appearance.
9:44: That might have been the best performance I've ever seen from Taylor Swift but I am highly disappointed she didn't do Safe And Sound with the Civil Wars. I'll stand by my opinion that she really needs new material and Safe And Sound is easily the best thing she's ever recorded so it should have been presented at the Grammys. Also love how she once again looked "surprised" by the applause after it was over. Oh Taylor!
9:51: Adele again. By the time the Album of the Year award comes up, Adele and Foo Fighters will be 5/5 and be competing for their 6th potential award of the night. Katy Perry is up next doing her brand new single Part Of Me.
9:57: I might get flack for this but I thought Katy's performance was spot on! Another big hit for her for sure.
10:11: Nice to see Adele and while she sounded a bit rough at the beginning, she DID just have vocal surgery. She seems much more lively and confident though I'd have preferred perhaps Set Fire To The Rain. All in all, an exceptional performance proving why she's the year's top artist in music. I don't think I've ever seen a situation where one singer seemed to have the support of an entire audience and industry. Adele can do anything!
10:21: This tribute to Glen Campbell seems odd to me unless he's receiving some special achievement award or something. Needless to say, I think The Band Perry are absolutely adorable and I do have a soft spot for Like A Rhinestone Cowboy so I won't say no to this performance. I would even venture the idea that it is among the best of the evening so far.
10:24: It seems Glen is receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award along with a few others. So now it makes much more sense. Carry on...!
10:33: I'm surprised they chose Carrie Underwood to perform with Tony Bennett considering the number of other great singers on Duets II that could have duetted with him. But I suppose with Carrie's recent connection as a Grammy winner for Best New Artist, which will be given out following this performance, it makes sense. But there's just something about Carrie that rubs me the wrong way... so now I'll move on.
11:35: I'm sad Nicki Minaj didn't win but Bon Iver did and seeing Kathleen Edwards on the screen multiple times was worth it!
10:40: About time someone mentioned Amy Winehouse! (and Steve Jobs)
10:45: I feel like Jennifer Hudson's voice is a bit too deep for this song but she's holding the song quite well. No Whitney but this is why everyone also loves J-Hud.
10:53: I can completely appreciate the DJ/producer of this electropop age but I really don't get what David Guetta's role is in a performance such as this. At least he looks like he's having fun. Meanwhile, Lil'Wayne has just appeared. I only just saw on Twitter that he was just arrested backstage. I guess that was found to be a false rumour. I'm now looking forward to what the Foo Fighters have to offer to this segment.
10:56: I can't help but find it curiously awesome how Dave Grohl continued to mention how the Foo Fighters' album was recorded the old fashioned way in his garage with real musicians and players but he can still perform with Deadmau5 at the Grammys.
11:03: About a half hour left and we still have Nicki Minaj unveiling a brand new song from her upcoming Roman Reloaded album, as well as Record of the Year and Album of the Year. I think they should just bring a throne to the stage and let Adele spend the rest of the show there.
11:10: I've got a feeling the new Nicki Minaj album won't be well received as the concept album it appears it's going to be, and this performance itself is questionable at bet but I can't help but think it's also awesome...in its own...odd...way! Not a traditional Grammy performance but Nicki's got my attention.
12:20: Album of the year - 21 by Adele! 6 for 6! New record for women at the Grammys, I do believe. Amy Winehouse and, I believe, Norah Jones previously won 5 in one night.
12:25: Correction: she ties Beyoncé, who won 6 a few years back.
12:31: Finished! On time! Could be a first but a good move for the awards to officially extend that extra half hour. In my predictions, I got eleven correct, two wrong. Not too bad.
12:35: This year's show was pretty entertaining overall. There were a lot of great performances.
Best performance: I might have to cop out and make it a tie between Bruno Mars, Adele, Jennifer Hudson, the Glen Campbell tribute and the Foo Fighters. They were all great in their own ways.
Worst performance: Easily Rihanna and Coldplay.
Tomorrow's most talked about performance: Nicki Minaj. Though everyone will be focusing on Adele's clean sweep.
Good night everyone! Thanks for stickin' around!
Grammy’s The Big 4 predictions
The nominations for music's biggest night of the year will be announced next Wednesday and like the Oscars, there has been a lot of Grammy buzz floating around, specifically with certain names. I've taken The Big 4 awards and chosen my predictions for the nominations for them. It's really hard to narrow down the lists to five since there are a lot of contenders so while I end each category off with a solid five for my actual predictions, there's also the inclusion of some secondary guesses that I also expect to make it in place of some of my final guesses that don't.
Album of the Year
760 albums were submitted for this the biggest award of the Grammys. Many fingers have been directed at some obvious choices for most of the year. When people refer to an album having "Grammy buzz", it typically refers to whether it is considered for this category.
Adele has been pretty much a sure bet since 21 came out back in February and Tony Bennett has gotten some attention with Duets II. I'm also betting on the Foo Fighters getting a surprise nomination with Wasting Light. Kanye West is a sure shot too however he is involved on two submitted albums, his own My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as well as Watch The Throne with Jay-Z. So one of those is likely unless they cancel each other out. Other considered titles include Paper Airplane by Alison Krauss and Union Station (don't be surprised. She's the woman with the most Grammys ever - 26), Born This Way by Lady GaGa and filling the off-the-wall out-of-the-blue quota is Here We Go Again by Willie Nelson, Wynton Marsalis and Norah Jones. Meanwhile, after last year's Teenage Dream (Katy Perry) nomination, there might also be room for more mainstream-friendly, hit-filled albums like Loud (Rihanna) or Speak Now (Taylor Swift).
My predictions: Adele, Tony Bennett, Foo Fighters, Lady GaGa and Taylor Swift.
Song of the Year
The Song of the Year category is a songwriter's award. However, for simplicity's purpose, I'll list the singer of the songs rather than just the songwriters when I make my predictions. 839 songs were submitted for consideration for the final five. If any category will have any major surprises of The Big 4, it would be this one.
Some of the songs at the forefront of my predictions include the obvious Rolling In The Deep (which is the only song of Adele's submitted. A smart move to avoid the splitting of votes. It's pretty much guaranteed), Don't You Wanna Stay (Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson), Firework (Katy Perry), Marry Me (Train's underdog submission) and Perfect (Pink). This category often contains a surprise that comes out of left field that could be any of the following: All Of The Lights (Kanye West), You And I (Lady GaGa), Pumped Up Kicks (Foster The People), Hold My Hand (Michael Jackson and Akon), Back Down South (Kings of Leon), The Cave (Mumford & Sons) or Call Your Girlfriend (Robyn). Hey, it could happen!
My predictions: Rolling In The Deep, Don't You Wanna Stay, Marry Me, You And I and Perfect.
Record of the Year
854 titles were submitted for this category. The Record of the Year is an award for the artist, producer, mixer, engineer and others that worked on the actual recording of the song. It typically has consisted of titles that are bigger hits than those that end up in Song of the Year.
My guesses consist of Adele (Rolling In The Deep) as a sure bet, as well as Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera (Moves Like Jagger) with the rest being mostly wild-card guesses. The Foo Fighters are Grammy darlings and have been nominated in The Big 4 a few times in the past. Walk could represent the rock voters with Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson's Don't You Wanna Stay for those on the country side. Other guesses go for Lady GaGa (You And I or Judas but likely the former if any of them), Kanye West (All Of The Lights) or perhaps Nicki Minaj (Super Bass) or Mumford & Sons (The Cave).
My predictions: Adele, Maroon 5 with Christina Aguilera, Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, Lady GaGa and the Foo Fighters.
Best New Artist
The Best New Artist category is tough to choose from amongst the 447 submissions because quite often the names that make the final five nominations list may often be artists who are known only to people of the genre of music they do. Last year's winner Esperanza Spalding, for example, was unknown outside of the world of Jazz but was suddenly a recognizable name due to her Grammy nomination. So this category can do a lot for a nominated artist.
My thoughts are based on little more than current buzz and partial name recognition of some of the following including The Band Perry, Bon Iver, Eliza Doolittle, Jessie J and Nicki Minaj. But other names that could sneak in include a hopeful prediction for Nicole Atkins or to a lesser extent Ellie Goulding. Perhaps An Horse, J. Cole, Foster The People, Neon Trees, Christina Perri and Tyler, The Creator.
My predictions: The Band Perry, Bon Iver, Eliza Doolittle, Jessie J and Nicki Minaj.
As for the overall predictions, I'm guessing that Adele, Tony Bennett, the Foo Fighters and Jason Aldean all pick up the most nominations including ones they happen to make in the categories above. The nominations are announced on Wednesday, November 30th.
2011 American Music Awards: Liveblog
I've never liveblogged before. Unless you count my ongoing tweets on Twitter a few months back for the MTV Music Awards. I've seen liveblogging occurring on actual blog sites before and figured I've have a crack at it while a live event was going on. I'm choosing the American Music Awards.
The AMAs are less classy, more casual than the Grammys but perhaps more scripted than the MTV Music Awards. The awards themselves are fan-voted but somehow different than the People's Choice Awards. I don't think the AMAs have the level of respect that the Grammys have, nor the reputation that the MTV Music Awards have but they still have their share of pretty good performances. This year, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Ludacris and a bunch of others are performing so it has potential to be entertaining.
So I'll be adding to this blog post over the course of the night once the awards start in less than an hour. Check back!
7:57 ET | Show is about to start. Taylor Swift totally looks like a cat lady since she does kind of look like a cat. She's not the best speaker... Alanis Morissette was by earlier in the pre-show for one of her first public appearances since she had a baby last year and she's recorded 31 songs which will be whittled down to an album out in the middle of next year. Very excited!
8:05 | First performance, David Guetta and Nicki Minaj doing Turn Me On. Very elaborate stage setup for this show opener. There's definitely too much backing track for Nicki's vocals. I feel like would have to be an in-person performance to be able to appreciate it. I wonder what would happen if Nicki sat down?
8:09 | It's so odd that Maroon 5 wouldn't be on anyone's mind right now if not for Moves Like Jagger. And they'll probably not get that level of popularity again.
8:16 | Taylor - stop pretending to be surprised... unless you're not pretending... :/
8:32 | Well, that Chris Brown performance was better than the MTV Music Awards. It does pick up but he didn't lose the lame visual effects which take the focus off of his dancing, which he does do well.
8:34 | Go Nicki! Beating out Kanye and Lil'Wayne is a big deal for her!
8:38 | It feels like it's been years since I've actually seen Kelly Clarkson doing a live performance. So far, so good. And good theme. This is an awesome version of the song too. Gives it its own touch rather than the CD version that sounds like the Bruno Mars rip-off.
8:40 | Mr. Know It All is the performance of the night so far. Kinda swing, kinda jazz. Everyone - take note!
8:50 | Great to see Ludacris! Even if he really sounds terrible... The group in the background do add a nice element to Tonight (I'm Lovin' You). Imagine if they were all singing the real words... *heh heh heh*
9:00 | I'm going to assume that wasn't a technical difficulty for J-Lo?
9:02 | Kind of random Pitbull appearance. I bet he had something better to do that he interrupted to come out and do those few lines.
9:04 | J-Lo really DOES look like Steven Tyler... wow....!
9:08 | Artist of the year: Adele, Lady GaGa, Lil'Wayne, Katy Perry or Taylor Swift?
9:13 | Wasn't it at the AMAs that Adam Lambert had that "controversial" performance?
9:17 | And that's probably why Maroon 5 won that award earlier. #OneRepublic
9:18 | That's the most emotion I've ever seen Taylor Swift show! Wow! Go Taylor! And Go Nicki!
9:22 | Maybe that's why Pitbull ran away. The awkwardness of having to sing with both J-Lo AND Marc Anthony in the same night.
9:32 | I don't know what cloud you've been smoking on Klum but this Katy Perry song isn't a #1 song (yet).
9:35 | Katy did a surprisingly good performance. Simple, kind of elegant, not quite Adele-status but still quite good!
9:40 | Looking forward to hearing how much Christina can scream her way through the one verse of Moves Like Jagger she was allowed.
9:49 | Welcome back, Alanis! So nice to see her....! Maybe she'll be back performing next year? Doubt it... but her new album will be out by then...!
9:53 | It's like I'm watching and listening to Growing Pains.
9:54 | I don't think Ellie liked Robin Thicke very much.... nor would I since he couldn't pronounce her name right.
10:01 | Finally. Moves Like Jagger. They've been pimping this one out all night. Even though LMFAO is closing the show, that's a hard sell.
10:04 | Christina didn't have enough time to scream up a storm. But she did kind of try. If not with her vocals, with that hair. Yowza!
10:20 | That was fun! I do like Modern Family!
10:21 | Good to see Bruno Mars win. I'm not a huge fan but I think he's perhaps the best male singer out right now. Though I'm surprised Justin Bieber didn't win considering this is fan-voted? Maybe his fans are too busy threatening that woman who accused him of fathering her baby?
10:30 | There's still a bunch of awards left to be given out and two performances. Will.i.am with Jennifer Lopez and LMFAO.
10:42 | Mick Jagger is TOTALLY going to be accused of lip syncing! Not since Ashlee Simpson have I seen anything that badly lipped!
10:49 | Artist of the year!
10:50 | Taylor Swift?! What the what?! Now she can act surprised because I certainly am. Not Adele? Or even GaGa? Or even record-breaker Katy Perry?! What the what?!
10:52 | It's so odd that LMFAO has been the anchor for the end of the show all evening. Who knew they'd ever be such a big deal? I remember them playing The Forum in Halifax twice last year. Can't deny their songs are catchy though....!!
10:59 | David Hasselhoff? How random is THAT?
11:01 | The end of the AMAs. Kelly Clarkson had the best performance but LMFAO are quite fun too! Not really any memorable moments. So there's my first liveblog. How did I do?
Musical Authenticity
Jay-Z and Kanye West
If you were to ask me whether this year has been a good year in popular music so far, I'd give a pretty good "yes". But when I think a bit more about it, it occurs to me that most of the year has been dominated by last year's music. Katy Perry, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj all released their albums in 2010. Most of this year's releases were one-shot where they were a big deal for a relative short time and then quickly and quietly faded away: Jay-Z and Kanye West, Bad Meets Evil, Lupe Fiasco and the Decemberists to name a few. Or there were just under-performing titles like those by Britney Spears or Chris Brown. The most consistent name throughout all of this was Adele, hands-down the biggest hit in music this year.
Adele has been #1 on and off since the release of 21 back in February. Her single Rolling In The Deep is easily the biggest hit of the year and now Someone Like You is moving in. But Adele sounds unlike anything in mainstream music today. Following a few years of ongoing upbeat, electro-inspired pop and dance music, she sticks out like a sore thumb.
Why hasn't Adele followed the ranks of the Decemberists, Amos Lee and Jill Scott by having just one week where their albums were #1 and then quietly retreat for the next one-week-wonder? No doubt, having such strong word-of-mouth helped cling to such a position but also perhaps the drought in musical climate right now. I saw a list of what the song of the summer could be considered as that consisted of Give Me Everything by Pitbull, I Wanna Go by Britney Spears, Last Friday Night by Katy Perry, Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO among numerous others and none of them really stick out as being that definitive summertime smash that have existed in past years. I'm thinking of songs like California Gurls, I Gotta Feeling, Umbrella, Promiscuous, Yeah, Crazy In Love. In fact, I feel like despite its wintertime release date, Rolling In The Deep could be the hit of the summer by default because there hasn't really been any other memorable music.
Beyoncé
Adele is considered a breath of fresh air in music by many people. I've read so much praise for her on blogs, music boards, responses, etc, yet it seems that the same people that praise her are the same people that are critical of most other pop singers. Beyoncé is cashing in on her pregnancy to sell albums. They criticize Lady GaGa for being unoriginal. She's doing real music without any gimmicks. Yet, while Lady GaGa was being compared to Madonna earlier this year, Adele was being compared to Amy Winehouse. A comparison that has been there since her first album three years ago when she debuted alongside singers like Duffy, Gabriella Cilmi and Estelle. All of which are British soul singers inspired by the blue-eyed-soul sound of the 60s and 70s. One situation is described as being "inspired by" while the other is "ripping off".
Lady GaGa
So, like Lady GaGa's 80s pop and rock-inspired sound on her new album, Adele goes back a few more decades to incorporate that sound on her albums. She's hardly doing anything new or original as far as her songs go. Lyrically, they're not overly impressive and with each song being about heartbreak or ending relationships, there's little variation in a theme that has been recurring in music since the beginning. She simply appears to be more genuine because of her image. I think Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé or Lady GaGa could have done the same too had they chosen to at the beginning of their careers. They chose to incorporate other styles and means into their performances and have different public images. Beyoncé is known for dancing in her performances and videos. Lady GaGa incorporates fashion and other visuals into hers. Adele focuses on solely one area, her voice.
Of course, there's something special about singer/songwriters that can get a message across better than other types of performers can. And there's something about certain genres of music and certain types of performers and artists that are said to make "real" music. But that begs the question that I've asked for years, what is "fake" music? Manufactured music? Sure, it may lack the true inspiration and genuine emotion that one demands from music and art but music is music. It's whether you have the ability to see from another perspective and then it's just a matter of what purpose it serves. Music made with computers and machinery is still music. As is music made by people hired to write hit songs for the purposes of making money and running a business. I definitely think that a song made with the help of computers, synthesizers and Pro-Tools can be just as emotive as a song with a bare piano or guitar. It all comes down to the people making the song and the true purpose of its creation.
Adele
Adele has a sense of authenticity to her because of the presentation of her songs and the idea that they are autobiographical. But with each original song on 21 (not counting her cover of The Cure's Lovesong, of course), there is a co-writing partner. The songwriting collaborators on each track each have a long list of songs they've co-written in recent years for some of the biggest pop acts today. Rolling In The Deep, He Won't Go and I'll Be Waiting were co-written with Paul Epsworth who had co-writing credits on songs by Florence + The Machine and Kate Nash, among others, along with a lot of production credits. Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic co-wrote Turning Tables and Rumour Has It. His other co-writing credits include both Halo by Beyoncé and Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson, Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis and a slew of other pop songs. Dan Wilson of the 90s band Semisonic cowrote Someone Like You, Don't You Remember and One And Only. Recent credits include songs with Keith Urban, Nicole Atkins, Weezer and a lot of the Dixie Chicks' last album including Not Ready To Make Nice. Fraser T. Smith, Eg White and Greg Wells contributed to 21 as well as hits by Taio Cruz, Pink, Mika, and on and on. The point is, they were hired to work with Adele when coming up with her album. Hired songwriting partners are about as "real" as most pop singers get. Therefore, in the end, it really is all in how someone is presented and what Adele has going for her is that her image is unlike anyone else's right now. It's been five years since Amy Winehouse dominated and at least half that since Duffy, Estelle and Adele herself first emerged. The only one still considered current and relevant is Adele so there's no one else like her that she has to compete with. That and she's also still experiencing that point in her career where she's still "new". The novelty factor. But that will wear off sooner than later and there's only so much ground she can cover until she's treading in the same waters as Lady GaGa as far as being over-exposed and over-rated and is accused of using some sort of a "shtick", albeit a very different one than people accuse GaGa of using. It's the natural progression that all singers follow and must try to escape from before they get stuck.
I certainly don't think Adele is in any way "fake". I do think she's the real deal but I'm also of the understanding that being the real deal in today's pop music landscape isn't as honest or rare as some people like to make it out to be. I'm fine with people seemingly calling out a singer if they feel there's a lack of genuine authenticity or there's some sort of a gimmick behind it all. It's fair to question the intentions of the team behind the singer as it's easy to cover up things you don't want to get out that could compromise the reputation of an image you've tried hard to create. But let's get real here. It pretty much applies to all of the above.
Tony Bennett: saving the music industry
Album cover for Tony Bennett's upcoming Duets II
I'm a huge fan of music award shows. My favourite one is probably the Grammys because of the reputation they have of being perhaps the most respected music awards, as far as music awards can go of course. So since I was 11 or 12, I've tried to watch them every February when they aired on TV. Most of the music and performers that appeared on there I was familiar with to some degree but there were always a few that I wasn't. One of the more consistent presenters and occasional performers was Tony Bennett. I knew nothing about him other than that he was a jazz standards singer not unlike Frank Sinatra. Even when writing this blog I realize, I still know nothing about him. So I turn to wikipedia for a quick rundown.
He's been recording since the early 1950s, which gives him over six decades since his first hit. He's the voice behind I Left My Heart In San Francisco. He went on an extended hiatus in the early 1970s, nearly died of a cocaine overdose in 1979 and made a strong comeback in the early 90s by making appearances on the late-night circuit, shows such as The Simpsons and oddly enough, MTV. In 1994, he joined the likes of Mariah Carey, Nirvana, 10,000 Maniacs and Eric Clapton by releasing an MTV Unplugged record. That album would go on to win a few Grammys including Album of the Year in 1995 at age 68.
Yet, by choice, perhaps due to my lack of focus on traditional pop and jazz standards, he still remained under my radar.
I never would have thought that 15 years later, he could have one of the most anticipated records of the upcoming Fall season in pop music.
Tony Bennett in the studio with Amy Winehouse
In 2006, he released an record called Duets: An American Classic that consisted of new versions of his older songs recorded with other vocalists including the Dixie Chicks, Elton John, Michael Bublé, Bono, Celine Dion, k.d. lang and many others. Of course, it's main target was on an older music-buying audience. Sales-wise, it did pretty well. On September 20, 85-year-old Tony Bennett is releasing Duets II, another collection of older songs re-recorded with some pretty big names. What makes this collection of songs so anticipated, in addition to having a highly publicized recording with Lady GaGa as well as songs with John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carey and Norah Jones, it's also the final recording of Amy Winehouse as the two recorded Body And Soul back in March. Tony was at the MTV Music Video Awards last week as part of their tribute to Amy and they showed them in the studio recording the song together.
I think such a winning combination can have a similar effect as Santana's collaboration record Supernatural did back in 1999. Of course, everyone remembers Smooth with Rob Thomas and that record sold millions while winning at least ten Grammy awards.
It's unlikely the songs themselves will be played on the radio or become hits but the album will be big. My prediction for Duets II is that it will be the second best selling album of 2011 behind Adele's 21 and will get some pretty hefty Grammy award nominations when they are announced in December. I'll try to revisit this blog post by the end of the year to see how my thoughts compare to reality.
Tracklisting
1. The Lady Is A Tramp (with Lady Gaga)
2. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) (with John Mayer)
3. Body And Soul (with Amy Winehouse)
4. Don't Get Around Much Anymore (with Michael Bublé)
5. Blue Velvet (with k.d. lang)
6. How Do You Keep The Music Playing (with Aretha Franklin)
7. The Girl I Love (with Sheryl Crow)
8. On The Sunny Side of the Street (Willie Nelson)
9. Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) (with Queen Latifah)
10. Speak Low (with Norah Jones)
11. This Is All I Ask (with Josh Groban)
12. Watch What Happens (with Natalie Cole)
13. Stranger In Paradise (with Andrea Bocelli)
14. The Way You Look Tonight (with Faith Hill)
15. Yesterday I Heard The Rain (with Alejandro Sanz)
16. It Had To Be You (with Carrie Underwood)
17. When Do The Bells Ring For Me (with Mariah Carey)
Music Review: 21
Album cover for 21 by Adele
Adele hails from England and is on her second record. She's already a two-time Grammy winner including a Best New Artist award as well as a slew of other awards and distinctions. Before now she was best known for her hit Chasing Pavements. This year, that will most likely change with an album that fuses modern day soul with rhythm and blues going back nearly half a decade.
21 opens with the album's first single Rolling In The Deep. A stomping beat to back up Adele's soulful vocals in this 70s-style rhythm and blues anthem about a love that could have been in the hook that will stomp on any other this year, "We could have had it all".
In other tracks, Adele is influenced by instances of gospel, disco, country and pop but leans mostly on rhythm and blues to carry her songs. She shows that she can apply soul to this wide range of musical genres and in each case, it works beautifully. The piano ballad Turning Tables shows off her ability to do a pop ballad that could be a huge radio hit if radio were at all receptive to playing ballads anymore. She channels Alicia Keys' brand of R&B in He Won't Go, a song that defends her choice to want to stick with her man in a broken relationship. Meanwhile, her gospel side comes out in Take It All backed by a choir in perfect fashion. Set Fire To The Rain is a catchy pop record that feels like something pulled from the late 80s era of Heart combined with Roxette.
My personal favourite track on the album after a single listen was the yearning Don't You Remember. In keeping with my own personal CD collection, it was this track in which Adele's voice reminded me of Serena Ryder as the song sounds like something out of a Serena record. But it was Don't You Remember that absolutely blew me away instantly. The idea of being an afterthought or an erased memory for a defeated relationship. This is definitely an instant classic.
The impressive thing about listening to Adele sing is just how effortless she makes it sound. Completely natural as if singing is as instinctual as her breathing. Her vocals on this record could have just as easily been recorded while driving or doing housework. The soul in her voice is convincing and definitely playing the main role of winning audiences over.
Adele is going to be the name of the year. She has everything in her court at the moment. Strong vocals. Cool enough to appeal to music snobs and purists while still fitting in with fans of present day pop and classic R&B. #1 album and #1 single in the UK. And 21 only just came out. She has the makings to be this year's success story. I'm thinking the Norah Jones of 2011. Maybe not a strong radio presence but come December, critics will be hailing her record among the best of the year while sales will consistently see it near the top. She's the type of person that everyone will want to see success with a name that everyone will recognize. And with an album like this, it will be well deserved. I've been won over. 
Tracklisting
1. Rolling In The Deep
2. Rumour Has It
3. Turning Tables
4. Don't You Remember
5. Set Fire To The Rain
6. He Won't Go
7. Take It All
8. I'll Be Waiting
9. One And Only
10. Love Song
11. Someone Like You
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