Ever since I can remember–and that’s a long time now– the Grammys have been a head scratcher. They omit stuff that should be there, they include nominations for things you’ve never heard of. The wrong people win all the time. The really good music outlasts things that are celebrated on Grammy night. You may love Outkast, but that album and single were the end of a short career. “Hey Ya” sounds like a novelty song now. Does anyone listen to that album?
Today’s Grammys snubbed Aretha Franklin’s “Divas” album and her great recording of “Rolling in the Deep.” They also skipped Bruce Springsteen’s “High Hopes” and Jennifer Hudson’s “JHUD” album. (Jennifer got a single nom for a duet with R Kelly.) They also just completely dissed Mariah Carey’s “Elusive Chanteuse” album which got very good reviews. Of course, the great Leon Russell album released last April was ignored. I’m sure there were more– Leonard Cohen, Broken Bells, and two albums from Prince, plus Tom Petty. And no Lady Gaga “ARTPOP”.
As well, a female group called Haim is up for Best New Artist. Their official album was released on September 30, 2013. This means they were eligible for last February’s award, not this one. Also, they’ve been around for a while. They are not New artists.
No worries: Miss Aretha will receive a special Billboard Icon award next Friday, December 12th. It’s the first time they’ve given it. And of course, Aretha has 18 Grammy awards already.
