The telecast starts at 8 PM Eastern/7 Central, and we’ll be launching our coverage about a half-hour prior. We’re trying out the newfangled live blog client again, hopefully with better prep and results this time! Please let us know if you have any issues
accessing the client/the site in general in the comments section, or at our Facebook or Twitter. -DM
The audio is hideous on my set. Or the instruments are too loud. Or I’m sick of this song. Any of those.
I still wonder why the Blown Away album was passed over. But happy that the single has been recognized.
I’m enjoying your live blog guys. Great job as always! I am thrilled with Carrie’s win and performance. The Blown Away era has just been too big to ignore by the ACM and CMA this year!
Springsteen should have won.
This was, by far and large, one of the most directionless, uninspiring and ambiguous Grammy Award telecasts as far as I can ever recall.
I’ll give Kelly Clarkson props for a most endearing, heartfelt tribute to Carole King and Patti Page. I’d consider that the highlight of the evening; akin to an oasis amidst what is otherwise a vast desert of flat performances overall.
Also, what was up with all the choice tributes anyway? Why, for instance, was Bob Marley honored? I know his birthday is February 6th, but all the same it wouldn’t have even been a milestone one (50th, 75th, etc.). It isn’t like the genre of reggae has made an extraordinary comeback this year across the pop music landscape (well, unless you consider the reggae touch-ups in Maroon 5’s “One More Night” evidence alone! ;) ) It just seemed completely random, as though the committee plucked out names from a lottery ball machine and decided to offer live tributes to each name that was glimpsed (“George Harrison! Janis Joplin! Frank Oce…….Ooooooooops! ;) )
I’m glad to see the Zac Brown Band pick up the Best Country Album Award after repeated snubs at the CMA’s, especially.
Finally, I’ll echo what many others are predicting in eyeing an imminent backlash against the likes of Mumford & Sons in the coming months after their triumphs last night. I think by the fourth quarter of this year at the latest, we’ll start to see the “indie-alternative” wave thin out a bit (isn’t it telling that countless so-called “alternative” acts are simultaneously climbing and clogging up BOTH the “Alternative” and Mainstream Top 40 charts as opposed to, you know…….climbing the “Alternative” chart first, peaking, and THEN being released to other formats?
The “Alternative” moniker just seems like a wash to me in this current climate. As though it’s more a badge of honor, or a brownie point, as opposed to any artistic semblance. The genre is such a mess right now, especially considering how most listed stations remain heavy on 90’s alternative-rock recurrents as opposed to current playlist diversity. Much like the “country” format, “alternative” radio is amidst a severe identity crisis, and nothing underscores that more than the fact the exact same songs and artists are clogging the high reaches of the Mainstream Top 40 chart than they are the “Alternative” chart.
Jason I can see that, but then we would have missed that great last chorus of “Two Black Cadillacs.” Carrie was really digging in on that; loved the near growling.
Bruno Mars is such a great entertainer! Kelly Clarkson sounded wonderful, and it’s great to see two Idols win and give great performances. Jack White killed it.
Kelly Clarkson not knowing who Miguel is reminded me why these awards will always have a disconnect with the public. Not only has “Adorn” been a huge R&B hit (and Miguel had a R&B #1 and another top 10 off his debut), but he’s on Kelly’s label and was a co-nominee this year in Song of the Year. It was truly ignorant of her to not know who he is.
No, as somebody who’d never heard of him before, I think it was real, not ignorant of her.
Agreed. And I love her more for not thinking before she said that.
I didn’t say it was real; ignorant is a different concept than fake. But Kelly is someone who is pretty relevant in music, and for her to not know a major R&B star (he has four top 10s including two #1s) that is on her own label and was up for Song of the Year against her is by definition “ignorant” (i.e. lacking knowledge).
it wasn’t real*
His “Adorn” is a “Sexual Healing” for the 10s. His top 10 R&B hit “All I Want Is You” from a few years ago is a minimalist song worthy of being a classic.
Still, it would have been so much better if when the curtain opened, they went into a more epic production of “Blown Away.”
I was actually glad and relieved that they didn’t do that. We get to hear Carrie sing over epic productions a lot, so hearing her in a more stripped-down setting feels kind of special to me, and I think it’s a better showcase of her vocal gifts when we can hear her with fewer distractions.
I didn’t know who Miguel was either. The modern-day R&B format is one with which I have little familiarity, and I had never been exposed to his music before, which may also have been the case with Clarkson. I found it endearing that she so openly admitted not knowing who was.
I know this is a country music blog, but it astounds me so few people seem to know Miguel. Really. “Adorn” has been #1 on R&B Airplay for 22 weeks! I’ve always thought most people listen to a lot of kinds of music. Maybe I’m wrong. So, good on the Grammys for recognizing his work and giving him a platform to expose people to it.
Carrie’s performance the reviews from LAtimes, Entertainment etc have been split. They say only a voice like Carrie’s could carry the projector dress, or it was a total mistake to have her just stand completely still for two songs. It was like she was a tree with only branches flailing in the wind. But the one thing I noticed, you could hear her perfectly. She wasn’t covered up with electric guitar and bass and that was enough for me to give it a thumbs up!
If there is anyone who could take over Taylor in whatever genre Taylor is in, it’s Kelly Clarkson. She can definitely do pop and rock and pure country.
Carrie can too but she needs more writing power. She’s getting there though!
I enjoyed the medley, but also would have been perfectly happy with just a full performance of “Blown Away.” Could have done without the dress though.
I know Kelly Clarkson had no bad intent whatsoever but her whole “I am no idea who the hell you are” thing fell short of endearing or cute. This was a song nominated along with one of hers for Song Of The Year in all genres. She was obviously going to vote for What Doesn’t Kill You anyway but she didn’t even at least try to check out who else was honored with a nomination in the same category?
There’s a reason some in the urban community were offended by her comments, because at the end of the day it was a 30 year old mainstream pop star who’s been in the business for 10 years and says she’s a huge lover of all music admitting to everybody that a huge urban hit that had already touched millions of people didn’t exist to her before that evening. Kelly probably meant it as more of “I’m so clueless” than as a condescending “Wow where did THAT come from?” But because of the relative power dynamic between mainstream pop and urban, it wasn’t going to come off that way to everybody.
Kelly gets away with it because she’s real and unfiltered and nobody expects her to be the brightest bulb. But sometimes thinking before you say certain things is a good thing. Hopefully she & Miguel can sing a duet for real because I bet it’d be great.
…”could have done without the dress though.” – kinda blunt, yet refreshingly honest, ben.
by the way, i like that new look of yours – if jamey johnson claims to be somewhere “between jennings and jones”, i’d say you look like being somewhere “between lennon and john (elton)”. scnr.
I get why some might have been offended by Kelly’s backhanded compliment – but I also kind of feel like, come on. A lot of people don’t know the #1 R&B song/artist unless it crosses over to Top 40, just like a lot of people don’t know the #1 country song unless it does, just like a lot of people don’t know the #1 Contemporary Christian or Modern Rock song. The community of music fans is nichey, perhaps now more than ever. Kelly’s comment likely expressed the views of a huge chunk of the viewing audience.
And yeah, she should have educated herself on the General categories, but the fact that she didn’t is emblematic of a larger problem with Grammy voting in general: a lot of people seem to vote in those General categories having never heard all the music therein, or being stubbornly closed off to a certain genre of music (most egregiously, rap/hip-hop, which has never won Record of the Year). The Grammys need to figure out a way to make it *cool* for industry participants to actually have surveyed the General nominations fairly, the way it’s cool (and in the industry, more expected) to actually have seen all the Best Picture nominations come Oscar time.
Even though I’m a huge Carrie fan, I wasn’t really suprised when “Blown Away” wasn’t nominated for Album/Country Album. I don’t know…maybe Carrie is just known better for her vocal performances rather than her whole albums. I mean, look at how many times she has been nominated and has won in the vocal performace category. I do think that Carrie is very capable of making an album worthy of being nominated and winning album/country album of the year…time will tell. :)
All good points, Dan.
Well I hope Carrie enjoys her Grammy because it is obviously the only country awards she will be winning from now on…. ACM nominations came out today LOL
Yeah, what is up with that? No “Blown Away” in Single or Song, yet “Wanted” gets in? And no Carrie in Entertainer despite two big hits, a #1 album, and a big tour? Miranda gets in, though. Crazy.
I seriously think Blake really thought he had the Country Solo Performance locked up. Why wouldn’t he think otherwise as he has been winning male vocalist for a while now and Carrie hasn’t been winning female vocalist lately. So glad the Grammy know who the better singer is.
I’m still loving Carrie’s performance. The scaled back production and the raising of the octave on the b-section really lent a sense of mourning to “Blown Away.” And then I loved how into “Two Black Cadillacs” she got; that gutteral delivery of “And the women in the two black veils…” on the 2nd chorus is sublime.