So what did you think of the Grammys? Did your favorite person win, or
get hosed by the Academy. I for one feel that Tracy Chapman should have beat
out Sheryl Crow for best female vocal. I think Tracy has been influenced a
little by Stevie Ray Vaughan.
(you can find out who won from http://www.grammy.apple.com
16 responses total.
Wow. In past years there's always been a big round of Grammy abuse after the awards came out. I need to go look at the specialist awards. I hear Springsteen won "best contemporary folk album" for TOM JOAD, which doesn't strike me as surprising or unreasonable. At least that awful Richard Thompson album didn't win that category.
I was happy to see that Toni Braxton got an award.
i dunno, the music i listen to doesn't partiucularly tend twords anything that was nominated at all.. therefore, i don't really think the people that got the awards were particularly the best suited for the award. I don't usually tend to like award shows anyways.... but really i see the grammys as just being a way to say "this song got played the most on radio and mtv" <set ramble off>
Now that I've heard the song twice, I can say she deserved it. She sings so passionatly, and lets the melody eddy around her words. I'll probably wind up buying that one as well.
Although I agree and understand why Leann Rimes (sp?) won a Grammy for Best New Artist, I'm disappointed that Jewel didn't win. Jewel`s music has a distinctive feel to it while Leann Rimes won, IMHO, because she can sing like older country singers at 14. Yes, she has a lot of potential to grow from a great beginning like that, but she still hasn't developed her own sound yet. And on those grounds, I think Jewel should have won.
What's the big deal about having 'your own sound?' Much of the music I like is fairly unique in terms of style or 'sound', but much of it is also, I will admit, completely derivative. The point remains, however, that it is good music and I enjoy listening to it.
I have to agree with Katy that the Grammys are very strongly influenced by demand in the music industry, and not always quality. My take would be, "This song/video deserves an award since DJs and VJs oversaturated the market and people amazingly aren't sick of it yet, so it must be really good." Also, Jim, I hope your opinions of why Tracy Chapman aren't just because she seems to be influenced by a legendary blues artist. Her recent album is very pretty and not as depressing as her last. I think the problem might be that part of her audience is the lesbian community, and that might have biased the judges against her, besides the fact she is a black woman (and lesbian, perhaps). The lesbian culture has adopted a folk soun that is a little blues-influenced. In fact, it also seems to be a musical preference. Jewel seems to be using this sound, and that may have been a strike against her. Even if my conclusions are wrong, country is known to be very popular with women, besides the fact the genre is enjoying an overall popular status. Folk just doesn't seem to be as in demand as country is. I could get into a discussion of how listener demographics plays into this (hypothetically), but I'll spare it.
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I think it's the judges that decide who wins and they have their biases too. Therefore it is not based on popularity but personal preference. The media may influence them too.
How are the grammys selected? How many judges are thre usually?
There are not any judges, really. The Grammy Awards are voted on by all members of NARAS, the National Association for the Recording Arts & Sciences, a music industry trade group.
How does NARAS distinguishes between folk and rock ?
I've wondered the same thing for a while, actually. Anyone?
Probably it's the marketers who decide, but I'm just speculating.
How do the people who shelve CDs in the store distinguish between folk and rock? The answer is the same, I'm sure: a combination of marketing, record labeling, perceived style, past history, and just random arbitrary decisions. The last place I checked, Fairport Convention was folk, but Richard Thompson was rock.
therefore, it would seem the labeling is based on cyclical trends, and not necessarily linear thinking. Really serious musicians get bored probably before the rest of us do, so they mix up styles faster than the scenes serve them up. I mean, music grows and evolves-- and not many people really think about the musicology of it all. That tends to be reserved for music majors and music grad students studying history and such.
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