Album Of The Year
Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way
London has rarely been kind to country acts, but it also rarely scuttles careers. Internet downloading or no, Taking The Long Way has sold a third of the copies of its predecessor "Home." Fact is, though, this was no country album. Rooted in the songwriting and musical traditions of Nashville, yes, but built on the back of collaborations with Rick Rubin, Sheryl Crow and Semisonic's Dan Wilson. This is as much the sound of a band growing beyond its provincial roots, as it is a statement album for the Chicks and for Grammy voters. Instead of a meek act of contrition, the Chicks produced a defiant middle finger to middle America. Will Grammy reward their pluck, and more important their record? Despite their frontrunner status keep in mind Eminem and Green Day both were in similar positions in recent years and didn't take home the trophy.
Gnarls Barkley - St. Elsewhere
Radio V would be hard pressed to think of an album with more pre-release buzz than this Danger Mouse/Cee-Lo collabo generated. Largely off the heat of the stratospheric "Crazy," Gnarls shifted into high gear and were seemingly everywhere with an album no one could attempt to classify. Too ambitious for some, not quite eclectic enough for others, St. Elsewhere was the first true album of the shuffle generation with elements of every genre showing up for better of for worse. While "Crazy" was universally loved, its parent album was a hit-or-miss affair. The Grammys have recurring themes, rewarding ambition is not often one of them.
John Mayer - Continuum
Once you've done a blues record, it's usually not far to Diane Warren power ballads and comeback tours. John Mayer has proven himself both a far more accomplished musician than most would initially have believed, as well as one with an almost unholy understanding of the pop idiom. Continuum proved that his artistic indulgences were merely that, and now he was back to the business of being (as much as he'd probably hate to admit it) a pop star. The record is taut, focused and grown-up without trying too hard to sound it. Considering Mayer's been lauded by Grammy for lesser works, the biggest prize could well be in his grasp.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
They released their debut album in 1983, they've sold 60 million albums worldwide, won MTV's de facto lifetime achievement award, the Video Vanguard and have pretty much owned rock radio since the early 90s. Does that sound like the résumé of a band with only ONE Grammy to their name? The Grammys often use today's ceremony to make up for earlier oversights. Long story short, hang around long enough and Grammy will give you your due. Stadium Arcadium, like most double albums, has its highs and tracks that should have been B-sides at best. That may mean little next to the fact that this is a band, a Hall Of Fame caliber band, that has yet to get its due.
Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds
JT has had more second acts than anyone his age should ever have had. More than anyone since Madonna, JT's continued success blurs the line between artist and star. He has an unquestionable knack for being able to capture the zeitgeist of the moment, the attention of the public and lightning in a bottle. There are rock snobs who will never laud a pop record. That's their prerogative, but Timberlake's second solo album is a triumph of sleek, hyper-produced pop that at once sounds like the best pop songs you've ever heard and a crystal-ball view of a space age pop future that everyone will be aping this time next year. It is what it is though, and it is unabashed pop. Pop has a Grammy category, but rarely takes Grammy's biggest trophies home.
Should Win: Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way
Will Win: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
There will be one more Grammy post after the show ends. Then back to new music, Radio V classics and the like.
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