To Fumigate the Oscar Stench, The Grammys Decide That ‘Boring Is Best’ – Opinion

The Academy Awards scandal precipitated by Will Smith’s slip must have caused someone from The Recording Academy to send this memo in advance of the awards show. BEHAVE.

Uncharacteristically for many musicians, they did. It didn’t help the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Instead, it destroyed the spirit that makes music awards like the Grammys so interesting. And the show was held in Las Vegas, no less—Sin City—the place where artists go to be excessive and misbehave. It is not enough to expect bad behaviour from musicians. You also want them disruptors and innovators who present something different.

But nah.

The Grammys’ board of governors said, “Not this year. Homie don’t play that.”

The three-hour-long snooze-orama ended up being as pedestrian and BAY-SIC as it gets, not to mention depressing.

Trevor Noah, his fake plucky snark kept the line. His targeted jokes did not include any names and his remarks toward the artists were covered in velvet. Noah is another funny comic, but he lacks humor or comedy timing. He was flat as well, according to the youts would say, “Hella snooze.”

A Millennial mother shared this tweet with me.

Sucks to be her, as I only had to do it for one night; now it’s back to my Spotify and Pandora playlists. I still found artists that were worth listening to. H.E.R. is a new artist I have heard of that I will be sampling. Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson The artist is known as H.E.R., will be one to watch, as she has the alchemy of a Lauryn Hill and a Prince—talented on so many fronts, and she actually keeps her clothes on.

So refreshing.

Not all of the notable winners were young and certainly not all of them were new.

Jon Batiste was the recipient of five Grammy Awards nominations. He still managed to surprise everyone on an evening that brought joy and music, even after the Oscars.

Batiste’s “We Are” won the prestigious album of the year award Sunday over music heavyweights like Tony Bennett, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Ye, who changed his name from Kanye West. Batiste ended his dance-filled performance of “Freedom” during the show by jumping on Eilish’s table.

Silk Sonic won four Grammys, including song and record of the year for the duo’s smooth soul hit, “Leave the Door Open.” Olivia Rodrigo’s three awards included best new artist. Three Grammys were also awarded to Chris Stapleton, Foo Fighters and CeCeWinans.

Billie Eilish is a great singer. It makes me wonder what it would be like to work as a doctor. The evil kind would torture his adversaries. This is the last scene. Mars Attacks! where everyone’s head is exploding, and you get the picture.

Another new “slit your wrist” artist is Olivia Rodrigo. Taylor Swift was a pop star, but she gave youthful heartbreak and youthful anger a positive spin. The new one makes me crave Vicodin.

The bright spots of the night were artists that were throwbacks to an era (yes, I’m aging myself), when music was smooth, polished, and just plain fun. Bruno Mars’ newest partnership Silk Sonic pulls heavily from ’70s R&B, while the Korean boy band BTS pays homage to the boy bands of the ’80s and early ’90s, with couture and moves lifted straight outta Motown. You can think of The Temptations or The Spinners. Jon Batiste was also known for his style and substance. He won at least five Grammys.

These were the most exciting and popular parts of the telecast. If not, I need Vicodin.

In truth, those who sat down and took note of artists born in that period or throwbacks to it were the only parts of the award show.

Newsflash: Chris Stapleton and Foo Fighters are over 40 and have been in existence for many decades. The interesting thing is that the only mournful words of Rodrigo or Eilish are the musings and reminiscences of Rodrigo. youts are no longer bringing anything new or fresh; they’re just acting as placeholders and imitators of The Olds.

One of the most transcendent moments, where they totally killed, was the Grammys’ “In Memoriam” segment. The segment led off with a video tribute for Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters’ percussionist who passed away last week. In leading into the video presentation of all the music artists, songwriters, musicians, producers, and artists’ management who have left a legacy, there was the lovely images, supported by a powerful musical tribute to the late Stephen Sondheim who also passed last year. No bizarre oral reminiscences were given, except for a select few musicians. Also no dancing was distracting the viewers from the core of the segment. It was simple. They honored those who created the music and the voices who helped bring some of it to life.

This was pure magic, and it is why so many people tune in to music shows.

Sondheim’s song selections were beautifully woven together. The exceptionally gifted Ben Platt lead off with “Not a Day Goes By.” The powerful and pristine voice of Cynthia Erivo dovetailed with “Send In The Clowns,” and the lithe and lyrical Leslie Odom Jr. joined Erivo in a duet of “Merrily We Roll Along.” Rachel Zegler, the new “Maria” from Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, entered and performed “Somewhere (There’s A Place For Us).” All four ended the song together, blending like a choir and holding the audience in rapt attention to its sublime completion.

Mastery took nearly two-and-a half hours. It was amazing. The moments immediately before and afterwards were not as successful, unfortunately.

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