PEACHES

I've had a strange journey with Justin Bieber. When he first appeared back in 2009, a sweet-faced teen with a halo of perfectly coiffed hair and his style of bubble-gum soul, I can't say I ever listened to one of his early songs to completion. And as the Canadian-born singer became a international sensation, whipping legions of teenage girls in to a frenzy, I really didn't pay him much attention nor took him very seriously.

Like many teen idols before him, Bieber found great success yet struggled with his crushing fame. He suffered with depression and anxiety while having several run-ins with the law involving DUIs, vandalism and assault. Bieber managed to get it together, eventually settling down to get married and refocusing on his faith. And well aware that these idols of fickle teenage girls can have a short shelf-life, the performer wanted to evolve, searching for who he really wanted to be as an artist.

In 2015, Bieber unexpectedly teamed-up EDM musicians, Skrillex and Diplo with "Where Are Ü Now" earning him a worldwide club hit, newfound respect as a musician and a Grammy for Best Dance Recording in the process. This was also when I started to pay a little attention to Bieber. With his fourth studio album, "Purpose" released later in the year, I actually really liked the singles from the record, "What Do You Mean?", "Sorry" and "Love Yourself". Had I become a Belieber? Not quite but I no longer rush to turn off his music if it comes on the radio.

Bieber has just released his latest album, "Justice" which features more hits I enjoyed, "Holy", a song about faith and loyalty that features Chance the Rapper, the emotional ballad, "Lonely" where he become vulnerable, revealing his struggles with his fame at a young age and the pop anthem, "Anyone". But the song I'm really digging is the recent release, "Peaches", a slinky, r&b number with him trading verses with fellow Canadian, Daniel Caesar and Giveon. This lane is clearly where Bieber feels most at ease but he is trying on many hats on the album, creating wide ranging musical styles with some working better for him than others.

THE SONGS AND SINGERS THAT GOT US THROUGH A YEAR OF ISOLATION

I know I don't need to remind anyone about the challenges we faced as a society last year but thankfully we had plenty of distractions to help get us through that incredibly difficult time. One preoccupation was with music. In the New York Times Magazine's annual Music Issue, they have selected nineteen songs that made a big impact on listeners in 2020. What is explored is not only how the pandemic has affected our relationship to music but how these songs stimulated us, helping to actually bring us closer together while separated.

Click below to read the article:

19 Songs That Matter Right Now

THE 63RD ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

As the latest award show that has attempted to present their regularly scheduled program during the age of the pandemic, The 63rd annual Grammy Awards has come closest to date on delivering an entertaining celebration. It seems clear that the Recording Academy had been paying attention to what other awards had done (following with deeply declining ratings) and decided to step it up. Instead of being inside of their usual location at Downtown LA's, Staples Center, the awards were given out outside across the street from the venue. There were socially-distant tables set up were nominees sat, awaiting to hear the winner of each category. Trevor Noah was serving as host for the first time and while many of his jokes fluttered away in the open air, he was highly enthusiastic, bringing a good energy to the proceedings.

The show was done with a mix of live and pre-recorded performances with several special stages built in a circle for the in-person acts, allowing for a minimal crew and less risk of close contact. And with eighteen performances (and an "In Memoriam" presentation) over three hours, there was plenty of music. To be expected, the pre-recorded spots tended to be wildly over-the-top yet the live show's relatively low-key approach to simply having the performers just coming out and sing was surprisingly refreshing.

I'm going to mention just a few of my favorites of the night; I loved the opening of the show where we moved from Harry Styles, the sister trio, Haim, another family act, Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas and the psychedelic soul of Black Pumas, each performing solid versions of their nominated songs. I have to say I was surprisingly impressed by Styles, as I never gave the former boy-band member much thought, delivering a nice, laid-back version of "Watermelon Sugar" dressed like a classic rock god of the '70's, managing to pull off being shirtless under a leather jacket with a feathered boa wrapped around his neck. The '70's were also on the minds of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, together as Silk Sonic, as they gave us soul group chic with matching suits and slick choreography while performing their throwback slowjam "Leave the Door Open". The duo also came back to pay tribute to Little Richard doing respectable rock versions of "Long Tall Sally" and "Good Golly Miss Molly". Also during the tribute to some of the musicians we lost last year, Brittany Howard (accompanied by Coldplay's, Chris Martin who oddly only played piano) delivered an electrifyingly soulful version of the show-tune standard, "You'll Never Walk Alone" in honor of Gerard Marsden, the leader of the '60's rock band, Gerry and the Pacemakers. Lil Baby (with activist, Tamika Mallory and Killer Mike) appeared in a powerful and moving clip for his song, "The Bigger Picture" which showcased the ongoing issue of police brutality against African-Americans.

And there was Beyoncé, making an unexpected appearance while looking incredible in a black leather dress with whimsical gold fingernails on her gloves, as she was recognized as the artist with the most Grammy wins of any gender in history with twenty-eight trophies after receiving Best Music Video for "Brown Skin Girl" and Best Rap Performance for "Savage" with Megan Thee Stallion. And speaking of Megan, the winner of this year's Best New Artist was involved in probably the most mind-blowing performance of the night where she and Cardi B did their scandalous smash hit of last year, "WAP". Trust me, I'm no prude but the idea of doing this song on national television just wasn't appropriate. Since I'm sure many of you know what "WAP" is about, the song had to be heavily censored to the point that it didn't really make much sense, with the ladies spending most of the time on stage dancing than rapping. 

The 2021 Grammys were already mired in controversy long before a single award had been given out. Much like similar charges leveled at the Golden Globes, this was due to many musicians, particularly Black artists, criticizing the process of who receives nominations which are decided upon by secret committees. There have also been questions regarding gender and racial diversity in the award selections as well.

While I don't really believe the Recording Academy is inherently racist or sexist, I do think the voting bloc has remained woefully out of touch with what is considered excellence in contemporary music. I certainly wouldn't consider myself a big fan of The Weeknd but his music (which was highly successful last year) should have been recognized to some degree with at least a nomination or two. With ratings for this year's show slipping to an all-time low, I'm hoping that the Grammys will begin to address these issues, becoming far more transparent and make more of an effort of outreach to younger and diverse artists to become a part of the Academy.

Here is a partial list of winners from the 63rd annual Grammy Awards:

Album of the Year: "Folklore" - Taylor Swift
Record of the Year: "Everything I Wanted" - Billie Eilish
Song of the Year: "I Can’t Breathe" - Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
Best New Artist: Megan Thee Stallion
Best Pop Vocal Album: "Future Nostalgia" - Dua Lipa
Best Pop Solo Performance: "Watermelon Sugar" - Harry Styles
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: "Rain on Me" - Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande
Best R&B Album: "Bigger Love" - John Legend
Best Progressive R&B Album: "It Is What It Is" - Thundercat
Best R&B Performance: "Black Parade" - Beyoncé
Best Traditional R&B Performance: "Anything for You" - Ledisi
Best R&B Song: "Better Than I Imagine" - Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello and Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Robert Glasper featuring H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello)
Best Rap Album: "King’s Disease" - Nas
Best Rap Performance: "Savage" - Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
Best Rap Song: "Savage" - Beyoncé, Shawn Carter, Brittany Hazzard, Derrick Milano, Terius Nash, Megan Pete, Bobby Session Jr., Jordan Kyle Lanier Thorpe and Anthony White, songwriters (Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé)
Best Country Album: "Wildcard" - Miranda Lambert
Best Country Solo Performance: "When My Amy Prays" - Vince Gill
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: "10,000 Hours" - Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber
Best Country Song: "Crowded Table" - Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Lori McKenna, songwriters (The Highwomen)
Best Rock Album: "The New Abnormal" - The Strokes
Best Rock Performance: "Shameika" - Fiona Apple
Best Rock Song: "Stay High" - Brittany Howard, songwriter (Brittany Howard)
Best Alternative Music Album: "Fetch the Bolt Cutters" -Fiona Apple
Best American Roots Performance: "I Remember Everything" - John Prine
Best American Roots Song: "I Remember Everything" - Pat McLaughlin and John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)
Best Metal Performance: "Bum-Rush" - Body Count
Best Latin Pop or Urban Album: "YHLQMDLG" - Bad Bunny
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album: "La Conquista del Espacio" - Fito Paez
Best Song Written for Visual Media: "No Time to Die" from "No Time to Die" - Billie Eilish O'Connell and Finneas Baird O'Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media: "Jo Jo Rabbit"
Best Musical Theater Album: "Jagged Little Pill" - Kathryn Gallagher, Celia Rose Gooding, Lauren Patten and Elizabeth Stanley, principal soloists; Neal Avron, Pete Ganbarg, Tom Kitt, Michael Parker, Craig Rosen and Vivek J. Tiwary, producers (Glen Ballard and Alanis Morissette, lyricists) (Original Broadway Cast)
Best Spoken Word Album: "Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth" - Rachel Maddow
Best Comedy Album: "Black Mitzvah" - Tiffany Haddish
Producer of the Year (non-classical): Andrew Watt

PAY YOUR WAY IN PAIN

One artist I have always found endlessly fascinating is St. Vincent. The musician, born Annie Clark, embodies an adventurous musical spirit, experimenting with classic pop music sounds by twisting and distorting them to create her own unique vibe.

With "Pay Your Way in Pain", the first single off her upcoming seventh studio album, "Daddy's Home", St. Vincent surprises again by delivering her version of 1970's funk-rock. Teaming up with Jack Antonoff to produce the record, this collection was partly inspired by the recent release of her father from prison for a white collar crime and her complicated feelings about the situation. 

In the music video for the song, St. Vincent takes on a new persona with a blonde bob and wearing a business casual suit, delivering a Mick Jagger/David Bowie swagger while her vocal gives off a bit of Prince at times on the track. Be on the lookout for "Daddy's Home" in May: