THE 64TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

One week after the uncomfortably dramatic events at the Oscars, the 64th annual Grammy Awards have put on their show following a decision to postpone from their January 31st date after a surge of the omicron variant. Unable to secure a venue in LA due to the date change, the Grammys moved to Las Vegas for the very first time, holding the event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Trevor Noah returned to host again, effectively delivering some much needed positive enthusiasm with his humor more good natured than biting. I guess it was unavoidable not to have the Will Smith incident mentioned at some point but it was brief (with Noah and Questlove, who had his winning moment upstaged by Smith's antics, both making quick jokes) and actually funny.

I don't know if it had anything to do with the location change or simply having the ability to perform once again in front of a large, mask-less crowd proved to be inspiring but every single performance throughout the night was absolutely electrifying. This event, for the first time in a long time, came across much more like a true celebration of music. And as Noah stated, the Grammys are like a concert where they give out awards.

Now even though there were not any bad moments, I still had some favorite performances. Following a taped message by President Volodymyr Zelensky, John Legend paid an emotional tribute to the people of Ukraine with a moving, new song, "Free" accompanied by Ukrainian performers, Mika Newton, Sluzanna Iglidan and Lyuba Yakimchuk. Chris Stapleton brought a blast of the blues to his country sound with a riveting rendition of "Cold". H.E.R. had a moment when she had Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis join her on "Damage" (which samples their song, "Making Love in the Rain") and then teamed up with rockers, Travis Barker and Lenny Kravitz to cover Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way". While the musicianship of BTS could certainly be up for debate, there is no denying that this K-pop boy band, who performed a thrilling version of their English-language hit, "Butter", are exceptional entertainers. And the In Memoriam began with a tribute to Taylor Hawkins, the drummer of Foo Fighters, who passed away almost two weeks ago and was supposed to appear on the show with his band who won three awards this evening. The rest of the segment featured Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler, exquisitely blending their voices together to perform a medley of songs by Stephen Sondheim, which honored the award-winning theatrical composer who also passed away last year.

Jon Batiste went into the evening with the most nominations at eleven and ended up taking home the most Grammys with five including Album of the Year. Not only was the musician and bandleader one of the major highlights with his rollicking performance of "Freedom" but Batiste delivered one of the more meaningful acceptance speeches of the night. Silk Sonic, the retro-soul duo made up of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, also did well, winning four awards that included Record and Song of the Year. They kicked off the show with "777", an appropriately themed tune about gambling from their slick, bedroom-ready album, "An Evening with Silk Sonic". Olivia Rodrigo, the nineteen year old who became one of the biggest pop stars of last year with her international smash debut, "Drivers License", won three Grammys including Best New Artist. On stage, she may have displayed the nervous energy of a novice yet remained a captivating force throughout her performance.

And special mention must be made about Lady Gaga who not only delivered a spectacular jazz number, paying loving tribute to her ailing musical partner, Tony Bennett (who at ninety-five had to retire last year due to the progression of his Alzheimer's disease) with "Love For Sale" and "Do I Love You?", but continued to display what a thoughtful and kind human being she is; small, simple gestures like making sure a very frail Liza Minnelli knew she had her at the Oscars and helping winner, SZA with the train of her dress as she struggled to the stage this evening on crutches. Gaga is truly a class act and could probably educate Smith on how to actually shine a light and uplift your fellow man.

Here is a partial list of the winners of the 2022 Grammy Awards:

Album of the Year: "We Are" - Jon Batiste
Record of the Year: "Leave The Door Open" - Silk Sonic
Song of the Year: "Leave the Door Open" - Silk Sonic - Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars (songwriters)
Best New Artist: Olivia Rodrigo
Best Pop Vocal Album: "Sour" - Olivia Rodrigo
Best Pop Solo Performance: "Drivers License" - Olivia Rodrigo
Best Pop Duo or Group Performance: "Kiss Me More" - Doja Cat featuring SZA
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "Love for Sale" - Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
Best Dance/Electronic Music Album: "Subconsciously" - Black Coffee
Best Dance Recording: "Alive" - Rüfüs Du Sol
Best Rap Album: "Call Me If You Get Lost" - Tyler, the Creator
Best Rap Performance: "Family Ties" - Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar
Best Melodic Rap Performance: "Hurricane" - Kanye West featuring the Weeknd and Lil Baby
Best Rap Song: "Jail" - Kanye West and Jay-Z - Dwayne Abernathy, Jr., Shawn Carter, Raul Cubina, Michael Dean, Charles M. Njapa, Sean Solymar, Kanye West and Mark Williams (songwriters)
Best R&B Album: "Heaux Tales" - Jazmine Sullivan
Best R&B Performance: "Leave The Door Open" - Silk Sonic and "Pick Up Your Feelings" - Jazmine Sullivan (tie)

Best Traditional R&B Performance: "Fight For You" - H.E.R.
Best R&B Song: "Leave The Door Open" - Silk Sonic - Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II and Bruno Mars (songwriters)
Best Progressive R&B Album: "Table for Two" - Lucky Daye
Best Country Album: "Starting Over" - Chris Stapleton
Best Country Solo Performance: "You Should Probably Leave" - Chris Stapleton
Best Country Duo or Group Performance: "Younger Me" - Brothers Osborne
Best Country Song: "Cold" - Chris Stapleton - Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon and Chris Stapleton (songwriters)
Best Bluegrass Album: "My Bluegrass Heart" - Béla Fleck
Best Rock Album: "Medicine at Midnight" - Foo Fighters
Best Rock Performance: "Making a Fire" - Foo Fighters
Best Rock Song: "Waiting on a War" - Foo Fighters - Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffee, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear (songwriters)
Best Metal Performance: "The Alien" - Dream Theater
Best Alternative Music Album: "Daddy’s Home" - St. Vincent
Best Latin Pop Album: "Mendó" - Alex Cuba
Best Musica Urbana Album: "El Último Tour Del Mundo" - Bad Bunny
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album: "Origen" - Juanes

Best Gospel Album: "Believe For It" - Cece Winans
Best Americana Album: "Native Sons" - Los Lobos
Best American Roots Performance: "Cry" - Jon Batiste
Best Jazz Vocal Album: "Songwrights Apothecary Lab" - Esperanza Spalding
Best Jazz Instrumental Album: "Skyline" - Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette and Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Best Latin Jazz Album: "Mirror Mirror" - Eliane Elias with Chick Corea and Chucho Valdés
Best Reggae Album: "Beauty in the Silence" - SOJA
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling): "Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation from John Lewis" - Don Cheadle
Best Comedy Album: "Sincerely Louis CK" - Louis C.K.
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media: "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media: "The Queen’s Gambit" and "Soul" (tie)
Best Song Written For Visual Media: "All Eyes on Me" from "Bo Burnham: Inside" - Bo Burnham (songwriter)

Best Music Video: "Freedom" - Jon Batiste
Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical): Jack Antonoff

REVAMP AND RESTORATION

While audiences have long enjoyed his theatrical costumes and energetic showmanship, it's been the music of Elton John that people have responded to for over fifty years. With his co-songwriter, Bernie Taupin (who John has worked with throughout most of his career), they have created songs that have appealed to everyone due to their eclectic mix of genres.

In celebration of their longtime creative partnership, two albums were assembled with the help of many performers who have gladly come together to interpret the team's musical history. With "Revamp", John enlisted contemporary pop artists to create new versions of his songs. These musicians include Coldplay, Sam Smith, Alessia Cara, Ed Sheeran, The Killers and Lady Gaga.

Mr. Taupin, a big country fan, oversaw "Restoration" which features several artists that range from legendary (Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson) to modern (Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Dierks Bentley, Kacey Musgraves) that rework the duo's classic and more obscure songs in a mellow country vein.

Miley Cyrus is the only artist that appears on both albums. But her take of "Don't Let The Sun Come Down On Me" on "Revamp" and particularly "The Bitch Is Back" on the country album come across painfully like karaoke versions of these songs.

Now at seventy-one, Elton John has decided to slow down and will be embarking on a three-year long farewell world tour which will begin in September. To be honest, I doubt he will never be on stage again after this tour but just in case, make sure you take this opportunity to check him out live.

For now, listen to a few of my favorite songs from both albums that I think truly honors the extraordinary work of Elton John and Bernie Taupin:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

Country music has been making a big impact on the pop charts lately and that has been reflected with an interesting merging of the sounds. Some recent examples include Maren Morris, a hot new artist with her 2016 debut, “Hero” reaching number one on the country album chart, is a part of an unusual duet with EDM artist, Zedd with the single, “The Middle”. This catchy dance track is not only burning up the international pop charts but it also serves as the song for Target’s spring style campaign. Chris Stapleton, a recent big winner at this year’s Grammys, taking home three awards including Best Country Album, has teamed up with Justin Timberlake on “Say Something”, the second single off his new album, “Man of the Woods”. This guitar-driven track is a nice blend of dance and country. And the least likely artist of them all is dance diva, Kylie Minogue who has just dropped from her upcoming fourteenth studio album, “Golden”, the single, “Dancing” which features an undeniable country twang.

And this year, we’ve sadly had the passing of two important musical artists. Dolores O’Riordan, the dynamic lead vocalist of the Irish alt-rock band, The Cranberries, passed away unexpectedly at the age of forty-six while in London for a recording session. No cause of death has been currently disclosed. In 1990, she became a part of the band initially called “The Cranberry Saw” before becoming The Cranberries. The group’s debut album, “Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?” in 1992 became an instant smash thanks to the singles, “Linger”and “Dreams”. Their follow-up in 1994, “No Need To Argue” featured the hit song, “Zombie” about the 1993 IRA bombing which reached number one in five countries and became The Cranberries ‘ biggest seller. The band took an extended break in 2003 to pursue individual interests before reuniting in 2009 to release an album and world tour. O’Riordan recorded two solo albums during their time apart; “Are You Listening in 2007 and “No Baggage”in 2009.

Dennis Edwards, who joined the legendary Motown r&b group, The Temptations in 1968 as their new front man, died on February 1st, just two days shy before what would have been his seventy-fifth birthday. He first began singing as a child in his father’s Detroit church before later joining the gospel group, The Mighty Clouds of Joy as a teenager. Despite his family's disapproval, Edwards decided to sing secular music professionally and performed with several bands. In 1966, he auditioned for Motown and was put on retainer. His first break came when he joined the Contours later that year. The group opened for the The Temptations on tour with members, Eddie Kendricks and Otis Williams noticing Edwards as they were considering replacing David Ruffin who was becoming increasingly difficult, largely due to his drug abuse. Ruffin was eventually fired and Edwards was brought in as his replacement as lead vocalist. He would continue to perform with The Temptations off and on until 1989. Edwards did pursue a solo career and had a hit single in 1984 with “Don’t Look Any Further”, a duet with Siedah Garrett. Edwards is survived by a daughter, Issa from his brief marriage to Ruth Pointer of the Pointer Sisters and she currently performs with her mother in the group.