Ray Charles’s ‘Genius Loves Company’ Picks Up Eight Grammy Awards

It’s hard to enjoy the Grammys when it seems like an attempt by the music industry to convince us that what’s popular is good. The event can be more of a celebration of the art of business than it is the business of art. But there are moments – and some occurred during last night’s broadcast – when talent triumphs over commerce. Ray Charles, Norah Jones, and Alicia Keys demonstrated that musicality sells as many albums as a thumping dance remix.Every year, a select number of artists from the largest record labels soak up most of the nominations. This year Kanye West was in the pole position with 10 nominations. Usher and Alicia Keys followed close behind with eight apiece, and Green Day dominated the rock categories with six nods.The 47th annual awards ceremony started out like a sporting event, which was only fitting since it was held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Black Eyed Peas treated us to their NBA anthem, “Let’s Get it Started in Here” and I’m relieved that this will be the last time I hear that song. That’s right, the egg timer on their 15 minutes just passed 14:50. At least they received a nice parting gift – Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.Queen Latifah hosted the event – she busted out the old soft shoe and sang some jazz standards.Ms. Keys demonstrated why she won Best R&B Song (“You Don’t Know my Name”), and Female R&B Vocal Performance (“If I Ain’t Got You”), among others. She put up a solid live rendition of “If I Ain’t Got You,” which was highlighted by a duet with Ray Charles. Did I say Charles – I meant Jamie Foxx. Who can tell the difference these days? Unsurprisingly, Charles won eight awards posthumously for his duets album, “Genius Loves Company,” including Best Pop Vocal Album, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year.Jennifer Lopez and new husband Marc Anthony were next to take the stage, but gave a lackluster showing. Thankfully, things perked up shortly afterward when Green Day deservedly picked up the Best Rock Album award for “American Idiot.”Maroon 5 pulled the shocker of the evening, beating out Kanye West for Best New Artist. Mr. West, who was also snubbed at the American Music Awards for the same trophy, looked noticeably displeased as the Maroon boys shook his hand en route to the stage to collect their statuette. At least he didn’t go home empty handed as India Arie did in 2002.Before he even arrived he’d already won two awards including Best Rap Song for “Jesus Walks.”To Mr. West’s credit, he brushed off the upset and along with R&B protege John Legend gave the most convincing live set of the evening. The crowd gave him a standing ovation and then he returned to the stage to accept his first televised award for Best Rap Album (“The College Dropout”).Usher and James Brown followed with a past meets present performance that didn’t quite live up to expectations. What can you do? The godfather’s lost a step, but you can’t knock him for trying. It’s hard to be a sex machine when your joints are getting creaky. And what Grammy show would be complete without U2 and Norah Jones loading up on hardware? The former took home Best Rock Song (“Vertigo”) and the latter Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (“Sunrise”), and Record of the Year (“Here We Go Again”).Best R&B album went to Ms. Keys (“The Diary of Alicia Keys”) but it should have gone to Jill Scott for “Beautifully Human.” Instead Ms. Scott received a consolation prize for her single “Cross My Mind” which nabbed Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Translation: She’s not mainstream or thin enough to get major recognition. But if she gets with the trainer and does a couple of remixes with Lil Jon, she’s guaranteed a prize next time around.My other favorite fringe artists, Bjork and PJ Harvey, went home with a big bag of nothing, both losing out to Wilco’s “A Ghost is Born” for Best Alternative Music Album. I’m not quite sure what “alternative” means at the Grammys but for the most part the category is reserved for acts often pushed aside by the industry. Jon Stewart made up for their loss. He and his “Daily Show” staff won Best Comedy Album for “America: A Citizen’s Guide to Democracy Inaction.” President Clinton won for best spoken word album for his adaptation of his best-selling autobiography, “My Life.”By far the schmaltziest part of the ceremony was the out-of-tune group rendition of the Beatles “Across the Universe.” Stevie Wonder, Nora Jones, Steven Tyler, Tim McGraw, and others stood shoulder to shoulder in a “We Are the World”-like tribute to raise money for tsunami relief. The song’s refrain – “Nothing’s gonna change my world” – made it an odd choice.Led Zeppelin won a lifetime achievement award, their first nod from Grammy, 25 years after the height of the band’s popularity. Brian Wilson also took home his first award after a 42-year wait – he never won as a member of the Beach Boys. And at least Don Cornilius, creator of the dance show “Soul Train” finally earned a Trustees Award. For a second it took me back to the days when the terms “good music” and “pop music” were interchangeable. But today is a new season and music execs everywhere are already fast at work figuring out who will be the upcoming year’s crop of Sugar Rays and Britney Spears who, to her credit, won her first Grammy this year for the dance song “Toxic.”

Ray Charles’s ‘Genius Loves Company’ Picks Up Eight Grammy Awards

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