Old School Rock 'n Roll Saves Grammy Awards from Rap Infestation

Say whatever you like, but if it had not been for retro numbers and the retro-sounding songs performed at the 51^st Annual Grammy Awards, the show would have been a complete waste of time. Between the Chris Martin (Coldplay) and Jay-Z garbage and the Robin Thicke and Lil' Wayne crap, one was left to wonder if the producers of the Grammys were intentionally attempting to sabotage their own show. Throw in the boring duet between Taylor Swift and Miley "I'm not Asian, I just think its funny to mock them" Cyrus and the godawful Jonas Brothers hacking around with the great Stevie Wonder and you have a mess. But there were some really good musical performances at the Grammy Awards. They just had to reach back a few years to get in touch with it.

At the 51^st Annual Grammy Awards, there was rapping with Coldplay, rapping with Robin Thicke, rapping with other rappers, and rapping. It was a shock that Miley Cyrus did not burst into a bit of freestyle with Taylor Swift, which may have been preferable over Cyrus' angsty bleating. There was every reason to believe that Cowboy Troy was going to appear with Carrie Underwood (whose "Last Name" performance neither looked nor sounded like a country song) or Kenney Chesney (whose performance did), but he must have been distracted by the ongoing breaking news about Chris Brown and Rihanna.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss ruled the night, winning all five Grammy Awards they were nominated for, including Album of the Year for "Raising Sand." They performed a medley of the country-esque, blues-tinged tunes from the album with T-Bone Burnett playing guitar. The music is subtle and somewhat of a departure from what most are used to from Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) and Alison Krauss (bluegrass). But it is old in style, low key, and minimalist music, not overly synthetic and engineered to death, letting the vocals control the sound. Old school, as it were.

Al Green sang with Justin Timberlake and Boyz II Men on a nicely done "Let's Stay Together," Green's biggest hit. Timberlake's higher vocals surprisingly fit well with the arrangement of the #1 1972 hit. Keith Urban, renowned country guitarist, singer, and songwriter, accompanied on guitar.

After the Grammys had their traditional memorial montage of those who have died in the past year, the last photo of Bo Diddley faded to four great guitarists on the Grammy stage. Keith Urban, B. B. King, Buddy Guy, and John Mayer did a rousing rendition of the classic blues tune "Bo Diddley," a fitting tribute to the guitar legend.

One of the more poignant moments was the excellent tribute to the Four Tops performed by Jamie Foxx, Smokey Robinson, Ne-Yo, and Duke Fakir, the last surviving original member of the legendary singing group. The Four Tops received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Levi Stubbs, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, and Lawrence Payton, the other three members of the legendary group, were posthumous recipients. With so many great songs, it is an amazing fact that the Four Tops never won a Grammy during their recording career.

Jennifer Hudson, who had won a Grammy earlier in the evening for Best R&B Album, performed a transcendent musical tribute to her family, singing Diane Warren's "You Pulled Me Through" from Hudson's debut album. The song is heavy with spiritual overtones and draws from a rich soul sound reminiscent of the best Aretha Franklin or Patti Labelle. She nearly broke down near the songs end, but professional that she is, the 27-year-old Academy Award-winner took a deep breath and delivered her last lines. Hudson had suffered the tragic loss of her mother, brother, and nephew in October 2008, when they were murdered by her brother-in-law. As she fought back tears at the song's conclusion, Jennifer Hudson received a standing ovation.

Sir Paul McCartney did a great rendition of the 1963 hit "I Saw Her Standing There" with Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl.

Another tribute was paid when Kid Rock performed from his Album of the Year-nominated "Rock N Roll Jesus." Blending southern rock, southern soul, and spiritual stylings, Kid Rock pumped energy into the crowd with "Amen," "All Summer Long," and "Rock 'N Roll Jesus." Pausing before going into "All Summer Long," Kid Rock said, "One time, for the late great Mr. Billy Powell."

Billy Powell, the legendary keyboardist of southern rock greats Lynyrd Skynyrd, died suddenly two weeks ago. Powell laid the piano tracks for "All Summer Long," which is a combination of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London."

Kid Rock captured the old gospel choir-backed southern rock sound as if he were to the southern manor born. But he would lose his bid for Album of the Year to the formidable force that was Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.

Sometimes older is better. Sometimes mixing the old with the new works really well. The music at the 51^st Annual Grammy Awards was certainly proof positive of that.

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Source:

"51^st Annual Grammy Awards," CBS Television