Monday, February 11, 2008

BGs & Guys Take on the Grammys!

From Rihanna to Aretha Franklin, the Grammys last night brought out the best of the best in music. The wonderful world of technology made it possible for R&B heavy-hitter Alicia Keys to start the show with a sweet duet with "Old Blue Eyes" himself -- the late great Frank Sinatra. The night was packed with performances by some of our favorite artists.

Although I was a bit confused by the coupling of the 80s group, The Time with R&B pop sensation, Rihanna, their performance was entertaining nonetheless.

The absolute most entertaining act for me was Kanye West, who is the most talented hip-hop artist out right now. His powerful rendition of "Stronger" was a soul-stirring glow-in-the-dark punk party while his tear-jerking tribute to his late mother, Donda West, was compelling and sincere. He also took home the Best Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the the Year award.



The much-hyped duet of Beyonce with her obvious performance inspiration -- Tina Turner was quite lackluster, I don't know what I was expecting exactly, but whatever it was I didn't get it. The gospel set with Aretha Franklin, Bebe Winans, The Clark Sisters and Trinitee 3-5-7 brought church to the Staples Center.

Alicia Keys made another appearance to sing "No One," which I never get tired of no matter how many times I hear it. She topped her performance off with a surprise guest guitarist -- the strangely sexy John Mayer. Not only did she perform twice, she also took home the trophy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

Our favorite nominee for rehab from across the pond, Amy Winehouse, brought down the house in London via satellite while sweeping the show with 5 awards.

The Grammys were good, but not great. I guess it reflects the state of music right now. Thanks to Kanye West and Alicia Keys they really made the show for me. For a complete list of winners go to www.grammys.org.


Alicia Keys


Beyonce


Jay-Z


Rihanna


Ludacris

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like Beyonce and Tina's Performance. Tina hasn't performed in America since 2002 I think, and she is Beyonce's Idol, when she performs, people always say its similar to Tina. I waited to see that one. I also liked Kanye West performance, especially his dedication to his Mother. That line" Last night i saw you in my dreams and now I can't wait to go to sleep), I was like Oh My God, it was so touching. And Amy Winehouse's performance too, it was a good comeback for her since all the drama that has been going on.

Anonymous said...

i'd like to give a shout out to Amy W. for FIVE wins!

hope she gets better in rehab.

K-Bear said...

OMG! Sometimes I worry myself about myself. How on earth did I not know the Grammy's was on last night? I mean I had no clue. I have officially become a hermit/cat lady. Anyway, I am so glad you summed it up for me BGG AND I'm glad I have direct tv. I'll be taping the re-run! BTW, I love Kanye, Alicia, Beyonce and Tina no matter what! KUDOS to them all!

Kwana said...

Great recap. I was moved by Kanye too. I stayed up for Amy Winehouse and though I'm late to the pary I will be getting her cd and be rooting for her. She's so London ghetto fab.

Don said...

Good post, I ended up missing the show. Reading your post gave good insight. Tina Turner and Beyonce performed together? Wow. What made it so lackluster. Kanye is a soulja. Alicia Keyes is beautiful in that pic.

Anonymous said...

kanye- great job, way to hold it together

beyonce & tina- bad job...but beyonce does look nice in that pic

the same can be said for a. keys & rihanna

Brown Girl Gumbo said...

@Ashley-Nicole -- Wasn't that line from Kanye so touching?

@K-Bear -- You can always see the highlights on YouTube if you never get around to watching it on DVR.

@Kwana -- It's never too late!! Amy Winehouse's CD is really good.

@Don -- I'm not sure what was missing from Beyonce & Tina Turner's performance...I just can't put my finger on it! (You see I'm responding to readers' posts like you -- yeah I'm copying! LOL)

Les Puckao said...

LOVED Kanye's performance as well, it really came from the heart.

I wonder how B felt when RiRi grabbed J's hand?!

I was so not impressed with the style at the Grammy's but you know I loved Alisha's gaudy ensemble and make-up in the silver top.

Anonymous said...

Am I the only one who didn't see the Grammys?

Karen said...

I'm not a fan of Ludacris' music, but he really looks sharp in that suit.

I missed the Grammys so thanks for the recap BGG style.