"Resuscitated Rockers"!?!?!?!

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STING2

Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
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U2 are refered to as "resuscitated rockers" in this article! I can't believe it!


Grammys catch up with hip-hop
OutKast, Jay-Z, Beyonce among leading nominees
By Todd Leopold
CNN
Friday, February 6, 2004 Posted: 3:59 PM EST (2059 GMT)


(CNN) -- The 46th annual Grammy Awards find themselves caught in a culture war.

On the one hand, this year's major nominees may be the most diverse the Recording Academy has ever smiled upon. There's hip-hop (OutKast), alternative (White Stripes), old rockers (the late Warren Zevon), new whiz kids (Pharrell of the Neptunes) and everything in between.

But this year's Grammy broadcast will also be on a five-minute audio and video delay, thanks to the flashing of Janet Jackson's breast during last week's Super Bowl.

Jackson says she won't attend the show (she was scheduled to introduce a tribute to Luther Vandross). Meanwhile, CBS, not wanting to take any chances with the often envelope-pushing, dressed-down music world, has made sure to exercise extra control this year.

However, the music should take center stage over controversy, thanks to those up for awards.

A broad spectrum
For years, hip-hop and rap have dominated the sales charts. But Grammy seldom seemed to notice.

With the possible exception of Lauryn Hill -- more an R&B singer than anything, anyway -- the top awards of the music industry went to balladeers (Celine Dion), RESUSCITATED ROCKERS (SANTANA, STEELY DAN, U2) and a bluegrass soundtrack ("O Brother, Where Art Thou?")

This year may be different.

OutKast is up for six nominations for Sunday's Grammy Awards, including album of the year ("Speakerboxxx/The Love Below") and record of the year ("Hey Ya!"). Also up for six awards are Jay-Z, Beyonce, and producer Pharrell Williams, of the hot duo the Neptunes.

Eminem is up for five Grammys, including record of the year and song of the year ("Lose Yourself").

"I liken it to music critics' top 10s," says Billboard magazine senior writer and section editor Michael Paoletta. "[The nominees] show diversity, and they haven't always shown that."

Record of the year, he says, is almost like a microcosm of the year in music, with all its variation. The category's nominees include "Hey Ya!", "Lose Yourself," Beyonce and Jay-Z's "Crazy in Love," Black Eyed Peas and Justin Timberlake's "Where Is the Love?" and Coldplay's "Clocks."

"The voters have woken up to R&B and hip-hop," says Paoletta. He notes it helps that the songs themselves have become more mainstream and approachable. "Where Is the Love?" recalls classic R&B, hip-hop and "straight-up pop," Paoletta says, while "everyone who hears ['Hey Ya!'] starts smiling."

Outside factors


Indeed, he adds, OutKast is "an across-the-board success story."

"They're a critics' darling ... and they made the album they wanted to make," he says of the varied sounds of "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below." And it doesn't hurt that the group had the Nos. 1 and 2 songs in the country during the Grammy voting period.

Another album of the year nominee, the White Stripes' "Elephant," may also have a chance, says music journalist Roni Sarig.

"They are an example of a group that are on a lot of critics' minds and has also sold very well," he says.

But Paoletta believes the Stripes are "a little too left field for Grammy voters." "OutKast has one of those albums Grammy voters can latch on to," he says.

Other album of the year nominees include Missy Elliott's "Under Construction," Evanescence's "Fallen," and Justin Timberlake's "Justified." All indicate Grammy's decision to back diversity -- and popularity, says Billboard magazine's Carla Hay.

"In the past, the Grammys have usually tended to nominate an album of the year from a veteran artist that may not have had a hit record with that album," she says. "But this year, clearly, these are all hit albums from popular artists.

In the song of the year category -- a songwriter's award -- the nominees include Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful," written by Linda Perry; Luther Vandross' "Dance With My Father," written by Vandross and Richard Marx; Avril Lavigne's "I'm With You," written by Lavigne and The Matrix; Warren Zevon's "Keep Me in Your Heart," written by Zevon and Jorge Calderon; and Eminem's "Lose Yourself," written by Eminem, J. Bass and L. Resto.

Though Vandross and Zevon's songs are both worthy, Paoletta says, sentimentality probably played a role with Grammy voters. Vandross suffered a major stroke last April, and Zevon died in September.

He personally believes "Beautiful" is the best choice for the award, but wouldn't be surprised if "Dance With My Father" takes it.

Up for grabs


Best new artist, an uneven Grammy selection over the years, continues that tradition this time around. The nominees are Evanescence, 50 Cent, Fountains of Wayne, Heather Headley and Sean Paul.

Two of the artists are veterans: Fountains of Wayne released its third album in 2003, and Headley -- though she just released her first -- is a Broadway stalwart.

Most observers are backing 50 Cent, whose "Get Rich or Die Tryin' " was the biggest-selling album of 2003.

"50 Cent had the year's biggest album, the hottest singles, he made mincemeat of Ja Rule and has been shot nine times -- do YOU want to tell him he's not winning?" wrote The Associated Press' Nekesa Mumbi Moody in a Grammy handicapping story.

Paoletta is interested in seeing how Beyonce does. In recent years, the Grammys have looked with favor on female solo artists, with both Norah Jones and Alicia Keys taking home lots of trophies. Beyonce is up for six Grammys, but her competition is stiff.

"She got so much press this year," he says. "Everyone is watching her, so let's see what she walks away with."

But he doubts anyone's going to sweep, as Jones did last year (winning a total of eight awards for "Come Away With Me") and others have done in the past.

The Grammys are more than just people handing out awards, of course. This year's performers include Prince, 50 Cent, the Foo Fighters, Sting and Sean Paul, Chick Corea, and Martina McBride. There's also going to be a tribute to the Beatles on the 40th anniversary of the Fab Four's arrival in the United States.

The show will be broadcast on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.
 
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