As it was 50 years ago when the first Grammys were given out to top achievers in recorded music, there is a lot of rocking, rolling and rapping in this year’s Awards. These, I have found out, are the categories Pinoys are most interested in. Nominated recordings and later, winners in those categories are CDs they are willing to spend their money on and seriously listen to.
Although considered also important, the same does not hold true for Spoken Word Recordings. In fact, I do not even know if these are available locally. Still, it would be great to get copies of this year’s batch because these are not only interesting, they also boast of one of the most impressive lists of nominees ever assembled. These men and women are all single-handedly doing their part to change the world and the work they do goes from putting the hammer on a nail to start building a house to touching the hearts of many with their words and ideas.
Nominated in the Best Spoken Word Album category are two former presidents, a poet laureate, an award-winning actor and somebody who might next year also be US president. These are Barack Obama for The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream; Maya Angelou for Celebrations; Bill Clinton for Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World; Jimmy Carter for Sunday Morning in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World; and Alan Alda for Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself.
Who among them do you think would show up hoping for a trophy at the Grammys come Feb. 10?
Time to go on with the list. I had the pop and rock nominees of the 2008 Grammy Awards out last Wednesday. Here now are the R ’n B, hip-hop and rap lists plus a few other categories:
Female R ’n B Vocal: Just Fine, Mary J. Blige; When I See You, Fantasia; No One, Alicia Keys; If I Have My Way, Chrisette Michele; and Hate on Me, Jill Scott.
Male R ’n B Vocal: Woman, Raheem DeVaughn; B.U.D.D.Y., Musiq Soulchild; Because of You, Ne-Yo; Future Baby Mama, Prince; Please Don’t Go, Tank.
Duo or Group R ’n B Vocal: Same Girl, R. Kelly featuring Usher; Disrespectful, Chaka Khan featuring Mary J. Blige; Hate That I Love You, Rihanna feat. Ne-Yo; Baby, Angie Stone feat. Betty Wright; Bartender, T-Pain feat. Akon.
Traditional R ’n B Vocal: Walk a Mile in My Shoes, Otis Clay; All Night Long, Randy Crawford and Joe Sample; In My Songs, Gerald Levert; I Apologize, Ann Nesby; I am Your Man, Ryan Shaw.
Urban Alternative Vocal: Make a Baby, Vikter Duplaix; That’s the Way of the World, Dwele; Daydreamin’, Lupe Fiasco feat. Jill Scott; Fantasy, Meshell Ndegeocello; Dream, Alice Smith.
R ’n B Song: Beautiful Flower, India.Arie; Hate That I Love You, Rihanna feat. Ne-Yo; No One, Alicia Keys; Teachme, Musiq Soulchild; When I See You, Fantasia.
R ’n B Album: Funk This, Chaka Khan; Lost & Found, Ledisi; Luvanmusiq, Musiq Soulchild; The Real Thing, Jill Scott; Sex, Love & Pain, Tank.
Contemporary R ’n B Album: Konvicted, Akon; Just Like You, Keyshia Cole; Fantasia, Fantasia; East Side Story, Emily King; Because of You, Ne-Yo.
Rap Solo: The People, Common; I Get Money, 50 Cent; Show Me What You Got, Jay-Z; Big Things Poppin’ (Do It), T.I.; Stronger, Kanye West.
Rap by a Duo or Group: Southside, Common feat. Kanye West; Make It Rain, Fat Joe feat. Lil Wayne; Party Like a Rockstar, Shop Boyz; Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You), UGK feat. Outkast; Better Than I’ve Ever Been, Kanye West, Nas and KRS-One.
Rap/Sung Collaboration: I Wanna Love You, Akon feat. Snoop Dogg; Kiss, Kiss, Chris Brown and T. Pain; Let It Go, Keyshia Cole feat. Missy Elliot and Lil Kim; Umbrella, Rihanna feat. Jay-Z; Good Life, Kanye West feat. T-Pain.
Rap Song: Ayo Technology, 50 Cent feat. Justin Timberlake and Timbaland; Big Things Poppin’ (Do It), T.I.; Can’t Tell Me Nothing, Kanye West; Crank That (Soulja Boy), Soulja Boy Tell’Em; Good Life, Kanye West feat. T-Pain.
Rap Album: Finding Forever, Common; Kingdom Come, Jay-Z; Hip Hop is Dead, Nas; T.I. vs T.I.P., T.I.; Graduation, Kanye West.
Musical Show Album: A Chorus Line; Company; Grey Gardens; Spring Awakening; West Side Story.
Compilation Soundtrack Album: Across the Universe; Dreamgirls; Hairspray; Love; Once.
Score Soundtrack Album: Babel; Blood Diamond; The Departed; Happy Feet; Pan’s Labyrinth; Ratatouille.
Song Written for a Motion Picture, TV or other Visual Media: Falling Slowly, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from Once; Guaranteed, Eddie Vedder from Into the Wild; Love You I Do, Jennifer Hudson from Dreamgirls; The Song of the Heart, Prince from Happy Feet; You Know My Name, Chris Cornell from Casino Royale.
Short Form Music Video: God’s Gonna Cut You Down, Johnny Cash; 1234, Feist; Gone Daddy Gone, Gnarls Barkley; D.A.N.C.E., Justice; Typical, Mute Math.
Long Form Music Video: Live & Loud at the Filmore, Dierks Bentley; Trapped in the Closet Chapters 13-22, R. Kelly; The Confessions Tour, Madonna; 10 Days Out- Blues from the Backroads, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Various Artists; Liberacion — The Songs of the New Cuban Underground, Various Artists.