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"The vocal glides gracefully between recognizable language and fluent Bongolese -- semilinguistic scat forming temporary bridges over lyrical gaps." -- Brian Eno |
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"The vocal glides gracefully between recognizable language and fluent Bongolese -- semilinguistic scat forming temporary bridges over lyrical gaps." -- Brian Eno |
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Music Writer Jon Pareles Discusses This Year's Grammy Awards
National Public Radio (NPR),
January 05, 2002
Anchors: Lisa Simeone
Soundbite of music) U2: (Singing) I'm not afraid of anything in this world. There's nothing you can throw at me that I haven't already heard... Lisa Simeone, host: The 44th Annual Grammy Awards will be presented next month in Los Angeles. The nominees were announced yesterday. Soundbite of music) U2: (Singing) You've got to get yourself together. You got stuck in a moment and now you can't get out of it. Simeone: And the rock band U2 received eight nominations, including album of the year for All That You Can't Leave Behind. The first single from the album actually won a Grammy last year, but the album itself was released late enough to qualify for this year's Grammys. So while the attention given to U2 surprised few, one new artist surprised many with her seven Grammy nominations. Joining me now to talk about it is Jon Pareles, music writer for the New York Times. So, Jon, this is apparently the big surprise: seven nominations for singer India Arie, including album of the year. Her album is called Acoustic Soul. Now it had only moderate success in sales, and the single "Video" did not crack the top 20, so how'd she get all these nominations? Mr. Jon Pareles: People liked it, to give the short answer. It's a very nice song that got her over. The song is called "Video," and it's a song about not wanting to be held up to artificial standards of beauty. She says, "I'm not the girl in the video." It's also got a nifty bit of marketing in it, because the chorus ends with India Arie's name, so every times you hear the song, you're reminded, "I'm India Arie." (Soundbite of music) Ms. India Arie: (Singing) I'm not the average girl in the video. My worth is not determined by the price of my clothes. No matter what I'm wearing I will always be India Arie. Mr. Pareles: But why she was nominated as album of the year and Alicia Keys, who is up against her in every other category that she's in, was not nominated for album of the year is a mystery, because the Alicia Keys album is the one that's on all the critics' top 10 lists. The Alicia Keys album is the one that sold four million copies. Personally, I think the Alicia Keys album is better, end to end, as an album, than the India Arie album is, though it's a very nice album. (Soundbite of music) Ms. Alicia Keys: (Singing) I start falling back in love with you. I keep on falling in and out of love with you. I never loved someone the way that I love you. Oh, baby... Simeone: Well, so what's going on? Why does one get so many nominations and one gets shut out? Mr. Pareles: Well, Alicia Keys didn't exactly get shut out. She got six to India Arie's seven. It's just that album of the year category. Why? This is the mystery of the Grammys, and no one quite understands the mystery of the Grammys, including those of us who've been watching it for decade upon decade. They always do something goofy, and this is a goofy thing. Simeone: And by the way, who are "they?" You say "they" always come up with something funny. Who are "they?" Mr. Pareles: "They" is pretty much the established music industry. To vote for the Grammy Awards, you have to have amassed six credits on an album. You can be executive producer, you can be producer, you can be a session man, you can be a liner notes writer, you can be an art director, but you have to have six credits. So these are the people who are in it for their career, and that includes the guys who have made six albums, it includes the guys who have made 106 albums. Simeone: Well, two veterans are up for album of the year: Bob Dylan for Love and Theft, U2 for All That You Can't Leave Behind. Do you think either one of them has a shot against the popular O Brother, Where Art Thou?? soundtrack? Mr. Pareles: Oh, definitely. U2 is -- I mean, I'm not Jimmy the Greek, but I would lay odds on U2 winning it. (Soundbite of music) U2: (Singing) And if the darkness is to keep us apart. And if the daylight feels like it's a long way off. Mr. Pareles: This has also been a year when what U2 is saying on that album, which is full of hope and full of reassurance and full of God-fearing reassurance in a lot of places -- this is what people want to hear after September 11th, so much as I love the Bob Dylan album, I have the feeling that U2's got the edge. (Soundbite of music) U2: (Singing) What you got, they can't steal it, no way can evil seize it. Walk on. Walk on. Simeone: You've already mentioned a nomination that was kind of puzzling, or a set of nominations, that is, opposing India Arie and Alicia Keys. Any other nominations that don't quite make sense to you? Mr. Pareles: I don't have that many quibbles with them this year, because I've learned not to expect too much from them. The other oddity is, there's a song called "Drops of Jupiter," by a totally undistinguished folk-rock group -- I'm going to get letters -- a totally undistinguished folk-rock group called Train, and it's up for song of the year. The string arrangement behind it is up for an award. This is inexplicable to me. (Soundbite of music) Train: (Singing) Tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet? Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day, made it back to the Milky Way. Simeone: Jon, your predictions for the major categories. Mr. Pareles: Oh, let me warn your listeners not to place any money on these, because I'm always wrong, but I predict a U2 sweep. I just think that the momentum behind them, the fact that their songs are saying what people want to hear, and the fact that it's a really good album, all make it kind of unbeatable. I predict for best new artist, where Indian Arie is in contention with Alicia Keys, I would go for Alicia Keys. I would put my money on Alicia Keys. I think she's going to beat India Arie in that category, especially when people realize that they can't vote for her for album of the year. Simeone: Jon Pareles writes for the New York Times. Thank you, Jon. Mr. Pareles: Thanks. (Soundbite of music) Ms. Keys: (Singing) Oh, oh, I never felt this way. How do you give me so much pleasure and cause me so much pain? Yeah. Yeah. Just when I think I've taken more than one fool, I start falling back in love with you. I keep on falling in and out of love with you. I never loved someone -- someone -- the way that I -- the way that I -- love you. Simeone: And for this evening, that's All Things Considered. (Credits) Simeone: And I'm Lisa Simeone. Good evening from Weekend All Things Considered and NPR News. (Soundbite of music) Ms. Keys: (Singing) ...the way that I love you. © NPR, 2002. All rights reserved.
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