Hello everyone.
Welcome to my review of the 57th Annual Grammy Awards.
Let's get things straight: it was kinda boring. Many of the performances had everyone confined to standing in front of mic stands or instruments or just stand. And there was less background stuff (lights, pyro, ect.) than before, and usually that hurts my eyes, but this time around it's just so-so. I mean, nothing much excited me. I honestly enjoyed the music, but the extra stuff was just bare. I guess the producers realized music does matter over pizzazz, but the viewers watching really don't. I do, however.
We start off with AC/DC rocking out to their classics "Rock or Bust" and "Highway to Hell". These guys still got it. No matter how old they are.
Host LL Cool J came to the stage performing the chorus of his classic "Going Back to Cali" (which makes no sense as the Grammy have been held in Cali since 2004) and then did something different. Instead of a comedic monologue, he instead mentioned the act performing this year
Ariana Grande performed a new song (which'll definitely be another hit for her) "Just A Little Bit of Your Heart" a love ballad for the age. My God, her voice is so beautiful, just like her and her outfit. It was a small, simple performance, but this was nonetheless perfect. If this is the start of a more mature Ariana, I must ask, what about the start of her career? She's always been mature about her music, lyric-wise and behavior-wise. So she's alright for a long time.
Jessie J and the legendary Sir Tom Jones came together for a duet to celebrate the marriage of . This was another great performance. Both singers hit the mark and beyond, both individually and together.
Miranda Lambert sang "Little Red Wagon", and just proves why she is one of the hottest acts in Country. The song is red-hot, and her vocals were red-hot. But to me, they sound like something a whiny, obnoxious, clingy, 12-year-old with relationship issues would sing.
He's back. After 6 years, Kanye West returns to perform a new song "Only One". His performance is really good and the lyrics are beautiful but, Kanye sounded terrible on that butt-load of Auto-Tune. I mean really terrible. But he was wonderful here.
And straight after that, another return to the stage. This time from the Lady of Sex and More Sex herself (and someone Miley Cyrus referred to as "our bitch"), Madonna. Basically, from watching this, I feel that I'm going to Hell when I die. Seriously, Matadors and bulls mixed with Madonna's usual mix of BDSM and creepiness.
Her vocals were really good, though.
Ed Sheeran has really had a great career these past few years (it's like he doesn't need Grammys) and that really shows in his performance of "Thinking Out Loud" with his special guests John Mayer, ?uestlove of The Roots, Adam Blackstone and Herbie Hancock. This had to be one of my favorite performances the moment his name, Mayer's, ?uest's, Blackstone's and Hancock's names were announced. This wonderful sound of the instruments meshing just made it work. It's a soft, soothing performance I just love.
Straight after, Jeff Lynne and Electric Light Orchestra performed their classic hits "Evil Woman" and while being joined by Sheeran, "Blue Sky". This is just an extension of magic. The band still has it, because it never left. My God, I've been missing a lot in music.
Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine and fellow The Voice coach Gwen Stefani sing a beautiful rendition of the band's song "My Heart is Open". Both singers' vocals were really good and I kinda enjoyed this one.
Hozier performed his breakthrough "Take Me to Church" with icon Annie Lennox. I had no words; but that they were so damn good. You know it could get better from here. And it did when Ms. Lennox peroformed a classic by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, "I Put A Spell on You" with Hozier on guitar. Dang it, I gotta say this: best performance of the night SO FAR.
Pharrell Williams made us feel good in a different way, performing the hit he'll probably get tired of singing in a few years, "Happy", this time as a partial spoken word with help from well-beloved pianist and iconic score maker Hans Zimmer. All I could notice is the outfit he wore, which was like a bellhop. But boy, was this amazing.
Katy Perry sang "By the Grace of God" (a song that has nothing to do with religion, but about her divorce from Russell Brand) in front of what clearly was a screen behind her. Her vocals were very well, and although the screen was distracting, it really helped make this performance a little better...and almost make me cry. I would've loved the performance even more if the title was different.
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett just make me happy every time they perform together, this time with "Cheek to Cheek". My Gosh, if their album didn't bring back Classical and Standards back in a great way, I don't know what will.
Usher performed "If It's Magic", one of the immortal classics by an immortal musician, Stevie Wonder. His vocals were amazing, almost as amazing those of Mr. Wonder himself, who would later appear at the end of the performance. The song here almost putting me in a wonderful trance I really wouldn't mind being trapped in. Probably because of the harp player's skills.
Eric Church performed "Give Me Back My Hometown". I'm not into Country that much, so I didn't enjoy it that much. He was good.
Rihanna performed a new song, "FourFiveSeconds" with Kanye West and Paul McCartney. It was fine, but...Kanye sucks at singing, Rihanna was weak, and McCartney was pretty much drowned out by everything else. So yeah, it was crap.
Sam Smith sings "Stay with Me" for the 100th time on TV (this year; just kidding) with his guest Mary J. Blige. It was...fine. No, it's not either singer that's at fault here (as both were so amazing), it's that this song has gotten irritating to me now. I play songs on YT and on my playlists a lot, so I never know when it's enough for me to stop, but when this song comes up, I get less interested to listen, and then I stop altogether. So, yeah, really fine performance here, but this is probably the last time I here "Stay with Me" for a while.
Sia sang her monster hit "Chandelier"
Like Stay with Me, I've also really got annoyed with this song. I've heard this many times since the first time I've heard it, and it's been in my heard ever since. It's an over-glorified drunken party girl song, that's it. It's a really good song, but it's so over the place, that it's beginning to annoy me, maybe more than the latter song. So basically, this performance here is just like her last ones, just a little kid in a wig doing artsy-yet-funny dances all around a dingy room. There isn't much from it for me.
Oh yeah, and Kristen Wiig was in it. I knew from her SNL performance that it would be funny and someone from that show would be in it. Fortunately, I was satisfied on both fronts. You can't tell me it's not supposed to be funny when the woman behind Gilly, Target Lady and the Female A-Hole is a part of it.
Beyonce performed a hymn "Take My Hand Hand, Precious Lord". I felt many a feeling from this one, left me speechless, and almost cried from her vocals. Beyonce just did that, and made one of the best performances of the entire show.
She later led to Common and John Legend performing their song "Glory" from the soundtrack of critically-acclaimed film "Selma". And My God, this was also gave me many feelings and left me speechless. These two performances end the 57th Grammys on a somber not, but they also ended it on a great note, too.
Here are my Top 5 favorite performances:
5-Pharrell-"Happy"
4-Sam Smith with Mary J. Blige-"Stay with Me"
3-Ed Sheeran and Friends-"Thinking Out Loud" and Jeff Lynne's ELO-"Evil Woman" & "Mr. Blue Sky" w/ Ed Sheeran
2-Beyonce-"Take My Hand, Precious Child" & Common and John Legend-"Glory"
1-Hozier-"Take Me to Church" & Annie Lennox-"I Put A Spell on You"
Thank you all for joining me for my review of the 57th Grammy Awards. Have a good one.
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