Rank: 2/5
Music is a universal force responsible for bringing people from all walks of life together. The Grammy Awards have kept this goal in mind for over half a century.
The 58th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Feb. 15, hosted by LL Cool J. The highly anticipated awards, honoring the best recordings, compositions and artists of the eligibility year, were heightened by the Jan. 22 release of the 21st annual compilation CD.
“All things are possible on the Grammy Awards,” Grammys producer Kenneth Ehrlich said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
The element of surprise is one of the trademarks of the show and Ehrlich’s point was proven in 2014 when the awards made history for an on-air mass marriage of 33 couples.
The CD offers country, pop, rock, rap, soul, R&B, folk and indie music. Typical award show frontrunners are included like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, this time featured by Mark Ronson and Carrie Underwood. But, listeners won’t find all nominees on the album, only a select few are showcased.
The album also features The Weeknd, Maroon 5, Alabama Shakes, Kendrick Lamar, James Bay and Sam Hunt.
While the nominated songs are good at first, most have been ruined over the past few months by being played into the ground by the American Top 40. These instant classics are overplayed and quickly become the songs we love to hate.
The album mainly consists of bubblegum pop and many of the few songs which actually deserved their nomination were left off.
Big Sean’s “One Man Can Change The World” featuring Kanye West and John Legend, Common and John Legend’s “Glory,” Blake Shelton’s “Lonely Tonight” featuring Ashley Monroe and Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen” were all snubbed.
The album also did away with many genres altogether. Latin, Americana, bluegrass, jazz, gospel, reggae, metal, world music and musical theater were all left out.
This year’s Grammy CD, while somewhat of a disappointment, should be in stark contrast with the awards themselves, which are always considered one of the biggest events of the year.