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A beaming Adele backstage after her Grammy domination. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
“Adele‘s performance is the best tribute to Whitney,” comedian Mo Rocca tweeted during tonight’s Grammys (February 12). “Brilliant unvarnished VOCALS.”
Yes, Whitney Houston‘s passing on the eve of the Grammys has created a dialogue about how “manufactured” music has become since the pop icon’s heyday. Much has been said about the purity of Houston’s instrument, the result of talent and technical skill and not Autotune.
With Houston’s death casting a shadow upon the Grammy ceremony, the industry selected their heir to Whitney’s throne. And she wasn’t Jennifer Hudson, who certainly did Houston proud with a powerful, if abbreviated, performance of “I Will Always Love You.”
“We have a new queen,” Twitter user Rebecca Haigh wrote tonight, “Her name is Adele — nothing could touch her performance tonight. Talent, grace, and an incredible voice.”
The British singer took home all six Grammys for which she was nominated, including the top three general-field trophies – Album, Record, and Song of the Year. It was a massive haul on a night that also saw Adele return to form with her first live performance since undergoing throat surgery. Performing her massive hit “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele didn’t go full-throttle on her voice, but she commanded the crowd and received the most rousing and sustained ovation of the night.
We must ask: has a star in recent years been so equally adored by critics, fans, and industry folks? She stands out as a singular presence in the current music scene, relying on neither studio tricks or sexuality to move records.
The singer, speaking with a thick British accent resulting in pronunciations like “Fank you,” was reduced to tears upon winning the night’s biggest award, Album of the Year. “I just wanna say, Mum, your girl did good!” And turning from the crowd and wiping her nose, she said, “Oh my God. I’ve got a bit of snot.” For anyone else, that would have been a TMI, but for the newly crowned monarch, it was charming and down-to-earth.
Adele wasn’t the only Brit to make an impact at last night’s Grammys. Sir Paul McCartney stood out amongst a rocker lineup of elder statesmen including show opener Bruce Springsteen and — yes, ’90s babies, he’s a veteran now — Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters. Springsteen and Grohl joined Macca for a thunderous jam-session finale of the medley from The Beatles‘s Abbey Road. That was a goosebump moment, making up for Sir Paul’s drowsy rendition of a track from his latest album earlier in the show.
Brit rockers Coldplay performed alongside Rihanna, but their set was more notable for Rihanna’s midriff and Chris Martin‘s toned arms than for anything musical. Elsewhere, Justin Vernon of the U.S. band Bon Iver, a questionable choice for Best New Artist giving their previous album in 2008, disarmed the crowd and maintained some indie cred with his winner’s speech: “It’s really hard to accept this award. There’s so much talent out there and on this stage. There’s so much talent that’s not here.” And he added, “To the Grammy voters, thanks for the hook-up.”
As for the Whitney tributes, beyond Hudson’s short performance, they were kept to a surprising minimum in light of the wall-to-wall coverage of her death on news networks. LL Cool J, displaying remarkable gravitas as a host, immediately remarked upon Houston’s passing in the opening, “There’s no way around this. There’s been a death in the family. Let us begin with a prayer for our fallen sister.” Alicia Keys, Rihanna, and a harmonica-wielding Stevie Wonder all singled out Houston in asides. Meanwhile, the late British singer-songwriter Amy Winehouse received no special tribute during the primetime telecast, apart from leading off the “In Memoriam” segment.
What did you think of tonight’s Grammys?
7 Comments
Well, I TRIED Not to cry—but when Jennifer Hudson sang ” THE” Whitney song–could not help it. Very cool that Foo Fighters won–REAL Rock & Roll Still lives ! They recorded that album in Dave’s GARAGE–NO STUPID electronics & over produced music !! Saw Adele on 60 minutes, before the Grammys—she is soo REAL–deserves any award she gets ! Umm–what is with Paul McCartney’s HAIR ? Since When is he a GINGER???
Congrats Adele! She was so deserving of everything she won last night. And, thank you for bringing class back to performance. When one has true talent, it is not necessary to come out showing everything the stork saw, or create a circus like atmosphere to announce your arrival. Adele doesn’t need the props to perform. She had God-given talent. Can’t wait to hear her next album!
“*THE* Whitney song”? LOL. That means her best song was a cover of another artist. Nice. Dolly sang it first and sang it with the emotion that only the writer of such a song can bring forth. Whitney sang an excellent version of the song, but it was not real to her in the same way.
Forgot to explain my question about Paul McCartney’s hair—when he Finally recieved his Star on the walk of fame–the sun was shining on his hair—it looked Really Ginger/brown. I have Loved the Beatles for years–and Paul’s hair has always been dark brown.
The Grammy’s were a failure of sorts. There were several themes none really coming together Ll Cool J, Adele and Jennifer saved the day barely. Seriously, where was a recognition of Amy WineHouse who had some amazing music and where was a real tribute to Whitney…in fact, the whole memoroum looked like an after thought and the quick flash of faces name and blurbs of songs was neurotic. I think they should think simple. We need to have artists perform but have some award show left. I couldn’t tell if I was watching an award show or a bad hodge podge of concerts accidently scheduled at the same venue. So much musical talent untapped and creativity left untouched. Next year I hope they slow down and actually plan it out and really think on what the Grammy’s are about and touch base with their past.
Oh yeah and Nikki Minaj’s and Katy Perry’s performances were so hyped…girls Gaga already did that and she did it well.I felt very mediocre performances and lacked serious artistry or thought. I was truley disappointed
MAYBE THIS GENERATION HAS FINALLY BECOME TIRES OF THE NO TALENT MEGA NOTHINGS WHO STRUT AND FRET THEIR HOUR ON THE STAGE AND SIGNIFY NOTHING
ADELE IS A TRUE BREATH OF FRESH AIR, BECAUSE OF HER, GOOD MUSIC WILL LIVE ON AND MUSIC, LYRICS. MUSICAL NOTES HARMONY AND ALL THE BEAUTIFUL THINGS ABOUT MUSIC WILL NOT BE LOST . A DUET WITH MADAME STREISAND WOULD BE HEAVEN ON EARTH!!!