Blogging the 2023 Grammys – Category 1 – Record Of The Year

Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s) and mastering engineer(s), if other than the artist.

• Don’t Shut Me Down
  ABBA
  Benny Andersson, producer; Benny Andersson & Bernard Löhr, engineers/mixers; Björn Engelmann, mastering engineer
• Easy On Me
  Adele
  Greg Kurstin, producer; Julian Burg, Tom Elmhirst & Greg Kurstin, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
• BREAK MY SOUL
  Beyoncé
  Beyoncé, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Jens Christian Isaksen & Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, producers; Brandon Harding, Chris McLaughlin & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer
• Good Morning Gorgeous
  Mary J. Blige
  D’Mile & H.E.R., producers; Bryce Bordone, Serban Ghenea & Pat Kelly, engineers/mixers
• You And Me On The Rock
  Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius
  Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell, Tom Elmhirst & Michael Harris, engineers/mixers; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer
• Woman
  Doja Cat
  Crate Classics, Linden Jay, Aynzli Jones & Yeti Beats, producers; Jesse Ray Ernster & Rian Lewis, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
• Bad Habit
  Steve Lacy
  Steve Lacy, producer; Neal Pogue & Karl Wingate, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
• The Heart Part 5
  Kendrick Lamar
  Beach Noise, producer; Beach Noise, Rob Bisel, Ray Charles Brown Jr., James Hunt, Johnny Kosich, Matt Schaeffer & Johnathan Turner, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer
• About Damn Time
  Lizzo
  Ricky Reed & Blake Slatkin, producers; Patrick Kehrier, Bill Malina & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer
• As It Was
  Harry Styles
  Tyler Johnson & Kid Harpoon, producers; Jeremy Hatcher & Spike Stent, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

Well, here I am. I made it with hours to spare, through over 4,200 tracks. I started the day they announced the nominees. I am not sure I’ll do this again – I’ve done it for a few years now.

So, “Record of the Year.” This is supposed to be the “it” song of the year. The song everyone liked and couldn’t get away from.

I had only heard one of these songs before starting this madness. The Beyoncé album had crossed my path. Now, is it Record of the Year? Oddly, to my ears, no. That honor goes to Lizzo. She has the perfect “lockdown is over” anthem, announcing “it’s bad b*tch o’clock” right at the outset.

Now to watch the show this afternoon (yes, they give out the awards in an online broadcast starting at 3:30 PM EST – those are the awards I actually care about since I listened to every damn one of them – I MUST KNOW WHO WINS BEST ENGINNERED CLASSICAL ALBUM!

I will post a follow-up on my thoughts on these silly, irrelevant awards.

Thanks for reading! I hope I suggested some new music for you to listen to that you enjoy.

Blogging the 2023 Grammys – Category 2 – Album Of The Year

Award to Artist(s) and to Featured Artist(s), Songwriter(s) of new material, Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s), Mixer(s) and Mastering Engineer(s).

• Voyage
  ABBA
  Benny Andersson, producer; Benny Andersson & Bernard Löhr, engineers/mixers; Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, songwriters; Björn Engelmann, mastering engineer
• 30
  Adele
  Shawn Everett, Ludwig Göransson, Inflo, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Joey Pecoraro & Shellback, producers; Julian Burg, Steve Churchyard, Tom Elmhirst, Shawn Everett, Serban Ghenea, Sam Holland, Michael Ilbert, Inflo, Greg Kurstin, Riley Mackin & Lasse Mårtén, engineers/mixers; Adele Adkins, Ludwig Göransson, Dean Josiah Cover, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin & Shellback, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
• Un Verano Sin Ti
  Bad Bunny
  Rauw Alejandro, Buscabulla, Chencho Corleone, Jhay Cortez, Tony Dize, Bomba Estéreo & The Marías, featured artists; Demy & Clipz, Elikai, HAZE, La Paciencia, Cheo Legendary, MAG, MagicEnElBeat, Mora, Jota Rosa, Subelo Neo & Tainy, producers; Josh Gudwin & Roberto Rosado, engineers/mixers; Raul Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, Raquel Berrios, Joshua Conway, Mick Coogan, Orlando Javier Valle Vega, Jesus Nieves Cortes, Luis Del Valle, Marcos Masis, Gabriel Mora, Elena Rose, Liliana Margarita Saumet & Maria Zardoya, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer
• RENAISSANCE
  Beyoncé
  Beam, Grace Jones & Tems, featured artists; Jameil Aossey, Bah, Beam, Beyoncé, Bloodpop, Boi-1Da, Cadenza, Al Cres, Mike Dean, Honey Dijon, Kelman Duran, Harry Edwards, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Ivor Guest, Guiltybeatz, Hit-Boy, Jens Christian Isaksen, Leven Kali, Lil Ju, MeLo-X, No I.D., NovaWav, Chris Penny, P2J, Rissi, S1a0, Raphael Saadiq, Neenyo, Skrillex, Luke Solomon, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Jahaan Sweet, Syd, Sevn Thomas, Sol Was & Stuart White, producers; Chi Coney, Russell Graham, Guiltybeatz, Brandon Harding, Hotae Alexander Jang, Chris McLaughlin, Delroy “Phatta” Pottinger, Andrea Roberts, Steve Rusch, Jabbar Stevens & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Denisia “@Blu June” Andrews, Danielle Balbuena, Tyshane Thompson, Kevin Marquis Bellmon, Sydney Bennett, Beyoncé, Jerel Black, Michael Tucker, Atia Boggs p/k/a Ink, Dustin Bowie, David Debrandon Brown, S. Carter, Nija Charles, Sabrina Claudio, Solomon Fagenson Cole, Brittany “@Chi_Coney” Coney, Alexander Guy Cook, Lavar Coppin, Almando Cresso, Mike Dean, Saliou Diagne, Darius Dixson, Jocelyn Donald, Jordan Douglas, Aubrey Drake Graham, Kelman Duran, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Dave Giles II, Derrick Carrington Gray, Nick Green, Larry Griffin Jr, Ronald Banful, Dave Hamelin, Aviel Calev Hirschfield, Chauncey Hollis, Jr., Ariowa Irosogie, Leven Kali, Ricky Lawson, Tizita Makuria, Julian Martrel Mason, Daniel Memmi, Cherdericka Nichols, Ernest “No I.D.” Wilson, Temilade Openiyi, Patrick Paige II From The Internet, Jimi Stephen Payton, Christopher Lawrence Penny, Michael Pollack, Richard Isong, Honey Redmond, Derek Renfroe, Andrew Richardson, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers, Oliver Rodigan, Freddie Ross, Raphael Saadiq, Matthew Samuels, Sean Seaton, Skrillex, Corece Smith, Luke Francis Matthew Solomon, Jabbar Stevens, Christopher A. Stewart, Jahaan Sweet, Rupert Thomas, Jr. & Jesse Wilson, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer
• Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
  Mary J. Blige
  DJ Khaled, Dave East, Fabolous, Fivio Foreign, Griselda, H.E.R., Jadakiss, Moneybagg Yo, Ne-Yo, Anderson .Paak, Remy Ma & Usher, featured artists; Alissia, Tarik Azzouz, Bengineer, Blacka Din Me, Rogét Chahayed, Cool & Dre, Ben Billions, DJ Cassidy, DJ Khaled, D’Mile, Wonda, Bongo Bytheway, H.E.R., Hostile Beats, Eric Hudson, London On Da Track, Leon Michels, Nova Wav, Anderson.Paak, Sl!Mwav, Streetrunner, Swizz Beatz & J White Did It, producers; Derek Ali, Ben Chang, Luis Bordeaux, Bryce Bordone, Lauren D’Elia, Chris Galland, Serban Ghenea, Akeel Henry, Jaycen Joshua, Pat Kelly, Jhair Lazo, Shamele Mackie, Manny Marroquin, Dave Medrano, Ari Morris, Parks, Juan Peña, Ben Sedano, Kev Spencer, Julio Ulloa & Jodie Grayson Williams, engineers/mixers; Alissia Beneviste, Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, Archer, Bianca Atterberry, Tarik Azzouz, Mary J. Blige, David Brewster, David Brown, Shawn Butler, Rogét Chahayed, Ant Clemons, Brittany “Chi” Coney, Kasseem Dean, Benjamin Diehl, DJ Cassidy, Jocelyn Donald, Jerry Duplessis, Uforo Ebong, Dernst Emile II, John Jackson, Adriana Flores, Gabriella Wilson, Shawn Hibbler, Charles A. Hinshaw, Jamie Hurton, Eric Hudson, Jason Phillips, Khaled Khaled, London Holmes, Andre “Dre” Christopher Lyon, Reminisce Mackie, Leon Michels, Jerome Monroe, Jr., Kim Owens, Brandon Anderson, Jeremie “Benny The Butcher” Pennick, Bryan Ponce, Demond “Conway The Machine” Price, Peter Skellern, Shaffer Smith, Nicholas Warwar, Deforrest Taylor, Tiara Thomas, Marcello “Cool” Valenzano, Alvin “Westside Gunn” Worthy, Anthony Jermaine White & Leon Youngblood, songwriters
• In These Silent Days
  Brandi Carlile
  Lucius, featured artist; Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell, Dave Cobb, Tom Elmhirst, Michael Harris & Shooter Jennings, engineers/mixers; Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer
• Music Of The Spheres
  Coldplay
  BTS, Jacob Collier, Selena Gomez & We Are KING, featured artists; Jacob Collier, Daniel Green, Oscar Holter, Jon Hopkins, Max Martin, Metro Boomin, Kang Hyo-Won, Bill Rahko, Bart Schoudel, Rik Simpson, Paris Strother & We Are KING, producers; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Jacob Collier, The Dream Team, Duncan Fuller, Serban Ghenea, Daniel Green, John Hanes, Jon Hopkins, Michael Ilbert, Max Martin, Bill Rahko, Bart Schoudel, Rik Simpson & Paris Strother, engineers/mixers; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Denise Carite, Will Champion, Jacob Collier, Derek Dixie, Sam Falson, Stephen Fry, Daniel Green, Oscar Holter, Jon Hopkins, Jung Ho-Seok, Chris Martin, Max Martin, John Metcalfe, Leland Tyler Wayne, Bill Rahko, Kim Nam-Joon, Jesse Rogg, Davide Rossi, Rik Simpson, Amber Strother, Paris Strother, Min Yoon-Gi, Federico Vindver & Olivia Waithe, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
• Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
  Kendrick Lamar
  Baby Keem, Blxst, Sam Dew, Ghostface Killah, Beth Gibbons, Kodak Black, Tanna Leone, Taylour Paige, Amanda Reifer, Sampha & Summer Walker, featured artists; The Alchemist, Baby Keem, Craig Balmoris, Beach Noise, Bekon, Boi-1da, Cardo, Dahi, DJ Khalil, The Donuts, FNZ, Frano, Sergiu Gherman, Emile Haynie, J.LBS, Mario Luciano, Tyler Mehlenbacher, OKLAMA, Rascal, Sounwave, Jahaan Sweet, Tae Beast, Duval Timothy & Pharrell Williams, producers; Derek Ali, Matt Anthony, Beach Noise, Rob Bisel, David Bishop, Troy Bourgeois, Andrew Boyd, Ray Charles Brown Jr., Derek Garcia, Chad Gordon, James Hunt, Johnny Kosich, Manny Marroquin, Erwing Olivares, Raymond J Scavo III, Matt Schaeffer, Cyrus Taghipour, Johnathan Turner & Joe Visciano, engineers/mixers; Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Hykeem Carter, Craig Balmoris, Beach Noise, Daniel Tannenbaum, Daniel Tannenbaum, Stephen Lee Bruner, Matthew Burdette, Isaac John De Boni, Sam Dew, Anthony Dixon, Victor Ekpo, Sergiu Gherman, Dennis Coles, Beth Gibbons, Frano Huett, Stuart Johnson, Bill K. Kapri, Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Daniel Krieger, Kendrick Lamar, Ronald LaTour, Mario Luciano, Daniel Alan Maman, Timothy Maxey, Tyler Mehlenbacher, Michael John Mulé, D. Natche, OKLAMA, Jason Pounds, Rascal, Amanda Reifer, Matthew Samuels, Avante Santana, Matt Schaeffer, Sampha Sisay, Mark Spears, Homer Steinweiss, Jahaan Akil Sweet, Donte Lamar Perkins, Duval Timothy, Summer Walker & Pharrell Williams, songwriters; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer
• Special
  Lizzo
  Benny Blanco, Quelle Chris, Daoud, Omer Fedi, ILYA, Kid Harpoon, Ian Kirkpatrick, Max Martin, Nate Mercereau, The Monsters & Strangerz, Phoelix, Ricky Reed, Mark Ronson, Blake Slatkin & Pop Wansel, producers; Benny Blanco, Bryce Bordone, Jeff Chestek, Jacob Ferguson, Serban Ghenea, Jeremy Hatcher, Andrew Hey, Sam Holland, ILYA, Stefan Johnson, Jens Jungkurth, Patrick Kehrier, Ian Kirkpatrick, Damien Lewis, Bill Malina, Manny Marroquin & Ricky Reed, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Daoud Anthony, Jonathan Bellion, Benjamin Levin, Thomas Brenneck, Christian Devivo, Omer Fedi, Eric Frederic, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Melissa Jefferson, Jordan K Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Ian Kirkpatrick, Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Nate Mercereau, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Michael Neil, Michael Pollack, Mark Ronson, Blake Slatkin, Peter Svensson, Gavin Chris Tennille, Theron Makiel Thomas, Andrew Wansel & Emily Warren, songwriters; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer
• Harry’s House
  Harry Styles
  Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Sammy Witte, producers; Jeremy Hatcher, Oli Jacobs, Nick Lobel, Spike Stent & Sammy Witte, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Mitch Rowland, Harry Styles & Sammy Witte, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

I’ve discussed all of these albums in earlier categories. Having listened to all of them, a few of them multiple times, my vote is for Beyoncé. I liked the Bad Bunny album also, and the Harry Styles. The other entries here aren’t those artist’s best work. The Beyoncé record is really kind of far out – it does not sound like a mainstream diva record at all. It’s actually groundbreaking. Industrial. The songs aren’t amazing, but the production and presentation are, now that I’ve heard it a few times, it’s actually quite amazing.

The ABBA album is actually embarrassing and had no business being nominated. Blech. The Adele album is too insular – there was nothing here for me to identify with. It’s a narcissist’s playpen. Mary J. Blige has a good record, but it isn’t Album of the Year. I am not a fan of Brandi Carlile, but that’s ok.
I liked the Coldplay more than I thought I would. They have a unique sound and are good at what they do – it just isn’t my thing – and this is not their best. The Kendrick Lamar sounds rushed – like they put out a record too soon. And that song with him just having an argument with a lady really got on my nerves. The Lizzo album has a few great singles, but overall it’s not solid.

Blogging the 2023 Grammys – Category 3 – Song Of The Year

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

• abcdefu
  Sara Davis, GAYLE & Dave Pittenger, songwriters (GAYLE)
• About Damn Time
  Melissa “Lizzo” Jefferson, Eric Frederic, Blake Slatkin & Theron Makiel Thomas, songwriters (Lizzo)
• All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)
  Liz Rose & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
• As It Was
  Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Harry Styles, songwriters (Harry Styles)
• Bad Habit
  Matthew Castellanos, Brittany Fousheé, Diana Gordon, John Carroll Kirby & Steve Lacy, songwriters (Steve Lacy)
• BREAK MY SOUL
  Beyoncé, S. Carter, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant & Christopher A. Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)
• Easy On Me
  Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)
• GOD DID
  Tarik Azzouz, E. Blackmon, Khaled Khaled, F. LeBlanc, Shawn Carter, John Stephens, Dwayne Carter, William Roberts & Nicholas Warwar, songwriters (DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy)
• The Heart Part 5
  Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar & Matt Schaeffer, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
• Just Like That
  Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

Song of the Year is for the song – not the record. Meaning this is the best SONG that anyone could cover – a future classic. The best SONG here is the Taylor Swift tune. It is actually a riveting piece of narrative music. The woman is up there with the great songwriters. Laugh at me if you want, but I’ve written a thousand songs, and I’ve never written a song this good. I tried to write a narrative song kind of like this once and it’s terrible. She NAILS IT. She is so much better than you think she is.

The Bonnie Raitt song is also a nice narrative – and I suspect she will win this award, because Grammy voters are old. They understand what this is – they don’t understand Kendrick Lamar. His song is fine – but it’s more of a RECORD.

My personal favorite RECORDS here would be Lizzo’s and Beyoncé’s, but as far as SONG? Taylor Swift is way above any of the other material here. The GAYLE song is just a half-assed joke. Why is that even here? That’s really an insult to the other nominees here.

Blogging the 2023 Grammys – Category 4 – Best New Artist

This category recognizes an artist whose eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.

• Anitta
• Omar Apollo
• DOMi & JD Beck
• Muni Long
• Samara Joy
• Latto
• Måneskin
• Tobe Nwigwe
• Molly Tuttle
• Wet Leg

TEN NOMINEES? Before starting this odyssey in November I had heard of exactly one of these artists. But I am old, so that’s ok. But these are Grammy-nominated “Best New Artists.” Let’s take a look at past winners:

1976: Starland Vocal Band beat out Boston, The Brothers Johnson, Wild Cherry, and Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band.

1973: Marvin Hamlisch

1978: A Taste of Honey

1977: Debby Boone

1991: Mark Cohn

2000: Shelby Lynne (ten years after her first album)

2010: Esperanza Spalding

Not exactly a prestigious award. I think Herb Alpert beat the Beatles for this in 1964.

I didn’t listen to the current album by each of these nominees – I picked the top four songs on TIDAL and listened to those. My favorite I had never heard of is Tobe Nwigwe. His song “Eat” is hilarious. It’s about wanting to be on a first name basis with Beyonce. “Fye Fye” is rowdy and loud.

Anitta is a Reggaetón artist – I liked her biggest songs. Not sure she should be the Best New Artist, however. Omar Apollo is a retro soul singer, which is fine, but Best New Artist? DOMi & JD Beck actually are doing stuff that’s new, and they are artistic – I wouldn’t pick them but they deserve to be nominated. Muni Long is a singer with a nice voice, she has a funny song about being a thug, and she cusses a lot. Best New Artist? Samara Joy is a traditional jazz vocalist. Nope. Latto is an entertaining one-hit wonder. Måneskin is a fairly awful rock band, although “SUPERMODEL” is catchy. Molly Tuttle is folky ‘newgrass.’ She’s fine – not setting my world on fire, though. I still like Wet Leg the best out of these, and I think they will win.

Blogging the 2023 Grammys – Category 5 – Best Pop Solo Performance

For new vocal or instrumental pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.

• Easy On Me
  Adele
• Moscow Mule
  Bad Bunny
• Woman
  Doja Cat
• Bad Habit
  Steve Lacy
• About Damn Time
  Lizzo
• As It Was
  Harry Styles

The Adele song is boring.

The Bad Bunny is ok – it has the Reggaetón beat I like.

Doja Cat has a catchy song. I listened to the clean version. She can sing AND rap!

I’m very surprised to see Steve Lacy here – I guess this was a hit? I liked his album.

The Lizzo song is the best song on her album. Does it rise to the level of Best Pop Solo Performance? What is Pop these days? Lizzo?

Harry Styles has the only actual “Pop” song in this category – it’s a catchy song, it’s got a good beat, and I can dance to it! What a talent!

Blogging the 2023 Grammys – Category 6 – Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.

• Don’t Shut Me Down
  ABBA
• Bam Bam
  Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran
• My Universe
  Coldplay & BTS
• I Like You (A Happier Song)
  Post Malone & Doja Cat
• Unholy
  Sam Smith & Kim Petras

The ABBA song is terrible.

Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran have a catchy song.

Coldplay & BTS have a very catchy song.

Post Malone & Doja Cat have a super catchy song.

Sam Smith & Kim Petras have a weird song.

Blogging the 2023 Grammys – Category 7 – Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new traditional pop recordings.

• Higher
  Michael Bublé
• When Christmas Comes Around…
  Kelly Clarkson
• I Dream Of Christmas (Extended)
  Norah Jones
• Evergreen
  Pentatonix
• Thank You
  Diana Ross

Here it is, February 4th at 10 PM, the night before the Grammys, and I am sitting here listening to Michael Bublé sing a Bob Dylan song in an arrangement suited for AM Radio Gold, and I don’t hate it. Bublé also covers Paul McCartney’s “Valentine” and it sounds great! The auto-tune on his records has bothered me in years past, but either he doesn’t use it as much or the technique has become better. He’s all over the place on this record – straying big-time from his bread and butter Sinatra-lite thing. Oh good, Willie Nelson stops buy to duet on “Crazy.” That one is pretty terrible. He also covers Sam Cooke’s “Bring it On Home to Me“, and that caused me to squinch up my face. Please, sir, step away from the Cooke. He also tackles a Barry White song in full disco mode. Moving on!

A Kelly Clarkson Christmas album is nominated. She sings very good. Chris Stapleton and Ariana Grande guest star. Do I have to listen to this? I’ll skip through it. “Christmas is Canceled” is cute girl-group stuff. “Santa Baby” is here. I am not going to listen to the entire record, but what I heard was ok. Check it out next year.

Oh good, another Christmas record. HEY GRAMMYS! IF YOUR CATEGORIES END UP WITH MULTIPLE CHRISTMAS RECORDS MAYBE RETHINK HAVING THE CATEGORY ANYMORE? This time it’s Ravi Shankar’s daughter, Nora Jones. The bonus tracks edition was nominated. Of course. So there are some originals on here – she has a great voice, and I look forward to listening to this next Christmas. For now, I’ll skip through. She does White Christmas, Blue Christmas, Winter Wonderland…it’s fine.

Continuing my miserable last-minute push to finish listening to these nominated records, I am confronted with Pentatonix. Vocalese. Up here in one of the top Grammy categories. And the Grammys can’t figure out why interest is waning in the Grammys. Guess what, this is another f’ing CHRISTMAS RECORD! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! They cover Paul McCartney’s Christmas song. “Home for the Holidays,” “I Saw Three Ships,” “Frosty the Snowman,” etc. are here, too. Is this a practical joke? Not the group – they are fine. WHY IS THIS NOMINATED FOR A GRAMMY. WHY DON’T THEY HAVE A CHRISTMAS CATEGORY.

I had only heard part of a song from the Diana Ross record before tonight. If you like auto-tuned Diana Ross then this will be your jam. No disrespect to Diana Ross, she has made tons of great records. “Thank You” here has a catchy chorus. Lots of slow songs here, a little boring. “Let’s Do It” is a little bouncy number, but there’s honestly no reason for this record to exist, much less be nominated for a Grammy. She doesn’t stand a chance against those three Christmas records!

Blogging the 2023 Grammys – Category 8 – Best Pop Vocal Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new pop vocal recordings.

• Voyage
  ABBA
• 30
  Adele
• Music Of The Spheres
  Coldplay
• Special
  Lizzo
• Harry’s House
  Harry Styles

Wow – there’s a lot of music here I didn’t enjoy. That ABBA is terrible. I hadn’t listened to it. I’ve never been a huge fan, but I don’t hate their big hits. This one is just terrible.

Adele has a solid, distinctive voice. She also has a short album. Good. I didn’t find anything here to draw me in, however. The songs aren’t compelling. The songs are self-involved and not really interesting.

Coldplay actually had a few good toe-tappers on here. The opening track, which is a symbol, was my favorite. Reminded me of “Boys of Summer.”

The Lizzo album had three good tunes – “About Damn Time” was my favorite, “Grrrls” is based on the Beastie Boys song “Girls” which was kind of unexpected. I forget what the third song was. Her previous album was much better.

Harry Styles has the best album here – I talked about it in an earlier category. I am hoping he wins this category.

Blogging the 2023 Grammys – Category 9 – Best Dance/Electronic Recording

For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.

• BREAK MY SOUL
  Beyoncé
  Beyoncé, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant, Jens Christian Isaksen & Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, producers; Stuart White, mixer
• Rosewood
  Bonobo
  Simon Green, producer; Simon Green, mixer
• Don’t Forget My Love
  Diplo & Miguel
  Diplo & Maximilian Jaeger, producers; Luca Pretolesi, mixer
• I’m Good (Blue)
  David Guetta & Bebe Rexha
  David Guetta & Timofey Reznikov, producers; David Guetta & Timofey Reznikov, mixers
• Intimidated
  KAYTRANADA Featuring H.E.R.
  H.E.R. & KAYTRANADA, producers; KAYTRANADA, mixer
• On My Knees
  RÜFÜS DU SOL
  Jason Evigan & RÜFÜS DU SOL, producers; Cassian Stewart-Kasimba, mixer

This type of thing isn’t really in my wheelhouse – the David Guetta was the most familiar-sounding record here – dance music blah blah blah. The rest was really chilled out except the Beyoncé. She will win, whatever that means.

Blogging the 2023 Grammys – Category 10 – Best Dance/Electronic Music Album

For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.

• Renaissance
  Beyoncé
• Fragments
  Bonobo
• Diplo
  Diplo
• The Last Goodbye
  ODESZA
• Surrender
  RÜFÜS DU SOL

This Beyoncé record has really grown on me. I’ve dabbled with it a few times since it came out. It is really adventurous and strange – one of the oddest mainstream artist records I can recall. To my ears it explores the edges of industrial music – and Grace Jones is on it! I will return to this one. Sounds great LOUD.

Bonobo is “soothing electronica.” I didn’t mind this one bit. I flagged “Otomo” here as a track I liked. I hit track number 4,000 of the Grammy Odyssey in this album. Lordy.

Diplo had a few catchy tracks – and no Anderson.Paak!

ODESZA was super-gauzy. I did like a few of the beats in some of the tracks – I was able to let most of it play all the way through. This entire category isn’t very festive – it’s very downbeat.

I assume RÜFÜS DU SOL is a vocalist – most of these songs had the same singer. I didn’t like this. Pretty sure Beyoncé is going to win this – which is weird she’s nominated in the EDM category. Grammy logic.