Grammy Nominations 2009

The 52nd annual Grammy nominations came out last night with one glaring omission. Green Day’s excellent 21st Century Breakdown was not nominated for Album of the Year. How is that possible? While I like the new Dave Matthews Band Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King album, it’s not better than Green Day. The Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D. sure as hell isn’t. While I’m sure Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Beyonce have their moments, song for song, there is no way they compare with Green Day.

Bruce Springsteen showed up as a courtesy in a few of categories. Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song for “Working On A Dream” and for his “Sea of Heartbreak” duet with Rosanne Cash, but his Working On A Dream album was a no-show. Producer Brendan O’Brien, however, is up for Producer of the Year. U2’s weak No Line On The Horizon LP also appeared in couple of categories, but was shut out of the major ones. Steve Earle’s excellent Townes showed up in the Best Comtemporary Folk Album along with Neko Case’s Middle Cyclone and Elvis Costello’s  Secret, Profane and Sugar Cane (I love Costello, but this is a joke). Wilco, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams and Levon Helm were also nominated for “Best Americana Album.”

Some pleasant surprises (besides the Americana category) include Adele’s nomination for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance for “Hometown Glory,” Willie Nelson’s American Classic nominated for Best Traditional Vocal Performance, AC/DC’s Black Ice up for Best Rock Album and Megadeth’s Head Crusher being recognized in the “Best Metal Performance.”

The show airs on CBS Sunday, Jan. 31. Maybe Kanye West will steal someone’s thunder again. Maybe Lady Gaga will poor blood on herself again, or maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to see Wilco, Steve Earle, Springsteen/Cash or AC/DC play live. We can only hope.

2009 Grammy Nominations

Review: “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King,” Dave Matthews Band

I became an instant fan of the Dave Matthews Band when I heard their first album in the mid-90s, but quickly soured on them after the third album.  It all started sounding the same and became quite boring.  However, my attitude has changed completely after listening to their excellent new disc, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King.  Try saying that ten times fast.

The death of saxophonist LeRoi Moore earlier this year is felt throughout the 13 songs that were recorded in New Orleans with producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day’s American Idiot). Moore was one of the band’s co-founders who helped propel the band to superstardom with tunes that included elements of jazz, funk, and rock. His loss is monumental, but before he left this earth, he contributed to what, in my opinion, is the band’s second best album.

New Stuff!

              

Hey, that’s pretty funny – Dave Matthews Band and Black Sabbath together!  Ahem.  OK, we got some new stuff from various sources and without making any value judgements, thought we’d present to you (for a limited time only!). UPDATE: Sorry, time’s up – links removed.

The Dave Matthews Band has Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King coming out on June 2.  The album is named after and dedicated to band member Leroi Moore, who died last August.

MP3: “Funny How It Is” by the Dave Matthews Band

Heaven and Hell is the perfectly legal name for the band formerly known as Black Sabbath, led by the perfectly venerable Ronnie James Dio.  Their newest, The Devil You Know, comes out April 28 and the first single is titled, appropriately, “Bible Black.”

MP3: “Bible Black” by Heaven and Hell

No need to further introduce Bob Dylan – his 46th album is titled Together Through Life, and “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’ ” is the first single.  Check out that cool guitar solo from Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers).  This is an unusual Dylan album in that all of the songs here were co-written: Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter collaborated on the words for nine of the 10 songs while “My Wife’s Home Town” co-credits long-dead bluesman Willie Dixon.  Y0u can read more about that here.

MP3: “Beyond Here Lies Nothin’ ” by Bob Dylan

Death Cab For Cutie has a new EP, The Open Door, out now.   It includes five tracks, with four previously unreleased songs and a demo version of “Talking Bird” from the 2008 studio album Narrow Stairs.

MP3: “My Mirror Speaks (EP version)” by Death Cab For Cutie

Fastball is an Austin-based unit that had a hit a long time ago with “The Way.”  Miles Zuniga and Co. are back, with the new album Little White Lies, out now.  The title track is a good sample of their catchy power pop.

MP3: “Little White Lies” by Fastball

Sonic Youth just joined Matador Records, and the new album The Eternal is coming June 9.  “Sacred Trickster” is a Kim Gordon tune that’s the leadoff song and first single.

MP3: “Sacred Trickster” by Sonic Youth