Search - Various Artists :: 2005 Grammy Nominees

What 2004 Had To Offer

GMac | Anywhere, USA | 02/05/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I know I've said this many times before, but here it goes again: 2004 was not a great year for music. With some exceptions; the overall music just lacked the vibes, zest and quality of the past few years. Thus the Grammys should have found the awards process easy this year because there wasn't too much worthy stuff. Yet, many of the best artists got "the short end of the stick" (i.e. Maroon 5 and Evanescence); while some got shut out completely (i.e. Jessica Simpson and Eamon). Consequently, the album "Grammy Nominees 2005" is not in the same league as the previous two. This years is ambitious thought as it covers nominees for nine (9) awards: Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal and Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group:

(1) Black Eyed Peas "Let's Get It Started" B+. Not a groundbreaking track for the group, but one that showcases their hot style and sizzling beats. It's not deep or anything, but is a catchy and breezy dance-rap that is impossible to dislike. This will always bring back memories of 2004.

(2) Ray Charles with Norah Jones "Here We Go Again" C+. Has a nice timeless charm, yet it never really has an impact of emotion. Ray is one of THE greatest artists ever, but his age shines through, and Norah doesn't offer too much. Listenable, but kinda unsessecary.*

(3) Green Day "American Idiot" A-. This is the best song Green Day has ever done. It has terrific insturmentals, but more importantly has a real message. Following the heals of "Where Is The Love?", this is another song which makes valid points in it's questioning of our society. At the bare minimum; this song truely does rock!

(4) Los Lonely Boys "Heaven" B. Yet another retro style R&B, rock or pop (or maybe all three) track in '04. Refreshing because they have their own unique musical blend; they call it "Tex Mex". Well made and entertaining, just not on the top of my play list.

(5) Alicia Keys "If I Ain't Got You" B+. Another victory from 2001's Best New Artist. Her voice and piano skills make another stylistic and quietly powerful R&B track. Alicia normally is more laid back than her peers, but especially here as she lets her voice shine to it's full potential.

(6) Usher "Burn" A-. A terrific Jermaine Dupri production, yet his work takes the backseat to Usher's vocals. Of all the songs he has recorded, this one represents the best range of Usher's vocals. No matter how many different highs and lows he uses, the lyrics keep the same heartbreaking tone throughout the song.

(7) Kanye West "Through The Wire" C. Kanye West has enjoyed chart success through alot of hype, but I find this song to be very pedestrian for rap. The lyrics don't define Kanye as an original rapper, and the use Chaka Kahn's "Through The Fire" doesn't make a very appealing beat.

(8) Maroon 5 "She Will Be Loved" A-. Maroon 5 are hands down THE Best New Artist of 2004. Their third single is also their best to date. This is a relaxed, beautiful and touching pop tune that really gets under the skin. The lyrics alone are enuogh to make this a wonderful song.

(9) Joss Stone "You Had Me" B+. I, for no reason, expected Norah Jones, but got Alanis Morissette. "You Had Me" is a tough, catchy and firey "female rage song" that even brings to mind Alanis' "You Oughta Know". It's very good, but I prefer the hip-hop influenced "Bounce" by Sarah Conner.

(10) Gretchen Wilson "Redneck Woman" A-. I'm not a big fan of country, but this is just about perfect for the genre. Very catchy and entertaining. Gretchen is happy to be herself and doesn't care what other people think. KInda the same charm that India.Arie has.

(11) Sheryl Crow "The First Cut Is The Deepest" A-. Another reminder that Sheryl is one of best artists of the last decade. This is deep, heartfelt and most of all; it is true. I even forgot that this was a remake of Rod Stewart. Happy 10th anniversary on the music front, Sheryl!

(12) Norah Jones "Sunrise" C. I do not like Norah, she's praised as a great singer but she is not. If this song has any purpose it is lost in the dragged out, boring style. "Don't Know Why" was not that good, but it atleast had some saving qualities; which are all together lacking here.

(13) Josh Groban "You Raise Me Up" B+. Josh finally hit the english language market and dominates it. His vocal range is so powerful that everything he sings is deep and heartfelt. This is a song that breaks down barriers and turns into a wonderful modern romantic song.

(14) John Mayer "Daughters" B. Yes, the song has a meaningful and important message, but the listener is kept distanced. It is very well crafted, but I prefer his songs with more zest. "No Such Thing", "Your Body Is A Wonderland" and "Bigger Than My Body" have meaning as well, but are far more memorable afterwards.

(15) Prince "Cinnamon Girl" B-. An entertaining song with a simple theme that just seems a little too standard. It's a pleasant listen, but lacks the flair of Prince's earlier work. Music has evolved alot since he first appeared in the late 70s, thus this seems like a small offering.

(16) Seal "Love's Divine" A-. Doesn't have QUITE the same impact as the tracks of "Seal [1994]", but it's still a very deep, beautiful and heartfelt song. Seal has one one of the best vocal ranges out there, and always has very touching lyics of deep beauty. This truly is a captivating male vocal performance.

(17) Evanescence "My Immortal" A. "Bring Me To Life" and "Going Under" had meaning, but this song captures a certain beauty which inspires the deepest emotions. The emotions slowly work their way out. The insturmentals are toned down, as this becomes an impressive voice piece for Amy Lee. This is one if the best songs of 2004.

(18) Brian Wilson "Good Vibrations" B-. Brian Wilson ws one of the Beach Boys, so this isn't a remake, but it feels like one. It sounds just like that classic song we all know, which is the problem. We've been there, done that; thus the impact has faded and it feels dated. Listenable, but why is it here?

(19) Elvis Costello & the Imposters "Monkey To Man" C. This is just standard and outdated; not an example of Elvis Costello's best work. The evolution themed content doesn't really have too much depth and feels tiresome. An old fashioned rock song that is utterly forgetable.

(20) U2 "Vertigo" A-. Not great U2, but a welcome addition to their impressive, ever growing discography. It captures alot of the techno/dance flair they used on the "Zooropa" LP. Catchy, skilled, passionate and somewhat original; this is definetly worth a listen.

(21) Beastie Boys "Ch-Check It Out" C. Just like everything else they Beastie Boys have done, which is what we don't want. They pioneered rap music, but this is average and derivative. It almost sounds as if the Beastie Boys are running on empty. Not a proud moment in their long careers.

Bottom Line: ***. The album falls short of the previous editons, but is still a good listen. The first half, in particular, rocks and flows so well, that the second half is kind of a let down. It's just that some of the tracks aren't very good. Also worthy of mention: a large number (12) tracks are listed as "Track Not Available"; Usher, Lil Jon & Ludacris' "Yeah!", Gwen Stefani's "What You Waitin' For", Hoobastank's "The Reason" and No Doubt's "It's My Life" would have made great additions. Atleast the album still works as a time capsule; for better or worse.

*Record Of The Year is supposed to be a commercially released single that "defined the year" and had an impact. This song did not even come near any charts and is generally unheard of. Why is it nominated along with the year's biggest song?

"

It's good.

Javier Lopez | Peru | 02/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"From my point of view the Grammy nominees or winners selection are not always the best but we will never know what's behind the real selection. This cd is very good but some songs don't have the level to be even nominated. You can compare this album and the rest of the ones of this category with the popular "Now" series. They're all very good but thre's has to be a difference in what you put on the Grammys.

Almost all the songs here charted on Billboard's Hot 100 and the albums from this songs were certified whether multi-platinum, platinum or gold.

What I like about this album is that you can find all kinds of music from R&B to Rock and even Soft Opera. The songs that I like the most are:

1-"HERE WE GO AGAIN" (Ray Charles and Norah Jones)

*This song won the record of the year award and it's really good.

2-"SUNRISE" (Norah Jones)

*Norah is a great performer and now she has 8 Grammys and they're very well deserved.

3-"DAUGHTERS" (John Mayer)

*Won a Grammy for song of the year. John is a very talented singer.

4-"BURN" (Usher)

*This singer was the sensation of 2004 with big hits. This song is very good. What I found very good this time from the Grammys is that they're not giving lots of Grammys to "Impact" singers. Let's face it, Usher is good but it's known that when his next album comes out it will go nowhere comparing it with this one. Look what happened to singers like JaRule or Shaggy.

5-"YOU HAD ME" (Joss Stone)

*Very good song and fantastic singer. I feel sorry that she didn't win a Grammy.

6-"SHE WILL BE LOVED" (Maroon 5)

*One of my favorite songs of 2004, they took home the best new artist trophy.

7-"LOVE'S DIVINE" (Seal)

*This song wasn't very popular in the U.S but it was one of the best released in 2004.

8-"IF I AIN'T GOYT YOU" (Alicia Keys)

*She did it again, what a great song.

9-"YOU RAISE ME UP" (Josh Groban)

*Very talented singer that sings in English, Italian and Spanish.

10-"MY IMMORTAL" (Evanescence)

*I like this group and I think that this is their best performance.

"

Liked it better than the last Grammy Nominees C.D.

Blue Gardener | 03/30/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Although I own this C.D., there actually aren't a huge number of songs I like on it; but I bought it because the four songs I did like on it were ones that I enjoyed more than most I am acquainted with. The first I would recommend is "Let's Get It Started" by the Black-Eyed Peas, which is an interesting type of rap song with many positive rhythm types, a good lyrical flow, and some interesting topics (such as "sister Tom"). The second I would recommend is "American Idiot" by Green Day, which is an active hard rock tune that goes over some of the problems with America while displaying hard guitar and fast-paced drum beats. The third I would recommend is "You Had Me" by Joss Stone, which is a soulful yet somewhat peppy tune with organs and other such instruments in the background. The last song I would recommend is "Vertigo" by U2, which I think is a very good contribution to rock in that the guitar chords are unique and quite good-sounding, and the lyrics match perfectly with the beats (unlike a parody of this song I've heard). Aside from these four tunes, I would slightly recommend the songs "Heaven" and "Redneck Woman". Grammy Nominees 2005 is a good display of today's hit music, and the creators of this C.D. have chosen fairly well which songs to put on it; though when I looked in the booklet and saw that there were three songs I liked that were not chosen to be put on (yet were in the running), I was thoroughly disappointed."