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Grammy's 2012 Recap: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

When your awards show begins with a prayer, you know the occasion will be a little different.  Of course, the biggest backstory behind this year's Grammy Awards was the untimely passing of Whitney Houston, which inspired a slew of artist and performer dedications highlighted by Jennifer Hudson's phenomenal rendition of "I Will Always Love You."

But perhaps the most telling indication of Houston's influence during this year's awards ceremony was the six-for-six sweep for this year's most dominant superstar, Adele, an artist whose dazzling vocal capabilities and phenomenal pop and soul sensibilities mirror the late singer.

But of course, no Grammy's would really be complete without its letdowns and controversial fiascos (I'm looking straight at you, Nicki Minaj).  Here are the good, the bad, and the ugly for this year's Grammys:

The Good


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1.  Bruno Mars channels James Brown

Every good awards show needs an energetic start, and the lively Bruno Mars delivered the goods.  Mars' rendition of "Runaway Baby" was simple, old-school fun, illustrating why Mars is certainly one of the more exciting young performers to emerge in the last few years.  Deserving equal credit is Mars' phenomenal backing band--the Famous Flames to Mars' James Brown--who, among other things, pull off the synchronized dancing with ease.

2.  Tribute to Glen Campbell

I may not know my country music, but I know a good performance when I see one, and this was just that.  The Band Perry and Blake Shelton pulled off very tasteful renditions of two of the greatest hits of Glen Campbell, who earlier in the year was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.  But the real highlight was still the exuberant Campbell, who seemed genuinely excited to take the Grammy's stage one last time.

3.  Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh, and Dave Grohl's Guitar Jam

I don't know about you, but when a Beatle, an Eagle, a Foo Fighter and the Boss trade guitar solos for a good two minutes during a finale performance of the Abbey Road medley, I'm in a good state.

4.  Electronic Music Raids the Grammy's

I give a lot of credit to this year's Grammy's organizers for not only focusing on live performances--allotting time for 19 performances during the broadcast--but also for putting electronic and dance music on display on music's biggest stage.  The Grammy's are well-known to regularly ignore newer genres of music, but Deadmau5 and David Guetta were welcome additions to the Grammy's usual slew of rock, pop and country.

5.  Jennifer Hudson's Emotional tribute to Whitney Houston

Houston died the night before the awards show, so I can't imagine the pressure and difficulty it took for the Grammy organizers to quickly pull together a tribute in less than 24 hours.  To say the least, Hudson was exceptional, and the somber and minimal tone of her performance was, in my opinion, much was the most appropriate homage in this situation.

6.  Everything Adele

Adele swept the ceremony's three biggest awards--Album of the Year for 21, and Song and Record of the Year for "Rolling in the Deep"--and deserved every piece of gold that came her way.  And any worries whether Adele would be able to retain her vocal abilities following recent throat surgery were immediately squashed following her flawless performance of her biggest hit.


The Bad


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1.  Everything Chris Brown

Look, I fully support second chances, and Chris Brown is no exception.  Brown is certainly talented, and does deserve credit his comeback this year.  But being given not one, but two performances (and not to mention his first Grammy for Best R&B Album) during this year's broadcast is totally unforgivable.  The Grammy Awards could have made a strong statement by banning Brown from the ceremonies altogether, let alone limiting his performances and appearances, but didn't--a missed opportunity that to me is particularly disrespectful.              

2. Coldplay's Performance

This one wasn't as much "bad" as it was "disappointing."  Coldplay is usually outstanding live, but their performance of "Paradise" was less than stellar.  In particular, Chris Martin's vocals sounded flat, and missed several of the song's signature high notes.  A forgetful performance by a typically terrific band.

3.  The Two Girls Sitting and Texting During Glen Campbell's Standing Ovation.

Skip to 4:45 in the video below.  In the infamous words of Hodge Stansson, "unforgivable."


The Ugly


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1.  Foster the People's Rendition of "Wouldn't It Be Nice"

To be fair, no one should really even attempt to recreate the complex harmonies and arrangements of the Beach Boys' classic; it'll usually result in disaster.  Foster the People were no exception, and lead singer Mark Foster looked genuinely terrified during the entire performance.  At least the boys' striped shirts were a nice homage.

2.  Nicki Minaj's WTF Moment

Shock value can be beautiful, shock value can be exhilarating, but when shock value exceeds the music value, that's where things go wrong for me.  I can usually appreciate Nicki Minaj's weirdness, but the combination of the overly long Exorcist homage, the creepy confessional scene and Minaj's "possessed" body hanging over the stage was just bizarre.  It just didn't work for me.  

3.  LL Cool J flubs Beatles Lyrics

Before introducing Paul McCartney's finale performance, host LL Cool J blundered one of the most famous Beatles' lyrics, reciting the final line of "The End" as "And in the end, the love you get is equal to the love you make."  Hey, even the hosts screw up sometimes!

PS: If you don't know the correct lyric, then shame on you.

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