There are a few interesting doings at the iTMS this week. After the jump, we'll talk about new music from Tila Tequila, the Dixie Chicks, and some new Nirvana-inspired playlists.
* Have y'all heard of this Tila Tequila person?
In case you haven't heard of her, Tila Tequila is a "model"-"turned"-"musician" who up-til-now [at least] has been famous more for her racy photos than her music. Tila also is pretty-much the undisputed "most popular" resident of MySpace, with [as of this writing] *1,703,260* "friends".
When she wasn't "practicing celibacy" by "sleeping with" her "sex toy" Jared Leto [insert your own "30 Seconds To Mars" jokes here, please -- Ed.], she was threatening to release a record that would take the world by storm. Unfortunately, she had some trouble getting a record deal -- and I have no idea why, of course -- so there has been a considerable delay.
But on Tuesday, Tila's song finally hit the iTMS. Tila hopes to become the first unsigned artist ever to make it to [presumably] the Billboard Top 20. As Idolator notes, if she quickly can get even 10% of her MySpace "friends" to pony-up $0.99 for the track -- which smartly comes bundled with a free video for the song -- she should make it with plenty of room to spare.
After 24 hours in the store, Tila did crack the iTMS top 100. And as you can see in the graphic above, the iTMS is still pimping her in the masthead. But even though "I Love U" has finally made it past the not-exactly-current "White & Nerdy", she's still languishing at #73, behind such au courant hits as the year-old "Hips Don't Lie" [#71] and "Chasing Cars" [#51] [we're giving Tila a pass on being a full *65 spots* behind "Not Ready To Make Nice"...that whole history-making five-Grammys-in-one-nite thing a few weeks ago, ya know -- Ed.].
So, what do you think? Does Tila Tequila have "the goods" to make it into the Billboard Top 20? Or -- to lower the bar a bit -- the iTMS Top 20?
Do you care?
* And speaking of the Dixie Chicks...
Next to Tila on the masthead is an ad for an "exclusive" Dixie Chicks track, "The Neighbor". Although the track is "new" to the store this week, it was actually written and recorded for the Shut Up & Sing documentary last year.
Striking while the iron is hot is a smart move on the Chicks' part. There's still no word on whether the Chicks plan to break up as previously rumored, but their website still lists only 2006 tour dates -- i.e., no upcoming shows.
Are the Chicks reconsidering in light of their astounding Grammy sweep? Are they waiting to make a decision -- or an announcement -- until after the April 16th CMT [that's "Country Music Television", BTW] Music Awards, where "Not Ready To Make Nice" is a nominee in the categories of Video Of The Year and Group Video Of The Year? The CMT Music Awards are awarded based on fan votes at the CMT website. How the Chicks fare at these awards should give them some idea how "country music fans" feel about them now.
Stay tuned. But in the meantime, pick up "The Neighbor". It's a solid track.
* And finally, "He's the one who likes all our pretty songs..."
I missed this last week, but in a blatant attempt to cash in on on the occasion of the 40th birthday of Kurt Cobain's dead body, the iTMS put together some Nirvana-esque playlists called "Influences", "Contemporaries", and "The Nirvana Legacy".
And apparently, I'm writing copy for the iTMS and didn't even know it!
Here's a description of Everclear's "Santa Monica" from the "Contemporaries" collection:
" "Santa Monica" (Track 2): In many ways the pretty-boy answer to Nirvana was Everclear. What you may find on closer scrutiny is that Art Alexakis was fighting many of the same demons as Mr. Cobain, he just used more bleach. "
"More bleach" -- very clever.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
This Week In The iTunes Music Store [3 March 2007 Edition]
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
49th Grammys Wrap-Up, Part 2
[I had so much to say about the Grammys that I decided to split my wrap-up into two parts. Part 1, which focuses on the historic nite the Dixie Chicks celebrated on Sunday nite, is here.]
* Breaking: DHMBIB gets a few predictions right, most wrong: Okay, so I let me revisit my predictions to see how I did.
* RECORD OF THE YEAR. My prediction: Gnarls Barkley, "Crazy"...The winner? Dixie Chicks, "Not Ready To Make Nice".
In my "predictions" post, I wrote: "'Crazy' is the most kryptonite-solid lock in this category since 'Hey Ya!' won in 2004. If 'Crazy' is not the 'Record Of The Year', then I know nothing about the Grammy's and should just give this up for good."
Feh.
No one predicted the Dixie Chicks "landslide" on Sunday nite, and I tip my hat to the Chicks on their historic achievement and the respect the academy gave them. Nevertheless, the academy got this one wrong. I feel bad for Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo for not getting the statuette they deserved, but they're laughing all the way to the bank.
* ALBUM OF THE YEAR. My prediction: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stadium Arcadium...The winner? Dixie Chicks, Taking The Long Way.
My prediction was based on the assumption that the academy would disappoint me and give the honor to a safe choice like RHCP instead of the best album nominated, which was Justin Timberlake's FutureSex / LoveSounds. Again, I think the academy got this one wrong, and I understand why. But at least they didn't get it wrong the wrong way. I'll take one for the team for that.
* SONG OF THE YEAR. My prediction: Dixie Chicks, "Not Ready To Make Nice"...The winner? Dixie Chicks.
I called this one a lock the moment I heard the nominations back in the first week of December. Even before the rumors about a Chicks breakup first appeared. The breakup rumors only made this more likely, in my mind.
Patting myself on the back now.
* BEST NEW ARTIST. My prediction: Carrie Underwood...The winner? Carrie Underwood.
Carrie Underwood was so head-and-shoulders above these other nominees that I considered this a virtual lock as well. My only concern was whether the academy would exhibit any pro-Starbucks, anti-country / anti-Idol bias and give this award to Corrine Bailey Rae or James Blunt. Thankfully, I think the academy did the right thing here.
* BEST FEMALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE. My prediction: Christina Aguilera, "Ain't No Other Man"...The winner? Christina Aguilera.
Another one I the academy got right.
* BEST MALE POP VOCAL PERFORMANCE. My prediction: John Legend, "Save Room"...The winner? John Mayer, "Waiting On The World To Change".
Possibly the worst collection of nominees in the "Big" and "Pop" categories [irrefutable proof -- PAUL FUCKING McCARTNEY was nominated in this category!!!]. John Legend, John Mayer...Who really gives a shit???
* BEST POP PERFORMANCE BY A DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCAL. My prediction: Keane, "Is It Any Wonder"...The winner? The Black Eyed Peas, "My Humps".
I demand a recount. Academy, are you sure The Pussycat Dolls didn't get more votes???
As penitence for getting this one-wrong, I think I'll need to write "the Grammy-winning" whenever I write "Fergie" for the next two weeks.
* BEST POP COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS. My prediction: Mary J. Blige & U2, "One"...The winner? Tony Bennett & Stevie Wonder, "For Once In My Life".
I knew that neither of the two actual "Best" nominees -- "Promiscuous" and "Hips Don't Lie" -- in this category would win. So I predicted the "unique vocal event" produced by Grammy-beloved Mary J. and U2 would take the award. I wrote: "The academy will play it safe and go for Mary J. Blige-and-U2's 'One' [they performed it on last year's Grammy's, fercrissakes!!!]". In retrospect, I'm wondering if Mary J. didn't lose this Grammy by ham-handedly pushing Elliot Yamin out of the "duet" when they performed this song during the American Idol final last May. Or maybe the academy voters just said to themselves, "Ooh, look! It's Tony Bennett & Stevie Wonder!!!"
META: I want someone to explain to me the exact differences between this category -- "Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals" -- and "Best Rap / Sung Collaboration" [N.B.: The BRSC award, deservedly, went to Justin Timberlake feat. T.I. for "My Love"]. Why was "Promiscuous" nominated in this category and not BRSC??? Why was "My Love" nominated for BRSC but not BPCWV??? Has anyone in the academy actually listened to pop radio in the last, oh, 5 years or so???
* BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM. My prediction: Justin Timberlake, FutureSex / LoveSounds...The winner? John Mayer, Continuum.
Shoot me. Now. PLEASE!!!
When I wrote up my predictions post, I ran out of time to make a few other predictions I wanted to record. However, I did write numerous times that the Chicks would win 3 awards, so I will give myself credit for getting Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal ["Not Ready To Make Nice"] and Best Country Album [Taking The Long Way] right. But to sorta even things out -- and to penalize myself for taking a couple of easy points -- I will also note that I made another prediction that didn't pan out. I predicted to myself that will.i.am would win the award for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical [will.i.am not being the "Best", but maybe the "best nominated" -- hello? academy? where was Timbaland???]. Instead, the Chicks' halo helped Rick Rubin get this award.
Academy -- Wha, will.i.am's production on Busta's "I Love My B****" [that's the way it's listed on the Grammys site -- Ed.] wasn't good enough for you???
Okay, so by my count that's a record of 5-7. Ugh.
* Breaking: Long, boring Grammy telecast has few higlights:
The Grammys always have an auditorium full of marquee musical names. And usually, a nominee-roster full of most of the most popular and/or critically-acclaimed artists of the last year. So it's always disappointing when the performances aren't spectacular. Or at least fail to keep you awake.
Sadly, for the second year in a row, the musical performances mostly disappointed. Memo to the academy: figure out a way to nominate Kanye West for something EVERY YEAR.
For me, only three performances really stood out as memorable. The good kind of memorable, that is...
CHRISTINA AGUILERA
It should come as no surprise to anyone that Xtina absolutely brought the house down with her breathtaking performance of James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World". You could practically hear a pin drop in that auditorium during her performance -- which is not unusual, for when Xtina walks onto the stage to sing, the audience knows to shut up and listen.
Xtina's performance was the part of a James Brown tribute that immediately followed a series of performances that was supposed to honor R&B music throughout Grammy's history [Grammy producers: "we'll put all the Black people on around 10PM or so, work for you???"], so her performance looks even better when placed in the context of Smokey Robinson's and Lionel Richie's dreadful performances. But she also faced the challenge of following Chris Brown, who really raised the bar himself [see below].
There was some grumbling after the Grammys that Xtina was a poor choice to keynote the tribute to James Brown. But I think those sour grapes were more about the pathetic thinness of Grammy's tribute to the Godfather Of Soul [the Eagles get three songs and James Brown only gets one??? SHUT UP THE FUCK!!!] than about Xtina's resume -- what, you think it would've been better to have Mary J. over-ham this tribute??? -- or performance, which was stunning. Check out the footage, and keep an eye out for Jamie Foxx's reaction at the end. That said it all.
SHAKIRA & WYCLEF JEAN
Shakira & Wyclef gave the first electrifying performance of the nite. [Hey, if you were excited by THE FUCKING POLICE opening the show with ROX-FUCKING-ANNE, you are beyond any hope I can offer.]
Karla was deathly afraid Shakira would suffer a "wardrobe malfunction". Me, I wasn't afraid, but I was disappointed when no such malfunction ensued.
I'm just sayin'...
CHRIS BROWN
Best New Artist nominee Chris Brown was the last performer in the Grammy's tribute-to-R&B piece, and unlike Carrie Underwood a few minutes earlier, he actually got to perform his own song. Which was a good call by the producers. Brown's Stomp The Yard-style set re-injected some life into a moribund Grammys that had gone limp -- yes, "limp", pun intended -- since Shakira's non-lying hips shimmied off the stage an hour earlier.
Best part of Brown's performance for me: knowing that thousands of academy members were watching and saying to themselves, "WTF was that???"
And, sadly, that's about it for the real highlights...
* Breaking: Long, boring Grammy telecast has many lowlights, head-scratchers, "WTF was that???"'s:
Here are some of the more memorable lowlights, headscratchers, and WTF's of Sunday's ceremony, presented in order of show appearance...
* The Police, who are not nominated for anything, and who are booked by the producers to goose ratings, and who appear to goose attendance at their upcoming cash-in-on-Gen-X-nostalgia [the sequel to cash-in-on-Boomer-nostalgia] reunion tour, open the show with the 30-year-old song "Roxanne". Way to reach out to the target young demographic, Grammy producers!!!
* The academy, still not gettin' that whole "appeal to the young demo" thing, award the Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals Grammy to hip young artists Tony Bennett & Stevie Wonder. Tony Bennett thanks his sponsor Target in his acceptance speech. I swear I am not making this up.
* 2007 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model Beyonce makes one last pitch for the Oscar she so desperately wants by performing the down-tempo "Listen" from Dreamgirls instead of, oh, maybe, the GRAMMY-NOMINATED "Deja Vu" or, oh, maybe, "Irresistible", which has only been #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for THE LAST THREE FUCKING MONTHS!!! [N.B.: Yes, it was a pitch for votes. Oscar voting was still open on Sunday night. Sorry if that bursts your bubble or anything.]
* Mary J. Blige wins the award for Best R&B Album and proceeds to thank over 50 people by name. I swear I am not making this up.
* While performing "What Goes Around, Comes Around", Justin Timberlake picks up a handheld camera and films himself up close for the last couple of minutes of the song. Clearly, the producers have just heard of this YouTube thing and think this stunt will appeal to "the kids" or something.
* The academy finally gets around to honoring the work of Maria Callas with a Lifetime Achievement honor. Callas is not in attendance to accept the honor.
* The academy presents a tribute to two "sons of Texas", Bob Wills and Don Henley. Bob Wills, whose music is a key ingredient in Elvis Presley's rock-n-roll gumbo, gets a one-song tribute. Don Henley and the Eagles get three songs.
* Special Head-Scratcher -- "My Grammy Moment" Edition:
For bizarre and unknown reasons, the academy decided this year to tip its hat to You with an American-Idol-style "vote for an unknown to sing on stage" gimmick contest, called "My Grammy Moment". The [female] winner would perform on stage with Justin Timberlake [and T.I.].
Running the whole contest online was sort of "edgy", but they completely blew it during the "finals" by giving the teevee viewers only few-second snippets of the "finalists" along with the requisite "text your vote to ..." info. They should have at least given the three finalists a group performance that we could use as a reference for voting. You know, sorta like that one show on Fox.
The academy further blew this whole gimmick by having Jennifer Hudson announce the winner. Jennifer's presentation was terrible -- she stumbled badly over her lines and babbled on about second chances and such -- wait, wasn't she there to announce the winner of this contest??? By the time she finally announced the winner's name, the contestants, the audience in the auditorium, and the viewers at home had no idea what was going on. The whole thing came off very awkwardly. Sadly, Jennifer Hudson's stumbling, rambling presentation may end up costing her some Oscar votes [see, Beyonce, above].
And, Jennifer Hudson? Didn't she come in seventh in AI3? What, the Grammy producers didn't have any AI winners around who could handle these duties?
* Special Head-Scratcher -- Vice Presidential Edition:
This one really has me scratching my noodle. So, the producers have a real celebrity on hand, and they completely blow it. AL FUCKING GORE is on hand, and the producers have him present [with QUEEN FUCKING LATIFAH] the award for...wait for it...Best Rock Album. This is the second-to-last-award presented. The last award presented -- the "Big" "Album Of The Year" -- is presented by Don Henley and Scarlett Johansson.
Now, think about this for a moment. If you have the former Vice President on hand to present an award, why don't you give him the high-profile last award of the nite. And doesn't it make more sense to have Don Henley present the Best Rock Album award than, say, AL FUCKING GORE???
The only thing that makes sense to me is this: Al gore was scheduled to present the award for Album Of The Year...until the producers learned the Dixie Chicks would win this award, at which point he was swapped into the second-to-last spot. Either the producers did not want to "politicize" the award by having Al Gore present it to the Chicks...and/or, due to such politicization concerns, the producers did not want to hurt Al Gore in the minds of some voters by having him present the award to the Chicks.
Take your pick.
* Time to go Home:
Earlier in this post, I made a joke about the Chicks' "landslide" on Sunday. Consequently, because it makes so much sense, I leave you with the Chicks' "Landslide" from 2003's Home. This cover of the classic Fleetwood Mac track was the last Chicks song that received widespread country radio love.
Dixie Chicks - Landslide [mp3, via YSI]
Dixie Chicks - Landslide [mp3, via zShare]
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
49th Grammys Wrap-Up, Part 1
The big story from this year's Grammys is the historic and stunning sweep by the Dixie Chicks.
The Chicks were 5-time nominees for Sunday's festivities. Due to the rumors [still-unconfirmed, of course] that they were likely to split up after the Grammys, [precipitated apparently by the professional hell they went through after Natalie Maines's comments in London in 2003], and their distinguished body of excellent art, many Grammy observers predicted they would win at least a few awards on Sunday night. I predicted they would win 3 awards: Best Country Album [Taking The Long Way], Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal ["Not Ready To Make Nice"], and -- one of the "Big Three", or "Big Four" for "new artists" -- Song Of The Year ["Not Ready To Make Nice"], for which I considered them a lock. Alas, I didn't give the Chicks much of a chance to win in the other two "Big Three" categories -- Record Of The Year [for which I considered Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" to be the lock] and Album Of The Year -- in which they were also nominated.
Going in to Sunday's awards, the smart money was on Mary J. Blige, the Red Hot Chili Peppers [Grammy favorites both] and Gnarls Barkley topping the Monday morning headlines. Perhaps if the academy wanted to show "hip-itutde", they might throw a big Grammy at Justin Timberlake.
But no one predicted what would happen on Sunday night.
The Chicks swept all five categories in which they were nominated. I had suggested that a vote for the Chicks would be an easy way for the academy members to honor the Chicks, make a statement about free speech, and make a political anti-war statement all at the same time, but I totally underestimated the vigor with which the academy members would agree with me. The New York Times tracked down a whole bunch of music industry insiders and confirmed it: the academy was expressing its anger at country music's blackballing of the Chicks after the 2003 kerfluffle.
[Start here if you need a refresher on what this is all about.]
[In 2005, the American Society of Magazine Editors named this 2 May 2003 cover of Entertainment Weekly one of the "40 greatest magazine covers of the last 40 years". The cover depicts the Chicks defiantly -- and nudely and, alas, quite photoshopped-ly -- standing up for their right to freely express their opinions.]
I have stated previously that "Not Ready To Make Nice" is an excellent song and was very deserving of the SOTY award -- I choke up a little every time I hear these lines:
I made by bed, and I sleep like a baby,
with no regrets and I don't mind saying,
it's a sad, sad story
that a mother will teach her daughter
that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
and how in the world
can the words that I said
send somebody so over the edge
that they'd write me a letter
saying that I better
shut up and sing
or my life will be over
But it was not the Record Of The Year. "Crazy" was the Record Of The Year. Also, while I agree that Taking The Long Way is the Chicks' best album to date, it was not better than "FutureSex / Lovesounds".
Nevertheless, the academy wanted to make a statement, and they made it very loud and clear.
There have been worse upsets in Grammy history, of course. And I heartily congratulate the Chicks on their well-deserved honors on this historic nite.
Wait, what was that about "history"?
Lost in the well-deserved praise the Chicks have received -- and the stories about whether country radio is ready to take them back -- is the historic feat the Chicks achieved on Sunday nite.
1) In the previous 48 Grammy ceremonies, a "female artist" had won 5 Grammys on the same nite only 4 times. These artists are: Lauryn Hill, 1998; Alicia Keys, 2002; Norah Jones, 2003; and Beyonce, 2004. No "all-female group" had ever won 5 Grammys on the same nite. Until Sunday. [N.B.: "Country / Bluegrass" artist Alison Krauss is the all-time Grammy "winningest" female artist, with 20 lifetime Grammys. She has never won more than 3 on the same nite.]
2) The Chicks swept the "Big Three" awards -- Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year. This has not happened since 1993, when Eric Clapton took these awards for Unplugged and "Tears In Heaven". [N.B.: Among Norah Jones's 5 Grammys in 2003 were three "Big" ones -- Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year and Best New Artist.]
I hope the rumors about the Chicks planning on splitting up turn out to be untrue, or if they were true, that the Chicks will reconsider in light of their triumph on Sunday. They don't need country radio. As Martie noted on Sunday nite, they have become genre-less. Rick Rubin, whose excellent production on Taking The Long Way and "Ready To Make Nice" earned him two Grammys [as Producer on the Album Of The Year and the Record Of The Year] and played a part in winning another as well [as Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical], has helped the Chicks complete their transition out of "country" music the same way he helped Johnny Cash do the same thing a few years earlier. The Chicks can sell millions of CDs in Starbucks / digital downloads / [maybe even] ringtones without the help of the country radio programmers who dropped them 4 years ago.
Emily, Martie & Natalie -- are you ready to take the long way???
Dixie Chicks - Not Ready To Make Nice [mp3, via YSI]
Dixie Chicks - Not Ready To Make Nice [mp3, via zShare]
Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way [mp3, via YSI]
Dixie Chicks - Taking The Long Way [mp3, via zShare]
Friday, December 15, 2006
BREAKING: Country musicians decide they'd rather sell records, play concerts, live, than criticize President
And so comes the inevitable. Frankly, I'm surprised it's taken this long.
The National Enquirer [a highly-respected source of music-industry-insider news, of course] is reporting that the Dixie Chicks have decided to split after the Grammy Awards in February. This should be taken with a huge grain of salt, of course -- but is it telling that the Chicks have not updated their website or MySpace page with even a perfunctory denial?
I'm sure I don't need to rehash what happened to get the Chicks to this point -- but you know I will...HA!
The Chicks were the top country "group" with a substantial mainstream crossover audience and were on top of their game in 2003 when singer Natalie Maines told a London audience that she was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." This occurred on the eve of the invasion of Iraq, when passions about the war were intense and President Bush still enjoyed substantial support, especially among the Red State voters that made up most of the Chicks fanbase. Country radio and country fans mostly boycotted the Chicks from then forward, and the Chicks all received many death threats. Three years and much career frustration later, the Chicks returned with their most critically-acclaimed CD to date and a documentary film about their harrowing ordeal, but the fans still stayed away.
According to the rumors, Chicks [and sisters] Emily Robison and Martie Maguire are tired of dealing with the controversy and the threats. Some fans have even more cynically suggested that this is all about money -- the lack of CD sales and concert revenues makes it more difficult to create and promote new music and still enjoy that "rockstar" lifestyle. Whatevs.
We all saw this endgame coming, but I'm still saddened by the rumors. I respected the Chicks for standing up for their beliefs in the face of harsh criticism. And I enjoyed their music.
I also see great irony in this outcome. If Natalie had made her statements last week, would the reaction have been so intense? Or is it more likely that the reaction would have been more like, "Speak the truth, sister!" After all, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw both slammed President Bush after Hurricane Katrina, and their 2006 tour grossed $89 million.
Timing, Natalie, it's all about timing.
* * * * *
On December 8, the Chicks found out that they were 5-time nominees for Grammy Awards. One of those nominations is for "Not Ready To Make Nice" in the "Song Of The Year" category. A defiant song about the Chicks' rough three-year rollercoaster, "Not Ready To Make Nice" is a natural for this award -- and is also a great song, BTW. How will this rumor affect the voting? Tune in February 11 to find out.
