By shelz.

Tonight is Grammy night; the big daddy of back-patting kudos in the recording industry. As usual, the artists that are nominated are thrilled and the ones who aren’t are amazed at the committee’s lack of taste. There aren’t a lot of surprises in the major categories, and that’s to be expected considering the Grammy committee has always been the last bastion of FM dial love. Of course 2009’s usual suspects’ coffers runneth over with nominations.

Taylor Swift is one of the hosts, as well as one of the top dogs in award nods, so I’m sure the crack staff of show writers has outfitted her with a deluge of Kanye jokes that she may not have the cajones to utter.  Then again, with co-host/award night body guard LL Cool J at her side she might get through it since he’s not exactly a fan of Bey’s better half.  But enough of my fantasies of Grammy melee which totally include Kid Cudi winning best rap performance, running up on stage, and punching the presenter just for handing it to him, I’m here to talk about the music.

There are a few big honors like record of the year and song of the millennium and all of those.  These are the awards that they present around the 15^th hour of the telecast even though they swear right before each commercial break that they’re next (don’t fall for that). Then there are those awards they give out while they are doing sound check or building the stage or something, like best dueling banjo recording that reminds you of that time your car broke down on a dark road in West Virginia. Mixed in with all of that, however, is some pretty decent music; songs that some of y’all might not know because Beyonce didn’t sing them.  So I’m going to give you a heads up and break down some the cream of the crop.  Amazingly enough, none of them were produced by The Dream.

The Unforgiven 3 – Metallica

You only have to listen to the intro of this song to realize why Metallica is one of the most revered and hella consistent hard rock bands ever. They are technically adept; crafting emotion through sound like few other bands can.  The piano leads and gives way to the strings which in turn solemnly welcome the guitar and the trumpet. They layer meticulously, build slowly, and then phenomenally peak.  It’s a dark ode to regret and anger and could possibly be the best head banging anthem of 2009.

Day Keeper – The Foreign Exchange

This song is easy and smooth; a warm and fuzzy expression of the complete tunnel vision love can evoke.  It sounds like morning after coffee between messy sheets with the right person as you giggle about who has the worst bed head or lazy weekends on the water complete with champagne flutes, picnic baskets and rose colored glasses.  The track is wonderfully atmospheric and the vocals are layered perfectly.  It’s simple and beautiful, just like love should be.

The Fixer – Pearl Jam **Above**

While it’s not a fan favorite, I really appreciate this song.  It removes the hard core scowl that seems to be appended, in spirit, to much of Pearl’s music and replaces it with a light hearted pop-ish sound.  The lush soundscape with the bluesy undertones the band is known for is replaced with paired down sections with a playful feel.  They ping pong their timing, muse about love, and if you listen really hard you may even hear a smile in Vedder’s voice. Their diehard fans may prefer something more brutal but everyone needs a day off from raging against the machine.  Bravo to Seattle ’s best.

Going Thru Changes – Ledisi

I know when they seat people for the Grammys, it’s based on how important and recognizable you are because the camera people have to get those fake candids as the drama unfurls on stage. I wonder when Ledisi wins this award (and I know she will), how many lesser talented people she will have to walk past to get to the podium.  Anyway, enough of all the losers she’s going to float past, this song is grand on so many levels.  Her vocals are stellar, the arrangement is awesome and she drops some serious truth about the confusion that infiltrates the mind of a cheater. Who knew adultery could sound so divine?

Chocolate High – India Irie and Musiq Soulchild

She lost her once rough and tumble battle for alternative R&B supremacy to the Queen of Chopsticks, Alicia Keys. He may or may not have dropped the Soulchild because admit it, it did bring attention to his height impairment.  However, the two have been on the periphery of R&B superstardom for years.  They are both nominated for multiple awards but this song is rich, luscious and puts me in a Homer Simpson state of mind.  Who doesn’t love chocolate? Especially the kind they are talking about.  Yum.

There you have it.  Some of the finest artistry produced this year that probably won’t see the light of day because it wasn’t created by lil blond country singers who carry around toy guitars.  So get an afternoon nap and brew some coffee because if Kanye leave the yack at home it could be a long night.

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