Health & Fitness
How the Grammy Awards Should Have Gone by Liam Reilly
Headlight reporter Liam Reilly presents his view on the Grammy awards and artists he thinks were snubbed.
Two weeks ago we saw the 56th annual Grammy Awards come and go at the filled-to-capacity Staples Center in Los Angeles. As is the case with every Grammy Awards, there were winners, losers, snubs, and heavyweights in each category. Here are some of the major categories and winners from Sunday night.
Best New Artist
Who won: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
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Who should have won: Kacey Musgraves
Clearly the Academy has a looser definition of the term “new” than I do. Four of the five nominees in this category released their first album in 2011 or earlier (Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, James Blake, and Ed Sheeran). Thus, being the only nominee who actually was new to the music scene in 2013, Kacey Musgraves is the clear choice for the best new artist. She isn’t a bad musician either. Although I am not one for prolonged listening to the country music genre, Musgraves’ performance of her song “Follow Your Arrow” seemed refined and powerful.
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Best Rap Album
Who won: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, The Heist
Who should have won: Kendrick Lamar, good kid, M.A.A.D. city
In a category full of worthy albums, Kendrick Lamar’s latest release stands out as superior. Fairly early into his career, Kendrick can already tell stories in his songs in a way that most other rappers simply can’t. Lyrics paired with sound bites at the end of each song narrate the real struggles faced by Kendrick and many others growing up in a crimeridden city. My second choice for album of the year.
Best Electronic Album
Who won: Daft Punk, Random Access Memories
Who should have won: Disclosure, Settle
There is no doubt that Daft Punk went home with a myriad of hardware, so wouldn’t it be nice to share the love with some other acts? If we pretend for a moment that Daft Punk were not in the running in this category, the next best electronic album comes from the British brothers and duo Guy and Howard Lawrence, otherwise known as Disclosure. The songs on Settle are catchy, sleek and sophisticated. If you haven’t heard the album, check out “Latch” and “Help Me Lose My Mind.”
