The 2010 Grammys

I know it’s kind of cliche to write an entry on the Grammys, but I’m going to do it anyway. I’m assuming most people have heard about the awards and the performances enough that I don’t need to do an actual recap. Instead, I’m just going to mention some of the highlights for me.

1. Lady Gaga/Elton John- this performance was so incredibly strange for me. I like Elton John and Lady Gaga but I just didn’t get this performance.
2. Taylor Swift/Stevie Nicks- I think it’s pretty well known by now that Taylor did not sing well. I was watching the awards with my two roommates, one of whom is a music major and she was pointing out every time Taylor sang off key. It was amusing and sad at the same time. I think Taylor is a good songwriter, but she does not sing well live. That brings me to my next point…
3. Beyonce beats Taylor Swift for the Female Vocalist Award- I was overjoyed when Beyonce won this one because she can actually sing. Like I said, I don’t think Taylor sings well live, and although I do have a lot of respect for all of her accomplishments, I don’t think it’s fair that she keeps winning Best Female Vocalist Awards at these award shows.
4. Lady Antebellum singing “Need You Now”- I love Lady Antebellum, I love this song and I think they did a great job, but I wish they had sung “I Run to You.” It would have been a really special moment, especially since they had just won Best Country Duo or Group for the song.
5. The Michael Jackson tribute- I’m sure it would have been a lot more impressive if I had actually been able to watch it in 3-D. The vocals were all good though. I definitely never thought I’d see those singers on the same stage.
6. Jennifer Nettles singing with Bon Jovi- I loved seeing them sing “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” (and “Livin’ on a Prayer”) together. It brought back wonderful memories of the last time I saw Jennifer sing that song live (at the Sugarland concert I went to in October).

These were the moments of the awards that I had the most to say about. All around, I thought last year’s ceremony was better. I thought the performances were better last year and the ceremony was just more exciting.

What I’m really curious about, is how they decide which awards should be given out in the pre-ceremony and which ones should be given out on the live broadcast. If anyone knows, post a comment and let me know!

Lady Antebellum (Need You Now)

So, I just picked up Lady Antebellum’s second album Need You Now. I’ve been looking forward to it’s release ever since I heard “Need You Now” for the first time. After the success of the title track I have high expectations for the rest of the album.

Here are some of my thoughts during the initial listen:

Track 1 “Need You Now”- The album version is about 30 seconds longer than the single version. Therefore, there is even more “NYN” goodness.

Track 2 “Our Kind of Love”- I’m loving the piano melody. It seems to me that Lady A excels at piano parts, which is always a nice addition to a country song. Lyrically, this song kind of reminded me of a Keith Urban song, which is never a bad thing.

Track 3 “American Honey”- It’s my first time hearing this song, even though it’s their latest single and was released a few weeks ago. Honestly, I can’t decide how I feel about the tempo. It’s somewhere between too slow and too fast. I can definitely tell that it’s a Hillary Lindsey song though.

Track 4 “Hello World”- Love the string part. Beautiful song overall.

Track 5 “Perfect Day”- This is a fun one.

Track 6 “Love This Pain”- Another upbeat one. More Keith Urban-esque lyrics.

Track 7 “When You Got a Good Thing”- Love the lyrics and the guitar solo at the end.

Track 8 “Stars Tonight”- From the opening chords, I knew I was going to like this one. It’s fun and very much in the spirit of a typical country summer party song.

Track 9 “If I Knew Then”- Love the opening piano. Love Charles’ vocals. Love the lyrics.

Track 10 “Something ‘Bout a Woman”- The tempo and melody fit the vocals and lyrics well.

Track 11 “Ready to Love Again”- Love this song. Hillary is great on lead vocals.

Overall, I liked the album. After one listen, I have to say though, that I like their first album better. Of course, that opinion will probably change within a few days. My favorite tracks on this album ended up being the ones that Hillary, Charles and Dave wrote or cowrote. (But then again, I usually like songs that the artists write themselves better.) I think that “Need You Know” is one of the best tracks on this album and they made a good choice in making it the first single.

Buy or download Lady Antebellum’s  Need You Now and let me know what you think!