Grammy Awards honor music legend Ray Charles
Tara Martinho
Issue date: 2/18/05 Section: A&E
The 47th annual Grammy Awards came and went without many fireworks. Although a total of 107 Grammys were awarded this year (most given offstage), there were few surprises besides the award for best new artist being stolen from rapper Kanye West by the group Maroon 5. Despite several very moving performances and a magnificent tribute to Ray Charles, the event still seemed to be missing something.
The show opened with many mini performances by artists such as Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani, Maroon 5, Los Lonely Boys, and Franz Ferdinand. Although each artist performed rather well, it was not very harmonious as a whole and was a rather abrupt way to open the show. However, the performances may have been the only thing keeping me from switching back to Desperate Housewives. Melissa Etheridge's wonderful duet with Joss Stone, marked by her haunting appearance due to an ongoing battle with breast cancer, was both moving and inspirational.
Most significantly, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's much anticipated duet was not as smooth, as they were often not in harmony with one another. Many times it seemed that Anthony was just trying to keep Lopez in pitch.
On another note, the night belonged to the late Ray Charles. His final album, Genius Loves Company, won an astounding total of eight Grammys, including album of the year and best pop album. The song "Here We Go Again" with Norah Jones won record of the year and best pop collaboration with vocals. Genius Loves Company has become the best selling album of his career, with more than two million copies sold.
Other winners included Alicia Keys and Usher, each nominated for eight Grammys. Keys went home with four, while Usher won three. They shared the award for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals for their duet "My Boo." U2 won three awards, including best rock performance by a duo or group, while Green Day's "American Idiot" took home the award for best rock album.
John Mayer won song of the year for "Daughters" and Kanye West won best rap album for "The College Dropout," one of his three awards of the night. Britney Spears finally received her first Grammy for best dance recording with the song "Toxic." Los Lonely Boys won best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals for their song "Heaven," and despite the fact that Prince was not in attendance, he won best male R&B vocal performance for his song "Call My Name."
Overall, it was a somewhat predictable and boring show, with few standout performances. However, Melissa Etheridge showed strength, and tribute was paid where it was due with Ray Charles, honored for his talent and inspiring career.
The show opened with many mini performances by artists such as Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani, Maroon 5, Los Lonely Boys, and Franz Ferdinand. Although each artist performed rather well, it was not very harmonious as a whole and was a rather abrupt way to open the show. However, the performances may have been the only thing keeping me from switching back to Desperate Housewives. Melissa Etheridge's wonderful duet with Joss Stone, marked by her haunting appearance due to an ongoing battle with breast cancer, was both moving and inspirational.
Most significantly, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's much anticipated duet was not as smooth, as they were often not in harmony with one another. Many times it seemed that Anthony was just trying to keep Lopez in pitch.
On another note, the night belonged to the late Ray Charles. His final album, Genius Loves Company, won an astounding total of eight Grammys, including album of the year and best pop album. The song "Here We Go Again" with Norah Jones won record of the year and best pop collaboration with vocals. Genius Loves Company has become the best selling album of his career, with more than two million copies sold.
Other winners included Alicia Keys and Usher, each nominated for eight Grammys. Keys went home with four, while Usher won three. They shared the award for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals for their duet "My Boo." U2 won three awards, including best rock performance by a duo or group, while Green Day's "American Idiot" took home the award for best rock album.
John Mayer won song of the year for "Daughters" and Kanye West won best rap album for "The College Dropout," one of his three awards of the night. Britney Spears finally received her first Grammy for best dance recording with the song "Toxic." Los Lonely Boys won best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals for their song "Heaven," and despite the fact that Prince was not in attendance, he won best male R&B vocal performance for his song "Call My Name."
Overall, it was a somewhat predictable and boring show, with few standout performances. However, Melissa Etheridge showed strength, and tribute was paid where it was due with Ray Charles, honored for his talent and inspiring career.