Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 22, 1991 TAG: 9102220455
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TRACIE FELLERS and MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A mere five out of 20. A not-very-respectable 25 percent.
Which means that if those Grammy predictions were some kind of litmus test for music writers, we both would have failed. Miserably.
But let's not dwell on the fact that we both could scrape enough egg off our faces to make a pretty sizeable omelette.
We weren't the only ones who looked foolish Wednesday night. How about Bob Dylan's frighteningly bad performance after a stunning tribute by Jack Nicholson?
The contrast of Dylan at his worst with the awe-inspiring elegance of opera singer Kathleen Battle was just one of the ironies of the awards show.
Believe it or not, Southwest Virginia could be considered one of the biggest winners in this thing. In the last year, the region has hosted four of Wednesday's winners: jazzman Tito Puente, New Age artist Mark Isham, rapper M.C. Hammer and country crooner Vince Gill. Two others, Living Colour and the Kentucky Headhunters, are scheduled to appear in the next few weeks.
But there's no avoiding the original subject: our poor prediction record.
What's worse is that neither of us now can boast about being this year's Jeane Dixon champion of Grammy selections.
There's only one way to wrap this up - duke it out in print.
MARK: Face it, Tracie. I picked record of the year, "Another Day in Paradise," and that's the big one. It's clear to me who's boss around here.
TRACIE: Oh yeah? Well, I picked album of the year, "Back on the Block." Every music writer worth his CD collection knows this award is a better measure of artistic achievement.
I admit I was disappointed in the academy's choice for record of the year. I still think of all the nominees, "Nothing Compares 2 U," Sinead O'Connor's haunting, passionate tune of heartbreak, is the song most people will remember 10 years from now, not "Another Day in Paradise."
MARK: Well, how come then, "Nothing Compares 2 U," didn't win song of the year?
TRACIE: Easy. It was a simple case of Sinead backlash. She has a shaved head, she boycotted the Grammys and a lot of people don't like her politics. But at least she wasn't totally shut out of the awards.
By the way, Mark, why didn't "Another Day in Paradise," win song of the year?
MARK: I don't want to talk about it.
At least we had an obvious winner in Mariah Carey, who took the awards for new artist and pop vocal performance, female.
TRACIE: Yep. Carey, who performed "Vision of Love" during the show, doesn't suffer from a lack of self-confidence. After her acceptance of the new artist award, she left the stage with a carefree toss of the head and a smile that was both gratified and a bit smug.
But hey, I don't mind if she's smug. She's definitely talented and besides, she saved us from looking even more inept than we did.
MARK: Speaking of egg on your face, Ms. R&B expert, how many correct picks did you make in the R&B categories?
TRACIE: I'm embarrassed to admit, a big fat zero. But at least the R&B male and female winners, Luther Vandross and Anita Baker, were among my strongest contenders.
MARK: Contenders don't count. I actually had the good sense to pick Luther Vandross for R&B vocal performance, male.
TRACIE: OK, Mr. Country Music. Let's turn the tables here - or should I say turntables. How many winners did you pick in the country music categories, hmmm?
MARK: Same as you. Zip. But I'm still not planning to hang up my cowboy boots.
TRACIE: I think it's best that I let my disastrous country picks lie.
MARK: Well, OK, how about rock duo or group, then? My grandmother could have picked this one.
TRACIE: Touche. But at least I said it would be a toss-up between Aerosmith and INXS. Besides, I'm the champion of hard rock here.
My pick, Living Colour, not only gave one of the most intriguing performances of Wednesday's show, it also walked away with a Grammy for "Time's Up." The band looked as excited as I was.
MARK: Hard rock is about as exciting as a root canal.
TRACIE: As we reach the end of our friendly little debate, I'm going to take this opportunity to gloat. I picked producer of the year, an award steadily gaining in prestige.
Quincy Jones was the clear winner here and anybody who picked the pop pablum of Phil Collins should be sentenced to a lifetime of listening to "Another Day in Paradise."
MARK: Anything but that. But I don't care what you say. Most people don't give a hoot about producers. This category means little.
I guess what this all means in the end is that we're really going to have to wait until next year's Grammys to settle this thing.
by CNB