MUMBAI: Sounds from legendary artists as well as new faces made the 49th Annual Grammy Awards an event that was full of surprises.
Former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood took home the Best New Artist award while the Dixie Chicks received the Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal GRAMMY Awards.
In India the event will air tonight on Star World at 8 pm.
The show began with one of the most famous rock bands, the Police. The trio of Stewart Copeland, Sting and Andy Summers performed Roxanne. Sting’s voice hit all the right notes, Summers’ familiar reggae guitar lines soared through the auditorium, and Copeland blasted the song’s Afro-Cuban influenced beat with typical rhythmic glee. Updating the arrangement with a dubbed out space jam mid-song, the Police couldn’t stop the entire auditorium from joining them in the song’s driving chorus.
Introduced by the legendary Joan Baez, who referred to them as “three brave women,” the Dixie Chicks performed their charged Not Ready To Make Nice. Led by Natalie Maines, fellow Chicks Emily Robison and Martie Maguire pulled off an almost defiant performance.
Beyoncé performed Listen from the Dreamgirls soundtrack. Accompanied by a full string section, Beyoncé soared through the song’s lyrical imagery and emotional lyrics.
Prefacing his What Goes Around Comes Around with a prerecorded video statement, Justin Timberlake called the track “the best song I have written so far,” saying that “it just flowed out.” Timberlake proved that he didn’t need to work the stage either, initially performing the song on upright piano before finally taking center stage with a mini-cam, which he used to shoot his own performance, up close and personal.
Underwood and Rascal Flatts joined for a country music tribute, covering the songs of Bob Wills and the Eagles. Underwood,paid her respects to Wills by performing his San Antonio Rose as an overhead video screen showed clips of the country innovator. Rascal Flatts followed with a version of Hotel California. Then, Underwood performed Desperado, turning its gentle imagery into a power rock showcase, before Rascal Flatts returned to belt out Life In The Fast Lane.
Performances by Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie and Christina Aguilera proved that old-school soul still lives, with upstart Chris Brown doing his best Olympic calisthenics for the younger crowd.
In terms of some of the other awards Best Female Pop Vocal Performance went to Ain’t No Other Man by Christina Aguilera. The male award went to Waiting On The World To Change by John Mayer. Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal went to My Humps by The Black Eyed Peas. Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals went to For Once In My Life by Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder. Best Pop Instrumental Performance
went to Mornin’ to George Benson and Al Jarreau.
Rock legend Bob Dylan won in the solo rock performance category for Someday Baby. For rock group the award went to Dani California by Red Hot Chili Peppers.
