The Grammy Performance Highlights Include Miguel, Bruno Mars and Sting

Since I am usually out of the loop on the state of contemporary music (except Adele) my only interest in watching the Grammy Awards is for the performances. For the third straight year, the Grammy telecast was loaded with performances that did not disappoint. There were many highlights, but I was most surprised with Miguel and Wiz Khalifa's performance of "Adorn" that showcased Miguel's outstanding vocals. I was so impressed that I plan to sample more of Miguel's music. Another surprise came in the form of Taylor Swift. While I like Taylor, her music has never really resonated with me, but I was impressed with the hook of her hit song "We Are Never Getting Back Together."

The tributes to Bob Marley, Carole King, Patti Page and Levon Helm were all terrific, albeit short for King and Page. Kelly Clarkson paid tribute to the aforementioned women with covers of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "Tennessee Waltz." Thankfully, Clarkson possesses a remarkable vocal range that honored the legends respectfully. The Bob Marley tribute, which included Sting and Bruno Mars, had the crowd on their feet for the duration. Sting sounded exceptional, but I am the only one who thought he might be lip synching? I also want to single out Bruno Mars, who clearly understands the importance of diction and projection that other performers, such as fun., The Black Keys and Ed Sheeran struggled with during their performances, as the music often overpowered their vocals. 

The tribute to Levon Helm featured Elton John, Mavis Staples and Zac Brown, as they covered The Band's legendary song "The Weight," which is one of my favorites. I only wish that Jack White, who delivered strong performances of his own on "Love Interruption" and "Freedom at 21," from his Grammy nominated album Blunderbuss, was asked to participate in the Levon Helm tribute. White, along with The Edge from U2 and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page performed an unforgettable version of "The Weight" at the end of the 2008 documentary film It Might Get Loud, which showcased White's outstanding vocals.

In addition to Elton John and Sting, it was great to see other legends, including Prince and Bonnie Raitt among the mostly younger demographic. I was also pleased to see Adele win yet another Grammy, this time for Pop Solo Performance. 

Other Grammy winners include:

Album of the Year - Mumford & Sons, Babel

Record of the Year - Gotye featuring Kimbra, “Somebody That I Used to Know”

Song Of The Year [awarded to songwriter] - “We Are Young,” Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Fun. featuring Janelle Monae)

Best New Artist - Fun.

Best Pop Vocal Album - Kelly Clarkson, Stronger

Best Pop Solo Performance - “Set Fire To The Rain (Live),” Adele

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance - “Somebody That I Used To Know,” Gotye featuring Kimbra 

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album - Kisses On The Bottom, Paul McCartney

Best Rock Performance - “Lonely Boy,” The Black Keys

Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance - “Love Bites (So Do I),” Halestorm

Best Rock Song - “Lonely Boy,” The Black Keys

Best Rock Album - El Camino, The Black Keys

Best Alternative Music Album - Making Mirrors, Gotye

Best R&B Performance - “Climax,” Usher

Best Traditional R&B Performance - “Love On Top,” Beyoncé

Best R&B Song - “Adorn,” Miguel

Best Urban Contemporary Album - Channel Orange, Frank Ocean

Best R&B Album - Black Radio, Robert Glasper Experiment

Best Rap Performance - “N****s in Paris,” Jay-Z & Kanye West

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration - “No Church In The Wild,” Jay-Z & Kanye West featuring Frank 
Ocean & The-Dream

Best Rap Song - “N****s in Paris,” Jay-Z & Kanye West

Best Rap Album - Take Care, Drake

Best Country Solo Performance - Carrie Underwood, “Blown Away”

Best Country Duo/Group Performance - “Pontoon,” Little Big Town

Best Country Song - “Blown Away,” Carrie Underwood

Best Country Album - Uncaged, Zac Brown Band

Song Written For Visual Media - “Safe & Sound” (From The Hunger Games), Taylor Swift, 
John Paul White, Joy Williams

Short-Form Music Video - “We Found Love,” Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris

Long-Form Music Video - “Big Easy Express,” Mumford & Sons

Best Spoken Word - Society’s Child: My Autobiography, Janis Ian