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Rock Grammy Winners
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Pop Music Grammy Winners

Editor, Beth Massa

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One can't help but make assumptions about the demographic of the Grammy voters who gave Steely Dan three awards. The middle-aged fusion rockers beat out the teeny-popsters on several fronts, accepting awards with an affected aloofness that is also characteristic of their music. Here are the top winners of the 43rd Grammy Awards, along with our thoughts (and in some cases, our own choices).

Album of the Year
Winner:

 Two Against Nature
Steely Dan
 In a misguided and ill-informed effort to make the Grammys more relevant, Eminem's The Marshall Mathers LP received a nomination for Album of the Year, and the entire pop music world was sucked up into a hurricane of debate, rationalization, and outrage. But it was apparently all for naught; the award went to Steely Dan and any dubious hip factor the awards ceremony may have otherwise gained was instantly negated. After nearly 20 years of studio dormancy, the '70s fusion duo produced an album that--to no surprise--sounds exactly like all their other '70s fusion albums. The middle-aged pair, who once celebrated their own notoriety for lyrics slathered in metaphors disguising illicit drug use and sexual indiscretion, now seem at worst grotesque and leering, and at best, hopelessly past their prime.

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Kid A
Radiohead
 If Radiohead's Kid A is the sound of the future, we have a lot to look forward to. Artistically, this was the most important album of the year--important in that its intricate and unsettling composition did not prevent it from summiting the bestseller charts. The fact that the disc was a commercial success bodes well for its influence on music decades from now. Radiohead will most likely be this generation's Pink Floyd or David Bowie, and the album deserved to be recognized for its immeasurable stature.

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Song of the Year
Winner:

 All That You Can't Leave Behind
U2
 "Beautiful Day": With All That You Can't Leave Behind, U2 rebounded from important but ultimately alienating albums that strayed too far from the sound their fans expected. The opening single, "Beautiful Day," is a grand return to form. Its golden crescendos peak at euphoric climaxes, the Edge's delay-laden guitar work rears its glorious head, and Bono's vocals, now gravelly and aging, rise to the challenge, delivering an emotional wallop.

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It's a given. The song is liberating, life-affirming, and just about perfect. Welcome back, boys!


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Record of the Year
Winner:

 All That You Can't Leave Behind
U2
 "Beautiful Day": This award differs from Song of the Year in that it acknowledges the efforts of the people who made the actual recording after the song was written. In this case, long-time U2 producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, as well as engineers Steve Lillywhite and Richard Rainey, take home the award. The backing synthesized soundscapes that lend this song its majesty could only be Eno and Lanois's watermark, and Lillywhite's engineering polishes the track but never masks it.

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Again, the Grammys got it right. "Beautiful Day" is a beautiful song.


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Best New Artist
Winner:

 I Am Shelby Lynne
Shelby Lynne
 Even Shelby Lynne herself seemed a little indignant over being nominated in this category. She's been recording for over a decade and has released half a dozen albums. This isn't the first time the Grammys have defined "New Artist" as "New Artist with a Mass Audience," nonetheless, Lynne's fiery performance on the assertively titled I Am Shelby Lynne expertly melds the best of blues, rock, country, and soul, recalling everything from Dusty Springfield to Aretha Franklin.

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Technically speaking, Jill Scott's debut, Who Is Jill Scott? (Lynne tells you who she is, Scott asks) is the best choice for New Artist this year, but Shelby Lynne's album is so excellent, we'll let the Grammys slide.


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Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
Winner:

 On How Life Is
Macy Gray
 "I Try": It's been said that Macy Gray's vocals sound like Tom Waits sucking on helium. It's a true description, but not a detraction. Her sandy, sultry crooning on "I Try" reveals her vulnerability, but there's not a trace of weakness. She's eccentric but composed, and a great, great talent.

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Ms. Gray, now that you are here, it's impossible to imagine life without you. "I Try" was the right choice for this award, hands down.


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Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Winner:

 A Love Affair: The Music Of Ivan Lins
Cole, et al
 "She Walks This Earth (Soberana Rosa)": From A Love Affair: The Music of Ivan Lins, Sting's rendition of the celebrated Brazilian composer's "She Walks This Earth" features a Latin-jazz backdrop to his impeccable performance. He masters the vocal styling with a studied accuracy; the song is classically tailored for his High Stingness's soul-soothing delivery.

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Back At One
Brian McKnight
 "Back at One": Sting's meticulousness is something of an irritant. We want a vocal performance that makes us ache! Therefore, Brian McKnight's slow-pulsed "Back at One" is our favorite. It's as emotional as it is wakeless, and McKnight has the vocal chops Sting can only dream about. Honorable mention goes to Robbie Williams for his performance on Sing When You're Winning, which was overlooked by the Grammys entirely. He's a megastar in the U.K., where his campy, bombastic delivery is adored by those wry Brits, but as of yet, he's largely undiscovered by U.S. audiences. After another four or five albums, look for the Grammys to nominate him for Best New Artist.

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Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal
Winner:

 Two Against Nature
Steely Dan
 "Cousin Dupree": Which one of these things is not like the others? Steely Dan have always defied pigeonholing, but somehow, this nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group is largely misbegotten. Their jazz-influenced harmonies are nearly unheard-of in pop music, and while it's not that they aren't interesting or technically difficult, they don't belong in this category.

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Maroon [EXTRA TRACKS]
Barenaked Ladies
 "Pinch Me": The Barenaked Ladies should have received the award for "Pinch Me." They're in a different class than their highly shellacked fellow nominees ('N Sync, the Corrs, and the Backstreet Boys), with vocals that go in an entirely different direction than the flawless vocal harmony groups. The Ladies douse the song in a hyperspeed lyrical delivery that is balanced by infectious melody and fleshed-out backing vocals. It's a sweet, irrepressible song that's earnest enough not to wear thin even after a hundred listenings.

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Best Pop Vocal Album
Winner:

 Two Against Nature
Steely Dan
 Do we see a trend here? Once again, you can call it a jazz album, you can call it a funk album, you can call it a rock album, you can call it a combination of the three, but a pop album it ain't. Does Donald Fagen have an uncle on the Grammy voting committee? We're starting to wonder.

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Music
Madonna
 Madonna deserved this prize for Music. Her vocals here seem less articulated than they were on Ray of Light, indicating an unprecedented confidence in her singing as she relinquishes control. Further, she takes on a number of stylistic challenges, from an R&B-lite torch burner (Madonna-style, of course) to highly synthesized vocoder effects. While all the other pop vocalists are all trying to out-lung each other, Madonna, as always, does her own thing and does it perfectly.

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Best Pop Instrumental Album
Winner:

 Symphony No. 1
Joe Jackson
 Joe Jackson is a talented pop songwriter, but with Symphony No. 1, his ambition exceeds his gifts. This album was a cacophonous jumble of musical misdirection, a hookless bramble of rocklike movements that leave listeners scratching their heads and plugging their ears.

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Audio [HDCD]
Blue Man Group
 The Grammys were oddly receptive to Eminem, but not so welcoming of blue people. Audio, the CD by the beloved Blue Man Group, a performance art troupe that incorporates physical humor with rhythm-focused compositions played on custom-made percussion instruments (built out of PVC piping), is the winner in our book. Audio isn't a soundtrack to their shows, but rather an original showcase of their unique musical prowess--a joyful listen from a group that takes their art, but not themselves, seriously.

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All Grammy Winners
 So after all the hype and big-name performances, did the 43rd annual Grammy Awards live up to your expectations? Check out all the nominees and winners on our Grammys page.

Complete list of Grammy nominees and winners


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Updated 27 Feb 2001