Billboard Magazine January 4, 2014

As we head into the home stretch of what is sure to be another very strong broadcast for the Grammy Awards, I fnd myself dwelling on one of music’s last big televised shows, the American Music Awards. A strange pairing, perhaps, but bear with me a minute here. I was on standby the night of the AMAs. A handful of morning news and entertainment shows let me know that they might tape segments with me discussing the show, depending on how it went. And this is how it went: There were many really strong performances. Jennifer Lopez amazed with a tribute to Celia Cruz. Rihanna, now an elder stateswoman after seven albums, was presented with an icon award—just 25, she recently tied Michael Jackson with her 13th No. 1 on…

There’s kinetic energy onstage at Los Angeles’ Nokia Theatre for rehearsals of the opening number of “The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!”: three dancers with shopping carts, a half-dozen horn players amid racks of mismatched clothing, a couple of drummers, a choreographer, and several technicians fne-tuning audio and lights. Bur one body, positioned front and center facing the stage, stands still, watching while Macklemore and singer Wanz tear into “Thrift Shop,” the No. 1 song on the 2013 year-end Billboard Hot 100. The track finishes and that motionless fgure, Ken Ehrlich, fnally stirs, huddling with the Seattle rapper and a few others involved in the staging. Another new run-through starts—this time outside in the L.A. Live plaza. Macklemore, producer Ryan Lewis, Wanz and a trumpeter begin there, then bound down the…

One of the more beloved Grammy Week events has undergone a name change. But its mission remains the same: to celebrate music’s evolution and its infuencers on American culture. The Grammy Foundation’s Music Preservation Project has been rechristened the Grammy Foundation Legacy Concert. The 16th annual soiree, presented by Seagate, will take place Jan. 23 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles. And in keeping with the event’s continuing mission, the 2014 theme revolves around the invaluable contributions of songwriters, under the tag line “A Song Is Born.” The following evening, sister foundation MusiCares will honor singer/songwriter Carole King. Featuring a mix of Grammy Award winners, legends and newcomers, the “A Song Is Born” lineup includes singer/songwriters Skylar Grey and Kris Kristoferson, Goo Goo Dolls’ John Rzeznik, songwriter Allen…

“WONDERFUL WORLD” Sam Cooke Label: Keen Records Year of release: 1960 “Wonderful World,” Sam Cooke’s paean to romance trumping formal education, might have never seen the light of day were it not for a tangle of lawsuits and buyouts among labels and publishers. Lou Adler, one of Cooke’s closest friends in the late ’50s, and Herb Alpert wrote the song with Cooke, and recorded a demo version just fve days after fnishing a Billie Holiday tribute project. At the time, Cooke was recording for Keen Records, forming his own gospel label, SAR, and excising himself from his relationship with Specialty Records. Adler and Alpert disassociated themselves with Keen frst, according to Peter Guralnick’s book, “Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke.” By the end of 1959, Cooke had left Keen…

The Blessed Unrest SARA BAREiLLES PRODUCERS: sara Bareilles, Mark Endert, John O’Mahony ENGINEERS/MIXERS: Jeremy Darby, Mark endert, John O’Mahony MASTERING ENGINEER: Greg Calbi LABEL: epic Records Bareilles’ 2010 album, Kaleidoscope Heart, helped prove she wasn’t a pop personality to underestimate. But for the California native’s third studio release, The Blessed Unrest, the singer/songwriter decided to start anew by moving to New York and leaning more on co-writers, including fun.’s Jack Antonof. The lyrically daring and serious-sounding set debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and has sold 209,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Bareilles is also nominated for best pop performance for the single “Brave,” which reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. Random Access Memories DAFT PUNK PRODUCERS: thomas Bangalter, Julian casablancas, guy-Manuel de Homem-christo, DJ Falcon,…

Get Lucky DAFT PUNK FEATURING PHARRELL WILLIAMS PRODUCERS: Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo ENGINEERS/MIXERS: Peter Franco, Mick Guzauski, Florian Lagatta, Daniel Lerner FROM: Random Access Memories LABEL: Daft Life/Columbia Daft Punk frst teased its longawaited fourth album, Random Access Memories, by playing snippets of lead single “Get Lucky” on “Saturday Night Live” and at the Coachella festival last spring. When the full single was released April 19, pop fans got to soak in Nile Rodgers’ disco-funk guitar, Pharrell Williams’ sinuous vocal performance and Daft Punk’s delirious robo-breakdown in full—and “Get Lucky” promptly became one of the year’s most inescapable hits. The mysterious French duo’s groove-flled electronica has been recognized by the Grammy Awards previously, with early singles like “Da Funk” and “Around the World” earning best dance recording nods and…