Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Florence Welch, Yolanda Adams and Martina McBride; Aretha Franklin Tribute
It's not easy to sing Aretha Franklin songs. Few people can really belt it out as well as the grandmother of soul, and no one can do it better. But these vocal sirens gave a great performance. Sure, it felt a little bit like a VH1 Divas special, with each performer introduced before her song segment. But Christina, Jennifer, Florence, Yolanda and Martina put on a good show. Christina even remembered the words!
Grade: B
Lady Gaga, 'Born This Way
The egg and shoulder horns were weird. The dancing was good. And her ponytail whipping might even beat out Willow Smith's for Best Performance by an Artist's Hair. But Gaga's new song, "Born This Way," sounds like a cross between Sister Sledge's "We Are Family" and Madonna's "Vogue." It would be perfect for a clothes-changing montage in a remake of The Birdcage. But as a pop song? She can do better.
Grade: B
Miranda Lambert, 'The House That Built Me'
Miranda Lambert's touching ode to her childhood home was artfully sung, but I can't help feeling as if I've heard this song before. Nothing went wrong here. But nothing really went right either. And by the way, why are country singers always so nostalgic?
Grade: C
Muse, 'Uprising'
It seems strange to perform a song about a revolution — complete with toppling images, fire and destroyed icons — so soon after people elsewhere in the world have undergone a real uprising. But art is supposed to imitate life, and "Uprising" is loud, violent and raw. Just as it's supposed to be.
Grade: A-
Bruno Mars, B.o.B. and Janelle Monáe; 'Nothin' on You,' 'Grenade,' 'Cold War' (Medley)
Bruno Mars, B.o.B and Janelle Monáe had 14 Grammy nominations between them this year. You'd think that such highly acclaimed musicians would create mind-blowing music together, but I'm not feeling it. I like the 1960s throwback thing that Bruno Mars and Janelle Monáe have going on, with the James Brown pompadours, wing tips and black-and-white film stock. Mars leans a little too heavily into lounge-singer territory, and Monáe keeps it clean, fresh and exciting. But amid all this B.o.B.'s raps seemed out of place, causing the whole thing to fall
Janelle Monáe: A+ (
) Everyone else: B-
Usher and Justin Bieber (Featuring Jaden Smith); 'Never Say Never,' 'OMG' (Medley)
Bieber isn't a great dancer, but he's getting there. With Usher's help, he'll have the popping and locking down in no time. The Beebs is growing up, but slowly. He's a little bit taller, a little bit bolder, and he's wearing slightly more leather. But he smiles when he dances and it's still O.K. for teenage girls to like him. And Jaden Smith, 12, raps as well as any 15-year-old. (Sidenote: How are Will and Jada Pinkett Smith producing such precocious children? Did they read that Tiger Mother book or something?) Meanwhile, Usher makes one of the worst songs of 2010 almost listenable. When I watched him glide across the stage, I almost forgot that "OMG" is primarily a ringtone disguised as a club anthem.
Grade: A-
Mumford and Sons, Avett Brothers and Bob Dylan; 'The Cave,' 'Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise,' 'Maggie's Farm' (Medley)
In a world of see-through dresses, shoulder horns and Justin Bieber, it's easy to forget that the Grammys are supposed to celebrate good music. Marcus Mumford sings with more passion than all of the performers before him put together. Then come the Avett Brothers, who at first seem as if they weren't ready to play "Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise" in front of such a large audience. But after a few chords the Avetts find their rhythm, leading smoothly into an appearance by none other than Bob Dylan. Dylan, however, looks old — older than his 69 years, 10 Grammy awards or lifetime achievement honor should account for. The Mumfords and Avetts might never write a song as good as "Maggie's Farm." But the folk hero's energy just isn't there.
Mumford & Sons: A Avett Brothers: A- Bob Dylan: B-
Lady Antebellum, 'Need You Now
Didn't Lady Antebellum perform "Need You Now" at the ceremony last year? Yes. Yes, they did. But this year the mediocre country ballad won them five Grammys.
That still doesn't make them interesting. One thought did cross my mind while watching them: Whatever happened to Shania Twain?
Grade: D
Cee Lo and Gwyneth Paltrow, 'Forget You'
I was all ready to hate this performance — Gwyneth Paltrow? Muppets? "F___ You" changed to "Forget You?" — but Cee Lo proved to be a surprising treat. "F___ You" is still catchy even without the f bombs, s bombs and racial epithets, and Gwyneth Paltrow wisely didn't try to compete with the backup-singer puppets or the man in the peacock costume. They made me want to get up and dance.
Grade: A
Katy Perry; 'Not Like the Movies,' 'Teenage Dream' (Medley)
Katy Perry's swing looked like a high school–yearbook photo backdrop, but her cupcake-esque minidress and the video of her actual wedding, to British comedian Russell Brand last October, made up for it. Perry is the pop-music equivalent of a basket of puppies. This Valentine's Day–themed performance makes me want to believe that she and Brand will stay married forever, despite the statistical improbability of that happening. Good luck, you crazy kids.
Grade: B+
Norah Jones, John Mayer and Keith Urban; 'Jolene
Norah Jones, John Mayer and Keith Urban paid tribute to country music legend Dolly Parton with one of her classic songs. They are three separate artists with three separate styles, but they came together for a seamless performance. This rendition of "Jolene" was simple, beautiful and clean.
Grade: A
Rihanna, Dr. Dre, Skylar Grey and Eminem; 'Love the Way You Lie,' 'I Need a Doctor' (medley)
Rihanna rarely sings alone. She's almost always accompanied by another singer, drowned out by synthesizers or Auto-Tuned by an overzealous producer. But tonight, at least briefly, it's just Rihanna and the microphone. Then Eminem appears and does the unthinkable: he makes the performance even better. When the duo performed "Love the Way You Lie" at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this year, they seemed disjointed and unrehearsed. Here, they've have found their element. And Dr. Dre, whose cameo could have been an unnecessary addition, only added to the fire.
Grade: A
Mick Jagger, 'Everybody Needs Somebody to Love'
Everyone's favorite prancing grandpa gave an energetic, heartfelt tribute to singer Solomon Burke, who died last year. Jagger has an act that simply doesn't get old. He struts and swaggers like someone half — no, a third — his age. It's hard to believe that the man is 67.
Grade: A+
Barbra Streisand, 'Evergreen'
"Love, soft as an easy chair/ Love, fresh as the morning air." What is this, a Hallmark card? Barbra Streisand sings "Evergreen," her 1976 Oscar-winning theme to A Star Is Born. Yes, she's talented. Yes, she's a legend. But that doesn't mean everything Streisand touches turns to gold. This performance is more of a pewter one.
Grade: C
Rihanna and Drake, 'What's My Name?'
It's official: the 2011 Grammys should just be renamed The Rihanna Show. For her second appearance onstage tonight, the pop star ditched the ball gown, shortened her skirt and nailed this duet with Drake. I'm not even sure why Drake was there. Apparently he wan't either; he wandered off halfway through the song.
Grade: A-
Arcade Fire, 'Month of May
Arcade Fire are perhaps the last big rock band out there. But for their inaugural Grammy performance, they selected their second best song and complicated it with bike riders and seizure-inducing strobe lights. Too much is happening here. I can't focus on the music.
Grade: B-
Arcade Fire, 'Ready to Start
Oh, so that is why Arcade Fire played "Month of May" first. They saved the best for last. There's a reason why the Montreal-based band won the 2011 Grammy for Album of the Year: The Suburbs combines big, orchestral sounds and subtle, hushed nuances to explore the painful comfort that comes with living in the suburbs. This performance of "Ready to Start" translates that feeling to the stage. At least, I think it did. The CBS telecast cut to commercial halfway through.
Grade: A
http://www.time.com/time/specials/pa...048941,00.html
Damn they went IN!. I loved it
