ADELE, 6 FOR 6 AT THE GRAMMYS

I've listened to Adele's 21 twice in the last two days, before and after The Grammys.  What a triumphant night for her. She deserved every bit of it.

I voted for her a number of times. I wanted Foo Fighters to win Album of The Year for Wasting Light, but I can't be made that Adele won.  Even Dave Grohl has talked about what a great album 21 is.

Of course, with the amount of attention she's gotten and the success she's enjoyed, there are people "hating on her" (in the parlance of the times). I've written about this before. But I'll say it again. Whenever I hear her sing, I believe every word. She doesn't pretend to be anything she isn't.  I don't care if she writes songs or not - but it turns out she co-wrote all of the songs on 21, except for the cover of The Cure's "Lovesong" (which was a very cool arrangement).

I was wondering how good she would sound, and if she was ready to perform after her surgery.  I mean, even if she wasn't ready, there would have been a huge amount of temptation to get her singing a bit early to capitalize on the opportunity to perform at The Grammys, given her six nominations and the fact that her record was the best selling of the year. Well, she was ready, and she proved it.  Now I'm looking forward to whatever she does next.  Obviously I'm not alone there!

BEST OF 2011 - #7 - ADELE "21"

Even if I had spent 2011 in a coma and didn't have any context about the effect that Adele's 21 had, I'd still dig the album.  But the fact that it got people excited about actually buying music again (she sold over 13 million copies worldwide), the fact that the first single "Rolling In The Deep" just seemed to dominate the airwaves and yet never got old, and yes, the fact that she seems to be such an unlikely star... all of that makes me enjoy it even more. And lots of other people enjoy it also: Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly named it their album of the year, VH1 named "Rolling In The Deep" the best song on their Top 40 Videos of 2011 (I was a "pundit" on the show, and was happy to comment on that song). And of course, Adele has a bunch of Grammy(R) nominations, and as a voter, I know I'll be voting for her a couple of times this year.

But like I said, the album holds up without any of that knowledge. Rick Rubin exec-produced the record and did a great job doing what he does: making sure the material is good enough, getting a sound that isn't too fancy and adorned, and then he gets out of the way.  Adele is a great singer, she's very soulful (although some contrarians try to come up with ways to deny that simple fact). "Rolling In The Deep" and "Someone Like You" have already reached iconic status (Saturday Night Live based a skit around "Someone Like You") but I actually think "Rumor Has It" is her greatest moment. Of course, she's only 21 as the album's title says, and I'm sure she has many more great moments.  For now, I hope her voice recovers in time for her to perform at the Grammys, which will surely be a great night for this very talented young lady.

TOMORROW NIGHT ON VH1: TOP 40 VIDEOS OF 2011

For the third year in a row, VH1 invited me to be a pundit on their year end video countdown. As I've mentioned, I worked at VH1 for years, had a great time there, and kept relationships there.  Back then, I would occasionally be asked to be interviewed for a show, and I am totally flattered that they still think to call me up for these shows.

I can't say much about what artists I talked about.  Last year, they posted most of the top 40 before the show aired.  This year, they are being much more secretive.  They do mention that Adele, Pitbull and Bruno Mars are in the countdown, so I feel comfortable putting a picture of Adele's 21 album in this post. I have no idea what order the videos came in - they don't tell you that. But hey, we know who's year this was!  Back in June, I said that Adele would be one of the big music stories of the year. I think she is a great soul singer, and so many people really react to her.  I'm happy for her success.

Anyway, the show airs tomorrow night on VH1 at 7 pm, I'm sure it will be rebroadcast a few times before the end of the year. It should be fun.  By the way, I'll be Tweeting throughout the show.  I'm @noexpiration and the hashtag is #VH1Top40.

GUEST POST: ADELE AT THE PALLADIUM

(This picture is from the L.A. Times' music blog, "Pop & Hiss."  Read their review of Adele's recent L.A. show here).

I'm really excited to have a guest post from my friend Lori.  I met Lori a long time ago (I worked at a sleep away camp as a counselor, she was a camper!). A couple of years ago, I bumped into her again when we both worked at MTV. More recently, she oversaw the team in charge of booking talent at Lopez Tonight – they had a pretty awesome guest list every night, and everyone from Prince to Slash played the show. In my experience, people in these positions get a little jaded over music – understandably, as they are inundated with it as part of their professional lives.

When it comes to Adele, Lori is the most vocal and enthusiastic fan I know. That’s the effect Adele has on people. I get it: there’s something about her voice that makes you forget about other singers. She may not be doing anything really new, but it feels new when she sings, because she is such a great singer (and at such a young age!). She’s going to be around for decades. So anyway, Lori, who generally rolls V.I.P. due to her industry status, braved general admission for Adele's show at The Greek in L.A., and here’s her report (thanks Lori!).

"I have to admit that I was cranky on the night I've been most looking forward for the past 7 months. All I could hope for was that the minute Adele hit the stage I was going to forget about the fact that I was crammed into general admission with little to no air as if it were a crowded Bikram class. All I could focus on was the sweat trickling down my back until the lights went dim and she stepped onto the stage.

From the first  note she reminded me why I was there.

To hear this amazing voice and these poetic lyrics that I've sung at the top of my lungs in my car for months.

To be introduced to her charming personality... a bonus (though I should have known better after reading that Rolling Stone article that left me with a girl crush).  From her goofy yet infectious laugh to comments like "I know that song was pretty sad. This next one is even sadder. But that's why you're here isn't it?!" And she's right. That's why we were and will continue to be.  While we all sang along to our favorites, I noticed it was one of those shows where nobody wanted to sing too loudly for fear of not hearing Adele's voice.

The way in which she so humbly thanked us for being there and making her a pop star in a world where she might not seem like the most obvious choice.  NO ONE left until the very end of the show. Rare.

And lastly, this has to be mentioned, her dress!! Gorgeous.  Sure she tugged it down quite often and dreaded walking past the onstage fan for fear of showing more than she'd like, but how beautiful she looked in it. A true inspiration in talent and poise.

I am sure everyone feels as I do in wanting to meet up with her for a pint... as if you're already friends.

Special kind of night. Special kind of artist."

So there you have it.  Lori has seen it all, she's worked at MTV, Fuse, Kimmel and Lopez.  She was blown away by Adele's performance. I don't think *I* have anything to add to that, but I think I'm gonna try and check Adele out next time she comes to NYC! 

TOMORROW ON THE MORNING JOLT - POP, POP, POP MUSIC

First off: this (very obviously) photoshopped image is from Rolling Stone.

Second: sorry I haven't been posting in the past week.  Things have been busy.

Onward! So tomorrow morning I will be on SiriusXM OutQ's The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick  (and co-host Keith Price) at about 9 am ET. Every so often, I go against type and bring in a bunch of straight up pop records.

Right now, the biggest pop record on earth is the latest from Lady Gaga, Born This Way. I don't have as strong of an opinion on her as everyone else seems to.  I think she is talented, she's written some good songs, and she's a savvy marketer. On the other, I think she goes way out of her way to prove her intelligence, her artsiness and how much of an outsider she is.  I don't buy into her like other people do.  I think her new album is pretty good, but it's about as edgy as a Loverboy or REO Speedwagon album from the '80s.  I do enjoy the fact that she used Clarence Clemons from The E Street Band on two of the songs.  His playing is very '80s: it reminded me of his playing on "Dancing In The Dark" or Aretha's "Freeway Of Love."

I choose a couple of other prominent pop records: a Britney/Ke$ha/Nicki Minaj collab, a Katy Perry/Kanye West collab and some new Beyonce songs.  I have to say, I wasn't really impressed by any of them. Also a newer artist named Christina Perri: she's not my thing, but I can appreciate her a bit.

And also, the artist who I think will be one of the stories of 2011: Adele.  Right now, I bet that 21 will be one of the big Grammy albums, and it may make lots of critics lists also.

And what's that you say?  You don't have a SiriusXM subscription?  Get on that! Get a free online trial and check out what you're missing!

ADELE HITS #1 BUT IS SHE "SOUL"?

Congratulations to Adele, whose new album, 21, just debuted at #1.  I think she's a great singer, who has a vision and doesn't really conform to anyone else's idea of what her music should be, or what she should look like, or what "beautiful" is.

I was surprised to see an article in Slate saying that not only is Adele not soul music, but it sort of insinuates that she is an affront to soul music.

I'm all for critical analysis of music, and I wish I were better at that kind of thing myself.  On the other hand, I feel you can overthink things sometimes, and that's how I kind of felt about this article.

One point the writer makes is that white Americans like Aretha Franklin because she represents a caricature. I would argue that white (and black) people enjoy her music because she is one of the greatest singers of all time, if not the.  She sings songs that people to relate to, and when she sings them, you believe her. I don't mean to be simplistic, but I just don't think that everyone listening to Aretha has that narrative in mind. They like to listen to her sing.

Of course I'm not trying to compare Adele to Aretha - I doubt Adele would even be comfortable with that. I don't think Adele is selling much of a narrative: at any rate, I've purchased both of her albums without knowing much about her.  I know that she either has been dumped, or can convince me that she has been when she sings about it. And I know that she isn't interested in looking like other female singers. She's not a waif, and good for her. I react to her voice, which I enjoy, and the fact that I believe her when she sings something. Her influences, which obviously inform her work pretty heavily, are generally artists I enjoy. I don't think she's thought about it much more than that. I know I haven't. I like hearing her sing.

Is she "soul" music? She's been hurt, she gets back up, dusts herself off, and keeps it movin'. There's joy and pain in her voice, and yes, she sounds like Aretha is an influence. She sounds like soul to me.

DANIEL MERRIWEATHER COVERS THE WHITE STRIPES

Hi, meet Daniel Merriweather! Actually, I don't know that much about Daniel Merriweather. Other than the fact that he guested on an album by super-producer Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen) and sang an incredible version of The Smiths' "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before." Ronson signed him to his label and is putting out Merriweather's debut album, Love & War. I've heard that the album has been a bit problematic and has been delayed a few times.  I downloaded two songs from iTunes: a great duet with Adele "Water and a Flame," and a really great cover of The White Stripes' "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)." So far I'm pretty sold on the guy.  It's pretty interesting that a band like The White Stripes, have been covered by pop/soul singers like Daniel, as well as Joss Stone ("Fell In Love With A Girl") and Kelly Clarkson (who sometimes covers "Seven Nation Army").

BEST OF THE 00s: JACK WHITE -- MY PICK FOR ARTIST OF THE DECADE

Jack White is my "Artist of the Decade." Obviously, I've been writing about a lot of other "Best of the 00s" artists - and Jack just edged out my second choice, Aimee Mann.

In a decade where popular culture was dominated by famous people who were famous for being famous (or a willingness to do anything to be famous) and most credible rock bands had the "indie" thing (allergic to popularity -  among many other things - way too much sarcasm, no charisma), songs seemed secondary and new artists seemed to lack much sense of history... Jack White was a remedy for all of these things. It was almost like, where was this creature spawned from? All of this stuff looks good on paper: the real deal is that Jack White is a great songwriter, and one of the most prolific ones in recent decades.

The former Goober & The Peas drummer of course formed his own band, The White Stripes, in the late '90s, and they released their classic self titled debut in 1999. Not many indie bands (or any bands) would have the audacity (or soul) to cover Bob Dylan ("One More Cup Of Coffee") and Robert Johnson ("Stop Breaking Down") on the same album (which was dedicated to Son House).   In 2000 came De Stijl, their final indie effort (it was on Sympathy For The Record Industry, but was later reissued on V2). More covers: Son House's "Death Letter" and Blind Willie McTell's "Your Southern Can Is Mine." But also lots of Jack originals like "You're Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)."

2001's White Blood Cells catapulted them to the pop charts with "Fell In Love With A Girl" (clocking in at a lean one minute fifty) and also "Dead Leaves and The Dirty Ground." 2003's Elephant is probably their greatest moment ever, and had one of the best songs of all time, "Seven Nation Army," which has been covered by Kelly Clarkson, Audioslave and The Oak Ridge Boys. The entire album was great. I remember seeing them on that tour, and Loretta Lynn opened up.  She was amazing: Jack joined her on stage, and she returned the favor. I remember calling someone at her record label saying that they should get Jack to produce her next album, a la Rick Rubin and Johnny Cash. And guess what?

2004 saw the release of Van Lear Rose, a triumphant comeback album for Ms. Lynn, produced by Jack White. It also offered a glimpse of what he'd do more of in the future: work with musical icons and be comfortable rubbing shoulders with them.  It also offered a glimpse of The Raconteurs: bassist Patrick Keeler and drummer Jack Lawrence (both of The Greenhornes) were in the band. (Oh yeah, between Elephant and Van Lear Rose, Jack also appeared in the film Cold Mountain, and did a few solo tunes for the soundtrack).

After that, Jack may have lost his way a bit: 2005's Get Behind Me Satan was a really good album, but probably The White Stripes' weakest. So, he formed The Racontuers with Keeler, Lawrence and singer-songwriter Brendan Benson. Their debut, 2006's Broken Boy Soldiers is a classic, and "Steady, As She Goes" is up there with "Seven Nation Army." Around this time, Jack also jammed with The Rolling Stones on "Loving Cup" on their documentary and live album Shine A Light. (The Raconteurs, meanwhile, got to jam with Pete Townshend on Rachel Fuller's In The Attic web series.)

By 2007, The White Stripes were back in effect, and Icky Thump is another White Stripes classic. "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)"... another classic. The tour of Canada was captured for the upcoming documentary Under Great White Northern Lights which comes out in a few months.

2008 saw another Raconteurs album, Consolers Of The Lonely, which proved that they weren't a one-off side project type deal. It didn't have a monster like "Steady, As She Goes" but still, it was an amazing album. They've since re-recorded some "Old Enough" as a bluegrass number with Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe, and an R&B version of "Many Shades Of Black" with Adele. And after that, Jack and Alicia Keys teamed up for "Another Way To Die" for the James Bond franchise. It featured Jack on guitar and drums, with Patrick Keeler on bass.

Earlier this year, of course, Jack appeared with Jimmy Page and The Edge in the guitar documentary It Might Get Loud. He's one of the few guitarists of his generation who could pull that off.  And then, after appearing in a film about his love for the guitar, he returned to the drums for his latest band, The Dead Weather, whose Horehound is one of my favorite albums of 2009.

I haven't even mentioned the fact that Jack (I believe) owns his masters, giving him a freedom that is pretty unheard of for artists of his stature, and he is leveraging that to be a force for good, via his Third Man Records. They record, on analog tape, single (that's a 7" 45rpm vinyl record with an A-side and a B-side). The Third Man VIP club also offers cool exclusive stuff for members, and so far it has been worth it.

Artistically, and as a guy forging his own path in the music industry, Jack is my dude of the decade.  I know I say this a lot, but I really can't wait to see what the guy does next.

THE RACONTEURS COLLABORATE WITH ADELE

Remember back in January, I mentioned that Jack White would be collaborating with Adele? Well, it turns out that it's not just Jack, it was a session with The Raconteurs, much like their collaboration with Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe. They re-recorded their own song "Old Enough," bluegrass style and Skaggs and Monroe. This time, they did a more R&B version of their song "Many Shades Of Black" with Adele. Oddly, it will be coming out on a soundtrack CD for the television show 90120. Please! Release it as a CD single, or at least a la carte on iTunes. Don't make me buy a 90210 album, I won't do it. I'll borrow someone else's. But I am definitely looking forward to hearing it. It's probably the last we'll hear from the band for a while: Jack White and Jack Lawrence are both still working with The Dead Weather, and after that, I'm sure Jack will do another White Stripes project - especially since a documentary film about the band is coming out soon. There's also rumors that Jack White may be working with The Rolling Stones as well. And, of course, Brendan Benson has just released a solo album. But I'm sure The Raconteurs will get together again at some point, and I hope they do, they're a great band.

GRAMMY PREDICITONS

As promised, here are my Grammy predictions in the big categories, as well
as predictions by Keith Price, the ebony, chunky, funky co-host of The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick on SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio. On Monday morning, we'll see how well we did, and discuss the show.

Record of the Year
Adele’s “Chasing Pavements”
Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”
Leona Lewis’ “Bleeding Love”
M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes”
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’ “Please Read The Letter”

No Expiration says: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss should win, it was a phenomenal track from an incredible record that gave two career artists a new career highlight. Record of the Year is also an award for the production: Robert Plant recorded the song ten years earlier with Jimmy Page, produced by Steve Albini. The new version, produced by T-Bone Burnett, casts the song in a new light. I also think it will win, this is the kind of record that Grammy voters love, and all of the younger artists will cancel each other out.

Keith Price saysAdele should win, but Leona Lewis, a favorite of Larry Flick, will win.

Album of the Year
Coldplay’s Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
Lil’ Wayne’s Tha Carter III
Ne-Yo’s Year of the Gentleman
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss’ Raising Sand
Radiohead’s In Rainbows

No Expiration says: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, again, should win, although Radiohead’s album is great and Coldplay’s is the rare “rock” record to have a long shelf-life with lots of single, and Lil Wayne’s sold over three milli. But I think Wayne and Ne-Yo cancel each other out, and Radiohead and Coldplay cancel each other out.

Keith Price says: Coldplay will win, but Robert Plant & Alison Krauss should win.

Song of the Year
Estelle featuring Kanye West: “American Boy”
Adele: “Chasing Pavements”
Jason Mraz: “I’m Yours”
Sara Bareilles: “Love Song”
Coldplay: “Viva La Vida”

No Expiration says: there’s no clear cut winner here, but Jason Mraz shouldn’t have been invited to this party, with all due respect. I liked a lot of these songs, but I voted for Coldplay, and I think that is who will win (which isn’t why I voted for them).

Keith Price says: “American Boy” will win, but “Chasing Pavements” should win.

Best New Artist
Adele
Duffy
The Jonas Brothers
Lady Antelbellum
Jazmine Sullivan

No Expiration says: Duffy should and will win. Yes, The Jonas Brothers sold tons of records and film tickets and concert tickets and deserve recognition for that, plus they write songs and play instruments. But the Grammys don’t want to become the American Music Awards. Duffy’s album is a great debut by a career artist that had the old-fashioned slow build, and she never seemed like she was getting overexposed.

Keith Price agrees!

JACK WHITE WORKING WITH ADELE

In an interview with Rolling Stone's website, Adele says that she's working on a collaboration with Jack White. She worked with Jack and The Raconteurs on a version of their "Many Shades Of Black." I can't wait to hear that.

I'm definitely impressed with Adele. I don't know much about her, but her song "Chasing Pavements" is really great, and I'm glad that her career was boosted by the fact that she happened to be performing on Saturday Night Live the night that Sarah Palin was appearing on the show. And I'm happy for her getting four unexpected Grammy nominations. Also, she does a great cover of Bob Dylan's "To Make You Feel My Love."

NARAS DISSES SPRINGSTEEN AGAIN

OK, I'm going to sound like a middle aged New Jerseyite here, but for the second year in a row, the Grammy nominations have dissed Bruce Springsteen big time. There were some really good nominations: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss' Raising Sand did really well, and the nominations will likely expose even more people to a classic album. And all the nominations for R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan will no doubt expose her to new fans, regardless of whether or not she wins anything (I downloaded two of her songs on iTunes tonight and liked them a lot). I am glad to see Adele do so well (I was shocked that she got more nominations than Duffy). I won't even complain about Lil' Wayne getting more nominations than anyone else - he isn't for me (although "Swagga Like Us," featuring Wayne, Kanye West, Jay-Z and T.I. is probably the best hip-hop song of the year, even I can admit that).

But "Girls In Their Summer Clothes" is a classic. I like Sara Barielles' "Love Song," but it is really that good? Is Jason Mraz's song "I'm Yours"? Who decides this stuff? Both were nominated for Song of the Year. "Girls..." is also an incredible production. But apparently not as good as Leona Lewis' "Bleeding Love." "Girls..." did get two nominations in the rock category. I also felt that Al Green's Lay It Down should have gotten more nominations than it did, and in the top three categories (all of his were in R&B).

Ah well, Bruce will be fine, so will the Reverend Al. And I'm glad for Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, they have my vote in every category they're nominated in.

TOMORROW ON OUTQ

In an attempt to keep Keith Price awake, I'll be taking a break from "rock" and talking about some great female singers (I'll refrain from the term "diva"). Adele, Estelle, P!nk, Nikka Costa, Jennifer Hudson and also the new James Bond theme song by Alicia Keys and Jack White.

But before that, I'll pay tribute to the late Levi Stubbs of The Four Tops.