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Adele dominates Grammys

By Maggie Lawrence, Culture Editor, on February 13, 2012 6:48 PM

The 54^th Annual Grammy Awards belonged to Adele on Sunday night.  The singer took home six awards, claiming all those for which she was nominated, in recognition of her album 21, including Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, and Best Pop Vocal Album.   Adele’s Grammy performance marked her first time to take the stage since having surgery on her vocal cords in November.

Folk band Bon Iver claimed both Best New Artist and Best Alternative Album, confusing many viewers accustomed to the recognition of more mainstream acts. Justin Vernon, lead singer and only permanent member of dark horse winner Bon Iver, was reluctant even in accepting the awards, criticizing the Recording Academy for its shortsighted view of talent in the music industry.  The public reaction to Bon Iver’s Grammy success is hilariously memorialized by the most recent addition to the blogosphere: ‘Who is Bon Iver.’  The creators compiled hundreds of tweets and facebook posts demanding a justification for the award. http://who-is-bon-iver.tumblr.com/ Tumbler readers are met with the statement, “Bon Iver (Bonny Bear) just won 2 Grammys. Most of us know who they are. This blog is about the people who don’t.”

On the rock front, the Foo Fighters cleaned up with nods for Best Rock Song, Album, and Performance for “Walk” from their most recent release Wasting Light.  Coldplay took home zero trophies and Chris Martin and the boys gave the Grammy audience a performance that left much to be desired.

Skrillex dominated the Electronic/Dance music categories, beating out established artists like David Guetta and Deadmau5.  Kanye West, though not present, had a very successful Grammy night, with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy winning Best Rap Album over his acclaimed collaboration with Jay-Z Watch the Throne.

The recent passing of legend Whitney Houston, a Grammy winner herself, had sent the music industry into mourning, but the Staples Center in Los Angeles provided an appropriate venue to honor the musical talent of both the present and past.  Jennifer Hudson paid tribute to the late star with a stunning performance of Houston’s iconic hit, “I Will Always Love You.”

The 2012 Grammy Awards, though overshadowed by grief, represented a next step the development of an oft-criticized industry.  Genres like EDM shared the spotlight with the soulful vocals of Adele and indie music enjoyed some critical acclaim, however unwelcome.

Check out the winners in many major categories:

Album of the Year: 21 Adele

Record of the Year: “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele

Song of the Year: “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth

New Artist: Bon Iver

Pop Solo Performance: “Someone Like You,” Adele

Pop Performance by a Duo or Group: “Body and Soul,” Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse

Pop Vocal Album: 21 Adele

Alternative Album: Bon Iver Bon Iver

Rock Song: “Walk,” Foo Fighters

Rock Album: Wasting Light Foo Fighters

Rock Performance: “Walk,” Foo Fighters

Hard Rock/Metal Performance: “White Limo,” Foo Fighters

R&B Album: F.A.M.E., Chris Brown

R&B Song: “Fool For You,” Cee Lo Green, Melanie Hallim & Jack Splash

R&B Performance: “Is This Love,” Corrine Bailey Rae

Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: “Fool For You,” Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona

Rap Album: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West

Rap Performance: “Otis,” Jay-Z and Kanye West

Rap Song: “All of the Lights,” Jeff Bhasker, Stacy Ferguson, Malik Jones, Warren Trotter & Kanye West

Rap/Sung Collaboration: “All of the Lights,” Kanye West, Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie

Dance Recording: “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites,” Skrillex

Dance/Electronica Album: Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites, Skrillex

Musical Theater Album: The Book of Mormon, Robert Lopez, Trey Parker & Matt Stone

World Music Album: Tassili, Tinariwen

Latin Pop Rock, Rock or Urban Album: Drama y Luz, Mana

Tropical Latin Album: Last Mambo, Cacha

Banda or Norteno Album: Los Tigres Del Norte and Friends Los Tigres Del Norte

Regional Mexican or Tejano Album: Bicentenario, Pepe Aguilar

Country Solo Performance: “Mean,” Taylor Swift

Country Album: Own the Night, Lady Antebellum

Country Performance by a Duo or Group: “Barton Hollow,” The Civil Wars

Country Song: “Mean,” Taylor Swift