I usually put up diaries here bashing white cops for mistreating and killing African Americans and how there is some real deep racism in a lot of white people(OK, may not be at DKOS, but just listen to people at one’s workplace if you can get them relaxed enough). However, this is one of my few diaries where I have to call out some people in social media and regular media for making a big deal out of the Beyonce loss at last night’s grammys and putting race at the forefront. People are entitled to vent about it as I believe it is not unreasonable to expect many people to actually think it is the best album of the year. BUt to make headlines about it or so many tweets(which sadly have replaced news for some), it is something i prefer is discussed in personal gatherings because it just is not clear cut enough for people to publicly accuse someone of racism. . I personally liked half of the stuff I heard on it and the rest was better as good background music for the HBO Lemonade hour. But to bring race into it as a topic title as this guy from Slate was doing?
Grammys rarely give the best album of the year the best album grammy. And art is so subjective. I keep hearing all this over the top hand wringing over Beyonce getting robbed. David Bowie finally won a real grammy and it was after he died!!! So why waste our outrage to this extent on something like this?
Let’s get this out of the way. Adele was certainly not undeserving of her other two awards for Best Song and especially Best Record even if there were other deserving songs, some of which were not even nominated. The Adele type genre is not my first preference. But I had to admire how good she sounds live singing without any help and she somehow resists the temptation to oversing American Idol style despite all those notes.
I haven’t listened to Adele’s full album though I liked the two singles. I watched Beyonce’s Lemonade on HBO. It got a little bloated at times and went a little long on the narration but in a way, points for trying something different. But it’s getting to be a trend for her now, kind of like all those highly praised Radiohead sets(I guess it’s a good sign that black superstars are now getting overpraised for everything they do the way a lot of white rock stars have been overpraised for even some of their lesser work and in Beyonce’s case, I am referring to her stage show more than her album when I talk about overrated). Lemonade does have a few cuts where the songs are musically stay in your head and stand out lyrically. I love Hold Up. Sorry was unapologetic bliss. Formation, I dont think was part of that HBO hour, but I listened ito it and was a pretty good declaration and a good song. But that’s me. I am sure there are others who disagree and think the entire album is just as great without the video accompaniment.
Still, it seems like Beyonce’s stage performances have become overblown artistic endeavors(though she does get credit for not taking the easy way out and trying something different). And it seems like her shows have become more of the same. A lot of narration making it sound a little narcissistic. I hate to sound like that twit Piers Morgan, but that’s how everyone in the room felt while watching Beyonce at the Grammys especially as her last couple of awards shows performances had similar bloat. I get the feeling from the columnists in the media that we need to pay homage to whatever this queen bee does . Now when you put that overpraise together with the amount of complaining about Beyonce getting robbed because she is black, I just feel like it is not enough of a slam dunk decision to make such claims in the media and all it does is harden the other side in the race war we are having. We need to convert some of the milder racists and stuff like this does not help.
Is it possible it was racists in the voting body that were determined not to show up an “uppity” black superstar? Possible. But not crystal clear considering Grammys get this award wrong a lot. And i say this as someone who always question Oscars giving nominations easily to some young white woman who plays a hooker or some vulnerable gal without anything that awesome in terms of a performance except looking pretty.
Not saying anyone shouldnt complain. It makes for legitimate good fodder at home to discuss. I know I felt Kanye was funny and on point when MTV’s teen twits gave some trivial early Swift song the VMA over Single Ladies. (Little did I know, that was just the start of Kanye going on rants that got more and more boring by the year). I am just here to put this diary out as a part of the record to give a different opinion from someone who counts himself as part of the progressive movement. Yes I liked most of Lemonade. And yes, I thought Beyonce was a big bore last night.
Weigh in. There are no right or wrong responses. Just subjective opinions on a personal topic like musical taste.