Grammy countdown: Carrie, Sugarland and country album front-runners

Will the Grammys get a little more country this year? Grammy observers may recall there's been a bit of drama between Nashville and the Recording Academy the past few years.

Last year, Vince Gill was the only album of the year nominee not to perform on the telecast. While the country veteran was a visible presence at the awards, he did turn down the performance scenarios offered to him, reported to be a brief medley with Brad Paisley.

Some in the Nashville community took it as a slight. The previous year, Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts were paired up, and it was argued that country artists weren't being given any showcase performance slots. The Recording Academy president even went to Nashville after the 2007 Grammys to calm nerves.

Perhaps Nashville only needed to find a young, photogenic star? Country will be all over the prime-time Dec. 3 nominations telecast. Fast-rising superstar Taylor Swift will co-host and perform at the prime- time nominee special, and you can bet she'll be receiving some nods. But the former best new artist nominee doesn't have an album in contention -- her hot-selling "Fearless" missed the eligibility window and will be nominated for best country album in 2010.

Without Swift, whose appearance on Dec. 3 at L.A. Live will continue a media conquering tour that began with last year's award season, the two safest bets for best country album nods this year are Underwood and Sugarland.

Underwood, a former best new artist winner, took home best female country vocal honors last year for "Before He Cheats" and, in just four years, has gone from an "American Idol" pop to one of Nashville's most celebrated stars. Underwood recently had some hosting duties herself, as she co-anchored the Country Music Assn. Awards.

She may have been the odds-on favorite to win, had the duo of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, pictured above, not had a breakout year. Sugarland's "Love on the Inside" arrived at No. 1 on the U.S. pop charts -- a first for the group -- and the duo has honed a friendly pop sound that's still more raw, and more traditional, than most of mainstream Nashville.

The act can easily go big -- see the slow-building anthem that is "Love" -- as well as play to the country in-crowd, as it does on "Steve Earle." To be sure, Sugarland has already crossed over, even getting to perform with Beyonce at last year's American Music Awards, but a few major Grammy nods could set the act over the top, albeit nothing that will likely challenge Swift's crown.

Here are the best bets for country album of the year:

Sugarland's "Love on the Inside"
Carrie Underwood's "Carnival Ride"
George Strait's "Troubadour"
Brooks & Dunn's "Cowboy Town"
Little Big Town's "A Place to Land"

There's some leeway there, however. While Strait is a staple, and Brooks & Dunn are country's most famous duo (sorry, Big & Rich), Little Big Town would have had a bit more momentum last year (the act's album was released in November). Alan Jackson may be the first alternate in for his "Good Time," but Josh Turner has been nominated before as well, and his "Everything Is Fine" was a reliable effort.

And, of course, do not count out Dolly Parton, who went more country than bluegrass with this year's  "Backwoods Barbie." In fact, I'm amending the best bets:

Sugarland's "Love on the Inside"
Carrie Underwood's "Carnival Ride"
George Strait's "Troubadour"
Brooks & Dunn's "Cowboy Town"
Dolly Parton's "Backwoods Barbie"

-- Todd Martens

Photo: Sugarland at the Country Music Assn. Awards. Credit: Associated Press

Album review: Britney Spears' 'Circus'

It's time for the annual declaration: Britney Spears is not going away. Last year she might have seemed like a human Superfund site, oozing bad fumes and impossible to repair -- but in 13 short months, she's churned out a perfectly viable album that telegraphs self-awareness, sexual confidence and her most sought-after commodity, control.

"Circus" already has given her a big hit, the "Cabaret"-meets-"Flashdance"-flavored "Womanizer," and considering the expensive production credits neatly lined up on each track, more seem inevitable. Then there will be the tour, which should be great, if she can keep herself from crying uncontrollably because she misses her kids and the pressure's really getting her down. But hey, there's always Xanax.

As tabloid fodder, Spears remains a New Marilyn, embodying lust and disaster in every swing of her hips. Musically, she turned a corner with 2004's "Toxic," when she fully matured into her role as a vehicle for other people's experiments. Last year's "Blackout" worked well as daring dance-pop, but Spears was too absent for comfort. On many songs, her presence was almost indiscernible, carefully buried within layers of effects and heavy singing support from Keri Hilson and other studio A-listers.

Not so on "Circus," whose up-tempo songs foreground Spears' mildly sultry bark and whose ballads have her hiccuping emotion from deep in the back of her throat.

She's also game for any vocal tricks her producers suggest, squealing and giggling and even trying on a fairly horrific pan-Latin accent in "Mmm Papi." That song recalls nothing so much as Rosemary Clooney's "Come On-a My House," which came from the time when even great jazz singers sometimes made a buck by wearing fruit on their heads.

Grammy countdown: Which newcomer gets the R&B nod?

Alicia Keys' campaign to win nominations for best album and best R&B album began last year, when the artist opened the Grammy telecast. She probably could have been penciled in as one of the five best R&B album contenders as soon as "As I Am" was given a release date, as long as it wasn't a complete disaster.

But that still leaves nine R&B album slots, split between best R&B album and best contemporary R&B album. The difference isn't always clearly defined, and submissions may often be based simply on where an artist has a better shot of winning.

For instance, Mary J. Blige won best R&B album in 2006 for "The Breakthrough," but consensus has her going in the contemporary field this year, staying clear of Keys and Al Green, who will likely score a nod for his "Lay It Down."

But the R&B field is also one that readily acknowledges new artists. Last year, for instance, saw a contemporary R&B album nod awarded to Emily King, a young, largely unknown New York soul singer. This year shouldn't be any different.

Look for both Estelle and Jazmine Sullivan to snare some nominations on Dec. 3, when the Grammys unveil the 2008 contenders in prime time. Both could go in contemporary R&B, although that may be a long shot.

Estelle's "American Boy" featuring Kanye West was one of the summer's biggest hits, and her "Shine" has racked-up close to 30 weeks on the U.S. album chart. Like many of today's young R&B stars, Estelle is versatile, and her brand of R&B spans genres, from the reggae bump of "Come Over" to the jazzy inflections of "Wait a Minute (Just a Touch)" to the retro timelessness of "No Substitute Love."

In fact, on paper, it's not too unlike the multi-genre approach employed by Sullivan on her debut, "Fearless." Whereas Estelle has a nonchalant slyness to her singing, Sullivan has a bigger, more emotional voice, and a bit more of a love for vintage sounds. On "Bust Your Windows," she cops a smokey nightclub vibe that would make Amy Winehouse proud (the song was produced by Winehouse's collaborator Salaam Remi), and "Switch" has her appropriating a swinging, girl-group bounce.

But Sullivan comfortably veers into glossy mainstream territory as well. On hit single "Need U Bad," Sullivan slides from easy-listening R&B to a more clubby reggae beat, which opens up to allow for a guest shot from Missy Elliott. And the centerpiece of the album is the powerful, call-and-response anthem "One Night Stand."

Sullivan's album was released in September and was a top-10 debut. She may benefit from being a little bit more on the forefront of voter's minds than Estelle. If Pop & Hiss had to pick one, it would lean toward Estelle, but this blog is (wrongly?) going out on a limb and including both in our contemporary R&B album best bets:

Estelle's "Shine"
Jazmine Sullivan's "Fearless"
Mary J. Blige's "Growing Pains"
Chris Brown's "Exclusive"
Erykah Badu's "New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)"

Now that leaves out Ne-Yo's "Year of the Gentleman," perhaps a crazy move because his "Because of You" won the Grammy at this year's ceremony. That also doesn't leave a slot for Usher's "Here I Stand." So perhaps this needs some revising, but both Estelle and Sullivan deserve the nods over the Grammy vets.

And here are the best bets for best R&B album, a category slightly less exciting this year because of the powerhouse release that was Keys' "As I Am."

Alicia Keys' "As I Am"
Al Green's "Lay It Down"
Raphael Saadiq's "The Way I See It"
Robin Thicke's "Something Else"
Raheem DeVaughn's "Love Behind the Melody"

But don't count out Jennifer Hudson from the above list. Though the showcase on her self-titled debut went to her producers, not her voice, and she should be left out because of it. 

--Todd Martens

Photo: Jazmine Sullivan. Credit: J Records

KCRW's Jason Bentley wakes to a new day

On weeknights, as Jason Bentley sits in KCRW's basement studios, building a city of the mind out of music, he often gets feedback from listeners tuning in around Southern California and across the globe. Some are artists engaged in their own solitary labors. Others are weary night-shift workers and jazzed-up club kids, floating down the freeways on a river of sound. A few are restless souls on the other side of the world, where the sun has already risen, firing off electronic messages in bottles from Shanghai, Guam, Europe.

Most are strangers, tapping out communiqués on their iPhones and laptops, but a number are friends and colleagues who say that "Metropolis," Bentley's popular show of electronica, dance music and whatever else he decides to stir into the mix, has remapped their aural horizons. "He doesn't like this part, but sometimes when I'm driving at night I'll text-message him because I'll be literally dancing in my car," says Johanna Rees, who programs special concerts and presentations for the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Then there are the lovers, making after-dark confessions to the smooth-voiced man behind the mike. "For some reason, people like to tell me that they've had some sexual encounter," Bentley says. "They're like, 'Dude! We just had sex in the back of my car to that last set!' "

Bentley laughs. "Music is powerful stuff. People are looking for inspiration, and that really makes me happy because that's what I'm trying to do, is inspire by music and be inspired by music."

For the last 16 years, Bentley, 38, has been delivering countless hours' worth of syncopated uplift via KCRW's Santa Monica-based signal (FM 89.9). With "Metropolis," a beat-rich concoction heavily influenced by his long tenure spinning records in clubs, he has constructed a soundscape that resembles the L.A. evening skyline: angular, futuristic and pulsing with nocturnal energy. On those occasions when the tempos all come together and the moods segue seamlessly, listeners might feel that, stepping into the night air, they've become characters in some ultra-chilled-out 21st century film noir.

He has come a long way with the station since joining as a phone volunteer in the summer of 1988. But soon Bentley will face a new challenge. This month, KCRW announced that on Dec. 1 he would be its new music director and host of the station's signature "Morning Becomes Eclectic" program, succeeding Nic Harcourt.

Grammy countdown: Can anyone upset Lil Wayne for best rap album?

This would seem to be Lil Wayne's year. With his "The Carter III" becoming the first album in more than three years to break the 1-million barrier in its first week, there's no denying his cultural impact.

By and large, the album received mixed-to-positive reviews. Regardless, he's a charismatic rapper, with some of the oddest, weirdest wordplay around, and "The Carter III" is all about versatility, hitting on multiple genres and trends over the course of its 16 tracks. There's no one Pop & Hiss has spoken to who doesn't think Lil Wayne all but has the Grammy for best rap album sewn up, but there are still four other albums that must round out the category.

Two will likely come from late 2007. Lupe Fiasco's "The Cool" was released too late to be considered at this year's ceremony -- and the late December release also missed most critics' top-10 lists -- and though not a superstar, "The Cool" was still a top-20 debut. It was also consistent, having remained on the top 200 through the summer.

Additionally, Lupe Fiasco has a bit more to say than Lil Wayne. "The Cool" was a concept album of sorts, an entertainingly heady examination of corporate hip-hop, fast food and poverty. Check the war-meets-video-game imagery of "Little Weapon," a thrilling cut that opens with a hymn-like backdrop and boasts a rhythm that comes off as a military processional as played by toy drums. "The Cool" should snare him his second rap album nomination.

Expect Jay-Z's "American Gangster" to also garner a nomination. It's a stronger album than "Kingdom Come," which was nominated at this year's ceremony, even if it tells a familiar tale. A companion piece to the film of the same name, Jay-Z proved he still has the ability to be a massive storyteller, and it toned down the boasting of some of his recent work. However, "American Gangster" was big entertainment news last holiday season. Jay-Z has the name to get nominated again, but will his album have the momentum to win?

That still leaves room for two more in the field. Here are the best bets for best rap album:

Lil Wayne's "The Carter III"
Lupe Fiasco's "The Cool"
Jay-Z's "American Gangster"
Nas' "Untitled"
T.I.'s "Paper Trail"

Reasoning: With Nas and T.I. in the mix, the best rap album field wouldn't look all that different from last year, and the known and the consistent are always safe bets come Grammy time. Both interesting artists, and both far from perfect albums, but Nas' work has plenty of controversy and headlines, which will be enough to register it as important to Grammy voters. Likewise, "Paper Trail" hints at what T.I. is capable of. Written while the rapper was under house arrest for pending gun charges, "Paper Trail" promises reflection but fails to carry it out through the course of the album.

And now here are some potential nominees:

Barney's Beanery: Jim Morrison peed here (on the bar)

You have to be really, really famous -- no, legendary -- to make a restaurant want to put up a memorial plaque marking the exact spot on its bar where you peed in the 1960s. You'd have to be the kind of guy who Val Kilmer played in a movie, the kind of guy who needs guards stationed to this very day -- at your grave -- to protect it from being completely covered in joints, urine and whiskey. The kind of guy whose filthy leather pants (that you never took off and probably wore without underwear) are enshrined at the Hard Rock Cafe.

In short, you'd have to be Jim Morrison, and the place that wants to make a shrine to something arguably really uncool that you did (like peeing on its bar) would have to be West Hollywood's equally legendary (well, sort of) Barney's Beanery.

Consider Barney's the ultimate L.A. roadhouse (with a menu of greasy offerings so lengthy that it shames "War and Peace") and consider this forthcoming plaque a birthday present to Morrison, who would have turned 65 on Dec. 8.

To mark the event Barney's is throwing a birthday bash for the Lizard King. The czar of classic rock DJs, KLOS's Jim Ladd, will host and broadcast live from the event. Morrison's bandmates Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger will attend, and lead Barney's owner David Houston to the spot where Morrison allegedly marked his beeritory.

"I'm hoping Ray's incredibly sharp memory will help us locate it," said Houston in a news release. "Wherever he says it happened, that's where we'll put it up."   

Barney's Beanery, 8447 Santa Monica Blvd., (310) 654-2287.

In other Barney's news, the owners are opening two new locations: One in Burbank later this month, and one in Westwood next year.

-- Jessica Gelt

Photo credit: Associated Press

Watts rapper Jay Rock gives thanks

Local rapper Jay Rock has reason to be thankful this year. The up-and-comer, tipped as L.A’s successor to the Game (who appears on "California Soul," a track from Rock’s forthcoming full length "Follow Me Home"), has a minor hit on his hands with "All My Life (in the Ghetto)," his collaboration with Lil Wayne.

But the Watts native has not forgotten his roots, and earlier this week, he made sure not to forget Nickerson Gardens, where he grew up and still lives.

"I took it upon myself to give back to my 'hood," the 23-year-old said via phone after delivering 300 turkeys to families in need Tuesday at a rally point outside the projects.

"I remember back in the days my Mom didn’t have enough for Thanksgiving," he continued. "I just thought this was a nice way to bring a little somethin’ back to the 'hood. It was lovely to see the look on their faces."

While some might cast a cynical eye on the photo op, the bottom line is that hundreds of families at Nickerson are eating well today who might not have otherwise. The rapper even dug a little deeper in the spirit of the holiday during the giveaway.

Live review: The Rosebuds at the Echoplex

On a rather gloomy, rainy Tuesday night in L.A., the Rosebuds brought their spooky pop rock to the Echoplex, filling the room with shadowy imagery and buoyant vibes. The band’s new album, “Life Like” – another solid effort, this time mixed to nice effect by Chris Stamey (formerly of the dB’s) – has bounded into the CMJ top 10 and the faithful were out to welcome the Raleigh, N.C.-based group.

Singer-guitarist Ivan Howard led the group, with Kelly Crisp (his wife and co-band leader) at center stage on her Casio, through a well-paced set that plucked songs from 2005’s “Birds Make Good Neighbors” and last year’s “Night of the Furies," mixed with a chunk of new stuff. Ivan’s vocals alternate between lilting and haunting, depending on the mood of the song (e.g, “Blue Bird” vs. “Cemetery Lawn”), and Kelly’s back-ups can similarly add a sweet or ghostly touch. Somehow it works: pulsating Motown bass lines, strumming guitars, sing-along choruses, pounding Goth stateliness one minute and infectious campfire folkiness the next. Terrifying story songs and sounds are followed by winsome bits like the set-closing “Nice Fox,” with its chanting backdrop of “...And it don’t mean nothin’ at all.” Maybe not – but the crowd Tuesday joined in like they meant it.

--Frank Farrar

Photo courtesy myspace.com/therosebuds

Beyonce at No. 1 with 'Sasha Fierce'

Beyonce is fierce indeed, topping the national sales chart this week with her new two-CD set "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," which sold 482,000 copies during its first week in stores. It's one of several new releases breaking into the top 10 as the final weeks leading up to Christmas heat up the action from some of pop music’s heaviest hitters.

Behind Beyonce at No. 2 is Canadian rock group Nickelback, whose new “Dark Horse” started out with sales of 326,000 copies. Coming in at No. 3 is “American Idol” champ David Cook, logging a first-week figure of 280,000 for the album bearing his name.

Taylor Swift’s “Fearless,” last week’s No. 1 album, dropped to No. 4 on second-week sales of 217,000 copies. The multinational vocal group Il Divo landed behind Swift at No. 5 with sales of 162,000 copies of its new one, “The Promise,” according to Billboard.

--Randy Lewis

Photo credit: Associated Press

Guns N' Roses' lawyer to Dr Pepper: 'Our clients are outraged at your treatment of their fans'

Guns N' Roses lawyer Alan S. Gutman has lashed out at the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, claiming in a letter to the company that the soda makers failed to make good on a promise and "violated" Guns N' Roses' rights in "numerous respects."

In the letter, obtained by The Times, Gutman writes that W. Axl Rose and Guns N' Roses are "outraged at the treatment of their fans and the American public in general." Earlier this year, Dr Pepper officials teased that they would give everyone in the country a free soda if the band's album “Chinese Democracy” arrived before the year was out. Gutman writes that the promotion was "clumsily implemented " and an "unmitigated disaster."

After the release of "Chinese Democracy" was officially announced this fall, Tony Jacobs, Dr Pepper's vice president of marketing, posted at www.chinesedemocracywhen.blogspot.com: “We never thought this day would come. But now that it’s here, all we can say is: The Dr. Pepper’s on us.”

As Pop & Hiss noted Sunday, Dr Pepper's website was flooded with customers, who had 24 hours to fill out a voucher for a free soda on Nov. 23, the day "Chinese Democracy" was released exclusively to Best Buy. Fans who submitted their information to the site would receive a coupon for a free 20-ounce bottle of Dr Pepper. When Dr Pepper's site failed to respond to the traffic, the company extended the offer through Monday.

Writes Gutman, "What happened on November 23 was a complete fiasco. In what could only be characterized as reckless indifference or complete stupidity, Dr Pepper was completely unprepared for the traffic to its site. Most visitors were greeted with error messages. Some people who got through to Dr Pepper's servers were told to call a toll free number, few of whom got through. Many walked away angry as Dr Pepper ... soured the momentous music event that was 'Chinese Democracy's' release."

Gutman is requesting that Dr Pepper "contact us to discuss an appropriate payment to our clients" for the unofficial brand association. Gutman is also requesting the company run a full-page ad in a number of major American newspapers, including the L.A. Times, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, apologizing for the way the campaign was run. Finally, Gutman is asking Dr Pepper to expand the redemption window for the free soda offer to "make good on its promise."

A Dr Pepper spokesperson responded with a statement. "For us, this was a fun giveaway that has always been about the fans, and we’ve taken great steps to fulfill it." The company said it extended the giveaway window from 24 to 48 hours, added a toll-free line and set up "an interactive voice recorder to accept coupon requests."

"This was one of the largest responses we have ever received for a giveaway, and we’re happy we were able to satisfy the thirst of so many Dr Pepper fans," read the statement.

When the Dr Pepper promotion was announced in March -- when "Chinese Democracy" had no release date -- Dr Pepper noted that everyone in America, excluding former GNR guitarists Slash and Buckethead -- would be granted a free soda. Soon after, a statement attributed to Rose was posted on the official Guns N' Roses website, and back then, the band seemed game for the marketing ploy.   

A screenshot is above, but read the Rose comment, "We are surprised and very happy to have the support of Dr Pepper with our album 'Chinese Democracy,' as for us, this came totally out of the blue. If there is any involvement with this promotion by our record company or others, we are unaware of such at this time. And as some of Buckethead's performances are on our album, I'll share my Dr Pepper with him."

Gutman's letter writes that all contact between GNR's management and Dr Pepper "foundered," and ends with a threat: "Failure to make an acceptable offer may necessitate our client's pursuit of available remedies."

--Todd Martens

Photo: Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times