Rock groups have edge in this year's Grammys
By Elysa Gardner
USA Today
The performers who will vie in the pop field at the 44th annual Grammy Awards ceremony (7 p.m. Wednesday, CBS) certainly reflect what Spin editor Alan Light calls "the varied and fractured landscape of what constitutes pop music right now."
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Nominees for best female pop vocal performance, for example, range from bright-eyed, hip-hop-influenced minstrel Nelly Furtado to veteran Nashville maverick Lucinda Williams, while contenders for pop collaboration with vocals include Tony Bennett, Christina Aguilera and Shaggy.
The Irish rockers U2 picked up a record eight nominations in this year's Grammys race. Many of their songs gained significance after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
But the artists nominated in one of the most interesting categories, best pop performance by a duo or group with vocal, could be split more neatly into two general types: the boy-band breed beloved of teenyboppers, represented by the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, and the grittier, more creatively autonomous rock group, represented by U2, R.E.M. and the rising act Five for Fighting.
With tastes for bubblegum pop fading and music fans looking for comfort and insight in light of recent events, some Grammy experts believe that the latter bunch has a distinct edge.
"The Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync were both nominated for big awards in previous years but were excluded post-9/11" from the general album, record and song categories, says Tom O'Neil, author of "The Grammys." Light notes that acknow-ledging one of those outfits might be a way for Grammy voters "to throw a bubblegum band a bone," but he wonders if "the resistance to that stuff is just too strong."
As the suspense builds, here's a closer look at the musicians and music up for this particular pop prize:
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• U2, "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of." The Irish rockers nabbed a record eight nominations in this year's Grammys race, earning recognition for a number of tracks on their multiplatinum CD, "All That You Can't Leave Behind," which is a strong candidate for album of the year.
Chances of the Backstreet Boys (Nick Carter pictured) winning are not high.
"What's so impressive about the U2 nominations in general is that this is clearly not just about one song," Light says.
Indeed, the gospel-tinged "Stuck" is one of many songs on U2's latest album that demonstrate the band's enduring flair for vivacious altruism, which for many fans gained even greater significance after the terror attacks of Sept. 11.
"Grammy voters tend to get on a bandwagon, so when there's a sweep — like Santana had a couple of years ago — you can win almost everything in sight," says another Grammy authority, Paul Grein. He also favors U2 here, in part because main competition R.E.M. was not nominated in the high-credibility rock-album race.
Sums up O'Neil: "U2 looms over this category like a giant over mere mortals."
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• Five for Fighting, "Superman (It's Not Easy)." Despite U2's omnipotence, singer/songwriter John Ondrasik, the creative force behind Five for Fighting, should "not be counted out," Light stresses, especially since his poignant hit single, which examines the vulnerability that often underlies heroism, also became more resonant for listeners after Sept. 11. "It would be a statement to pick a song, even in the pop category, that brought people together and had an impact," Light says.
'N Sync may not provide the comfort that music fans now want.
Grammy voters who caught Ondrasik's moving performance at the Concert for New York City a few months ago might be especially swayed.
• 'N Sync, "Gone." Grein thinks that just as U2 has an edge over R.E.M., 'N Sync's chances are better than those of presumed rivals the Backstreet Boys, whose last CD was overlooked as a pop effort. And giving 'N Sync a statuette also could "at least acknowledge their commercial power," Light says.
But don't hold your breath.
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• R.E.M., "Imitation of Life." "This could be where the Grammys show they're not losing their R.E.M. religion," O'Neil quips. "They've been formidable in the past." Unfortunately, while rock pundits continue to bow at their altar, the general public has shown an increasing lack of interest in the boys from Athens, Ga. — and Grammy voters traditionally have preferred artists with both credibility and commercial cachet, a la U2, to critical darlings.
R.E.M. got a nomination in the pop category, but the general public has been showing an increasing lack of interest in the group.
• Backstreet Boys, "Shape of My Heart." I've got nothing against the guys — frankly, I liked their last CD — but their chances of taking home this award are about as good as Eminem's of winning a seat in Congress.
