The 48th Grammy Awards

Here's my picks for the 48th Grammy Awards...

Album of the Year: "Chaos And Creation In The Backyard" by Paul McCartney

Song of the Year: "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own" by U2

Best New Artist: John Legend (this guy is everywhere this past year!)

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: "I Will Not Be Broken" by Bonnie Raitt from "Souls Alike"

So what really happened at LA's Staples Center?? "And the envelope, please..."

From Burleson, Texas; American Idol's first winner, Kelly Clarkson wins Best Pop Vocal Album of the Year! I was really rooting for Paul McCartney to win this, but I'm happy for my fellow Texan to bring home a Grammy! Kelly also won her second Grammy in Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Since U Been Gone" from her album "Breakaway."

The best part of the show was the tribute to Sly and the Family Stone. I can't even name everyone on stage for it, but I remember Joe Perry, Steven Tyler and Maroon 5. Sly Stone himself made an appearance to take us all a little bit higher. He's still just as flashy as he ever was, dressed in a silver cape, shades and a blonde mohawk. The song medley was awesome, except when Wil.I.Am started rapping over it.

Other highlights include Linkin Park and Jay-Z winning a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung, which is a collaborative performance by artists who normally do not perform together. For "Numb/Encore" from "Collison Course."

It's really cool to see performers give each other credit and share the spotlight. That's class, man. Jay-Z stayed in the background while Linkin Park accepted the award. I just love to see performers grateful to be there, to graciously accept their award and thank the ones whose hard work behind the scenes that helped shape that moment onstage. Moments like when Kelly Clarkson cried upon winning her first Grammy award.

U2 won Song Of The Year for "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own." Although Bono thanked his father for instilling an attitude and a voice in him, the Edge sounded more sincere in thanking all their fans for supporting them for all these years.

Jack Bruce accepted the Lifetime Achievement award for Cream, and gave tribute to producer Tom Dowd, who helped shape the group's sound.

Best Pop Instrumental Performance was a richly deserved award for guitar pioneer Les Paul; presented for "Caravan," from his "American Made, World Played" album. He also got Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "69 Freedom Special," from the same album. We're told he is in the hospital, but doing well.

James Taylor was honored as the 2006 MusiCares Person of the Year.

Green Day captures the big one...Record of the Year...with "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" from last year's Album of the Year "American Idiot."

Best New Artist award went to John Legend, who thanked everyone with a short heartfelt speech. He sounds like a regular guy, which is great for a new artist winner.

And...Album of the Year goes to U2, for "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb."
They had to walk right past Paul McCartney, who was also nominated. Bono graciously acknowledged Paul upon taking the stage for the award; and that was a great moment.

Mariah Carey's album "The Emancipation of Mimi," was declared Best Contemporary R&B Album and she also claimed a Grammy award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance with "We Belong Together."

Paul McCartney performed for the very first time at the Grammies, starting off with his current single "Fine Line," which was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. However, that award went to Stevie Wonder for his track "From The Bottom of My Heart" from "A Time To Love." Then Paul and his band tore through "Helter Skelter," which was pretty cool to see on national television. Later in the show he sang "Yesterday" but it was "rapped up" by Jay-Z, which just didn't work.

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance went to Aretha Franklin for "A House Is Not A Home."

The best music of the evening came from a rousing version of "Yes We Can Can" featuring a really rocking band with Bruce Springsteen and the Edge on guitar and vocals; Bonnie Raitt on guitar and vocals, and Dr. John on keyboards and vocals. The supporting musicians were great too. It's all part of the MusicCares program to help rebuild the New Orleans music scene.

Then the band launched into "In The Midnight Hour" with Bruce opening the vocals, switching to an all star lineup of trading vocals in tribute to America's R&B hero Wilson Pickett, God rest his soul, a wicked pickett!

Of course, there's always the "off show/off stage" awards handed out to keep the television broadcast down to a paltry three and a half hours.

B.B. King got Best Traditional Blues Album for "80"

Best Contemporary Blues Album "Cost Of Living" went to Delbert McClinton.

Eric Idle and John Du Prez snagged the award for Best Musical Show Album with their broadway hit "Monty Python's Spamalot."

Lifetime Achievement Awards went to Cream, blues pioneer Robert Johnson, David Bowie, Merle Haggard, and Richard Pryor. The Trustees Awards were presented to Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, who launched a thousand careers and helped countless others go on to stardom.

A long scroll at the end of the show also mentioned awards for English blues legend Long John Baldry, jazz drummer Milton Holland, keyboard innovator Robert Moog, keyboarist Jimmy Smith, guitarist Link Wray, Lou Rawls, Luther Vandross and Wilson Pickett.

Logon to grammy.yahoo.com and bid for charity to help the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and show your support for this legendary music capitol of the south. Let's revive their music scene and keep Mardi Gras alive!

You could even bid on grammy online charity auctions at cbs.com!!


Related Tags: Grammy, Grammies, Paul McCartney, John Legend, U2, Kelly Clarkson, Linkin Park, Jay-Z, Jack Bruce, Green Day, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Music, Awards