Grammy Highlights:Mavis Staples Wins First Grammy,Aretha Tribute,Solomon Burke Tribute,John Mayer's New Look and Other Notable Moments

                                    

It did my heart good to see such respect paid by the Recording Academy at Sunday night's Grammy Award show to some of the more seasoned among the artists honored. I am happy for Mavis Staples who received her first Grammy award ever after nearly 60 years in the business. If you are a Baby Boomer you certainly remember growing up listening to some of the hit tunes performed by the Staple singers consisting of Mavis ,her dad and sister. It was a family affair for sure. There was always a place that we were willing to have them take us. "I'll Take You There" was one of their most renown hits.

What pleases me most about her big win-and,yes she won only one Grammy- but it was a gigantic win for her because of what it represented.  It must have justified her many years of perserverance,pressing on in faith and conviction even when the chips were down. The irony of it is that the record consists of spiritual songs  produced and written by Jeff Tweedy, the lead member of the successful Chicago rock band Wilco. Mavis went back to her roots. She started out singing Gospel. "You Are Not Alone" won in the Americana category,but it still is church music. Staples beat out Rosanne Cash, Los Lobos, Willie Nelson, Robert Plant for the Grammy. She stated "this isn't the last the world has seen from Mavis Staples." That is good to know.






The tribute to Aretha Franklin was on fire and filled with soul. The Queen of Soul could not have been represented by a better group of voices. Yolanda Adams,Jennifer Hudson,Christina Aguillera,Martina McBride and Florence Welch did a wonderful job. Although she earned her credentials as a blue-eyed soul sister when she performed "This Is A Man's World" for the late James Brown, Christina Aguillerra definitely deserved her "soul" diva props for her handling of "Ain't No Way". It would be safe to say that she sang with almost as much soul as Aretha if not on a par. Jennifer Hudson definitely gets "Respect" for her performance of that classic Aretha song--the one that started it all. Martina McBride, Yolanda Adams and Florence welch demonstrated their vocal chops as well.

The Queen of Soul has been faced with health challenges lately. Unfortunately she could not be present for what would have certainly been a healing dose of music. She watched it from her home. But,music connoisseurs and plain music lovers alike know how good music can make you feel when you're their live and in concert. Let's keep Aretha lifted in prayer and keep her songs alive. Was it just me or did anyone else think that Mick Jagger's performance was "off the hook"? He really proved why he is a rock music legend. Hands down! That tribute to Solomon Burke was incredible. He is still going strong at nearly 70 years old. I feel that Solomon himself could feel that performance at the Grammy Awards. He done Mr. burke proud. I must admit I've been a Stones fan since the early days. I've seen Jagger get soulful with onstage appearances with Tina Turner,but this performance was extra special. This was also his first appearance on the Grammy stage. I gained a new appreciation for his range as an entertainer,artist and,of course, rock legend. He got the audience thoroughly stoked. Take a look:



I also thought Barbra Striesand did a wonderful job on Evergreen. Her pipes are still in excellent shape. She can still hit those notes. She seems to have gotten over her stage fright as well. She looked stunning.

Eminem and Dr. Dre were awesome. That slowed down version of "Love the Way You Lie" made me see the song in a whole different light. They took the song to another level. The lyrics that Dr. Dre rapped were either different or he gave the original words a whole new twist. His skills as a legendary rapper came shining through.


There were so many good performances I feel I could write pages before I got all of my opinions out. The music production was particularly good as well. The arrangements were all very polished and the notes were on key. It must have been something about the acoustics. But, I have noticed in the past during live Grammy shows where the music has not always been consistently excellent throughout each performance. Whoever the sound mixers and engineers were-and I'll have to do my research on that- they did a great job.

Props to Jaden Smith and Justin Beiber for that very energetic performance. Will and Jada really enjoyed it. You could see them glowing about their son's performance in the audience. Jonelle Monae. One word-- dazzling. Great performances and wins by Arcade Fire, Muse and Lady GaGa.

Last but not least, another suprising segment for me was to watch John Mayer do a very short guitar and vocal performance with Keith Urban and Norah Jones before presenting the Song of the Year Award. I was expecting a guitar solo or at least a full song. But,anyway it was good to see him there enjoying himself and sticking to the script performing the Dolly Pardon classic "Jolene". He looked marvelous in his white and black.
I certainly don't want to slight anyone. I enjoyed the entire show. Just sharing what were highlights for me.

Well done. Bravo!

Weekend Inspiration: A Bridge of Hope

                              "Avenue "B" Bridge"

Sometimes we have to look at things differently to find hope beyond appearances and seeming limitations. This drawing represents an imaginative perception of a city through a lens of love and hope. Viewed through a lens of love, hope and expectancy, decay and rust can be transformed into building blocks for a brighter day.

As I progressed through what started out as a sketch, it turned into a colorful drawing which incorporates some of the ambience of each of my favorite cities.Under the heading of Avenue "B'" Bridge and the auspices of love, I suppose it could be summed up as a love of city or City Love. Another way of looking at a real city from an imaginary standpoint while showing and hopefully symbolizing the love of urban life as we know it in the USA. I don't think there is anyone around that would not agree that our cities could use some love and devotion.  With Valentine's Day just around the corner, this is a very timely theme. So let's pump up the volume. Think of something, however small or large,you could do to improve the quality of life in your city.

Have a great weekend and have a good time hanging out in your favorite places with the people you love and enjoy most. Hope you like the drawing. Don't forget to show some city love.

Brings to mind some of my favorite pop/soul tunes including Stevie Wonder's "Living for the City", John Mayer's "City Love and Jay-Z's featuring Alicia Keys Empire State of Mind.

It is uplifting to look at my favorite cities from this perspective. What do you need to look at from a heightened perspective today and perhaps tomorrow?

Have a great weekend and "be" loving and hopeful.

By the way, Happy Valentine's Day!

Cynthia

Scripture reference

I Corinthians13:13:

AND now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love



--

Oh Freedom

"Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, " If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, "You will be made free?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly I tell you everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the son makes you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:31-36




Soar in the freedom of the word today', knowing you have been set free.

Peace,



cynthia



Graphic design "ON His Wings" copyright 2011.cynthia wilson. All rights reserved.





"OH Freedom" public domain freedom song audio part of this message can be downloaded here.

Aretha Franklin to be Honored at Grammy Awards Sunday: A Special Prayer for The Queen

The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, who is challenged with cancer will be honored at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards music's biggest night. Joining in the tribute are Jennifer Hudson, Yolanda Adams, Christina Aguilera, Martina McBride and Florence Welch. The awards show will air live on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, 8 P.M. ET/PT, on CBS.


I'd like to lift up Aretha Franklin who was born and raised in the Motown in her hour of need. She has been blessed with a voice that has been a force in the soul,R&B and Pop genres for  nearly forty years. Her singing voice and style is original. No one else sings like Aretha.When she opens her mouth and that amazing force of music and emotion come wailing out, your soul has been blessed .  She has given us so much. I remember every song she has ever recorded and as a Baby Boomer,grew up with "Respect",Ain't No Way,This is the House That Jack Built, Baby,Baby Sweet Baby, Call Me, and so many more. She started out singing gospel music like so many other popular recording artists and soul divas. Amazing Grace was her signature song and if you have listened to it you now immediately why she has been raved about for having a fantastic set of pipes.
     
She has had her share of personal trials including losing a dear sister, Carolyn Franklin,who also penned some of her earlier songs, to cancer years ago. The family hails from the city of Detroit and there is a rich history of the Franklins which began with her dad C.L. Franklin who served as the Pastor of the famous New Bethel Church.

There have been several prayer vigils that have been organized to give her support and love. I was happy to participate in a circle of prayer with my prayer line. I am very happy that she is being honored by her peers at the Grammy Awards on Sunday. She is richly deserving of the tribute. I'd love to be there in person to perform a special prayer for her. But since I won't be there in person I am dedicating this inspirational word to her:

"We stand on god's promise that the fervent, effectual prayers of the righteous availeth much and that where two or more are gathered in god's name touching and agreeing that it will be done then it is so. we claim god's healing of your body right now and wish you a long and productive life. May every blood cell,every molecule,every atom in your body and your bloodstream line up with the word of god for total healing now in the name of Jesus"- Amen.


Peace and blessings.

Weighing the Equities: Fret Not

I thought this was a beautiful guitar. A nice diversion from the deep analytical .

Alembic Custom Guitar in honor of Woody Guthrie Photo Source

Marketing the Bad Boy Image

There is something to be said about the tremendous success, media attention and hefty paychecks that a bad boy image can garner in today's entertainment market, catapulting many of the misbehaving or those rumored of being dark and twisted to the top of the Hollywood dung heap. Taylor Swift's recent album including a song entitled Dear John,which alludes to an alleged past relationship with guitar god/singer songwriter John Mayer was said to be the fastest selling album of 2010. The song describes Mayer as dark and asks the question of him "Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?
John Mayer's media coverage concerning Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson overshadowed significantly his extraordinary talent as an artist. Our culture seems to promote and thrive on the antics of the shocking and the outrageous. The brazen and raw outtakes are in today's reality driven market the kind of incidents that draw mass attention and are almost certain to go viral, in the process attracting devoted followings and even offers ranging in the tens of thousands to the millions for product endorsement and advertising deals. Call it the dark side or the hard cold reality of the business.
The domestic violence episode on the Kardashian reality show some months ago where blood was actually drawn due to the severity of the injuries certainly had everyone talking and "outraged" for days, if not weeks. The ratings of course went through the roof and, of course, the Kardashian clan came out on top financially last year grossing upwards of 11 million dollars. There have been other attention drawing antics that have also generated attention and controversy. By today's television standards they are considered royalty, and, a standard to measure up to.
Seriously, how can you really blame stars and their handlers hungry for either money or attention for taking the more lucrative, albeit less tasteful and sometimes sleazier route if it will mean the difference between a hefty paycheck or a paltry one? And, in some cases it could mean the difference between having a career or simply not working at all. For some it is simply a formula, a method and a calculation for guaranteed success, assuring popularity and a rise in mass appeal. I can imagine the tremendous pressure that some artists must be under to conform their real selves to the image that sells.
I don't want to sound too preachy or for my observations to take on a self-righteous tone because I am well aware and painfully in tune with the realities of the world in which we live. Yet somehow in the midst of all of this there seems to be a higher standard, a mark or a bar which we are being called to raise ourselves in order to bring some sense of sanity and decency back into the equation. If not it seems the frenzy of mass appeal generated by the thrill rides of shock value and the like are poised to overtake our sense of decency and morality, heading our society on a collision course with itself and a sure route to implosion. The examples cited are just a tip of the iceberg. If the low achievements in US education revealed in plumeting test scores and our ranking 30 on the list with China at number one is not a subtle wake up call of sorts and a barometer of misplaced priorities then what other signals do we need and what else will it take?



I read recently that John Mayer was heckled on city streets by women who were still railing from his treatment of ex-girlfriends Jennifer Aniston and Jessica Simpson, proclaiming rather boisterously in a public place that he was a horrible person. Mayer has been portrayed consistently in the media as the serial heartbreaker, the tell all ex who characterized Jessica Simpson as sexual napalm. He was so distressed by this incident that he is currently on a full court press to make an "image" adjustment and change people's perspective about "it." I said "image" and not him because an artist's image and who they are authentically outside of the public persona that is oftentimes developed to sell a product varies significantly. Many of John's close friends and fans have experienced him as a completely different person. A horrible person is something that would not even come across their minds as a way of describing him.
Charlie Sheen, the most notorious bad boy these days is the highest paid actor on television commanding 1.25 million per episode after renegotiations which came despite a Christmastime arrest over an assault on his wife and subsequent sentencing to 30 days of rehab. Sheen made over 40 million dollars last year and his television sitcom is number one.

While there are no hard and fast solutions to what seems to be an ongoing dilemma of the marketability of the authentic person in contrast to the profitability of the 'bad boy" image, it seems to me it will boil down ultimately to the following questions. The first is what will the market ,and, ultimately society, bear? The second is how well does the sporter of the bad boy image sleep at night? Charlie Sheen and other bad boys have either at some point in the process overdosed on drugs, been in and out of rehab and clocked up numerous hours on their therapists couches. So, the question at the end of the day and eventually, at the end of life's journey is "how much is or was it really worth?"

Something upon which to ponder,reflect and perhaps rethink...

Multiple Grammy Winners Jamie Foxx and John Mayer Join List of Grammy Presenters

Grammy Award winner Jamie Fox and seven(7) time grammy winner John Mayer who is also nominated this year for three Grammy Awards, including best pop vocal performance on Half of My Heart, best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for "Crossroads", both singles are from his best pop vocal nominated album Battle Studies,will join the awards show line up as presenters. Their names were announced today in a growing list.