Post by Bingo on Jan 30, 2020 20:03:16 GMT -8
One highlight for me was Keb' Mo' winning Best Americana Album , for "Oklahoma". Dixie Chick fans may remember him best for co-writing "I Hope" (which was also Grammy-nominated, during their post-incident resurgence, for Best Country Song and Best Country Performance by a Group or Duo - though on that occasion it didn't win. Robert Randolph - another Dixie Chick collaborator from that period - also backs Keb' Mo' on "Oklahoma")
This is the fifth Grammy win for Keb' Mo' (full name Kevin Moore), and he has often struck me as a very deserving personality, as well as a talented musician. "Oklahoma" gives his personal impressions, and his prevailing hope for a better world, inspired by a State from which he draws much of his musical inspiration.
The Recording Academy often favours "issue" songs, and some of the tracks meet that expectation - though Keb's approach tends to be gentle and optimistic, rather than confrontational. One track, "Put A Woman in Charge", is a duet with Roseann Cash - and it is certainly possible to give the song an electoral interpretation, with lines like "He set the borders, built the walls. He won't stop ’til he owns it all. And here we are. Standing on the brink of disaster." But the song as a whole is more generalized, as a plea for a less aggressive view of life's goals, based on kindness and understanding.
Another track, "This Is My Home" deals with immigration, with verses written from the perspective of Mexican and Moslem immigrants. The most personal is the concluding verse, dealing with the forced immigration of African-Americans, which mentions the suffering, but concludes with Keb's overall message of hope "They sacrificed then they paid the price, So I could live this wonderful life. And I know this is where I belong. This is my home"
Finally, this is the title track - an interesting song, which both hints at the very mixed musical scene in Oklahoma, embracing both Commercial and Alternative Country, symbolized by the phrase "Cowboys and Outlaws", and the racial mix which has played such a part in the State's history. Here Keb' stresses the harmony that he sees as the ultimate goal - "Rain or shine. Oklahoma’s gonna be OK"
(The reference in the song to "Greenwood, Archer, and Pine" is to the streets in Tulsa that used to mark off the African-American section in Segregation days.) If the dream of racial harmony often seems premature, here, again, his prevailing optimism shows through: "Keep on reachin' for the sky - 'Cause when they go low, we go high - In Oklahoma"
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Another welcome Grammy win, IMHO. was Delbert McClinton's, for Best Traditional Blues Album, with "Tall Dark and Handsome". Now aged 78, Delbert, like Keb' Mo', is another artist whose work stands at the crossroads of Country, Blues and Rock 'n' Roll - in his case, drawing on the vibrant mixed influences in Texas music. Some of his live performances over the years have been among the most energetic and exciting in the genre - and he has, incidentally, often given help and advice to artists from the British Isles visiting America.
In another thread on this board, I've already mentioned Tanya Tucker's new album, "While I'm Living" - her first for 17 years. The whole project involved the current Americana Music "Queen", Brandi Carlile (who both co-produced the album with Shooter Jennings, and co-wrote all the new songs with her twin guitarists, Tim and Phil Hanseroth). As both Tanya and Brandi are among my musical "heroines", I was especially glad that this album was a double winner , for Best Country Album and Best Country Song (the latter for "Bring My Flowers Now")
This is the fifth Grammy win for Keb' Mo' (full name Kevin Moore), and he has often struck me as a very deserving personality, as well as a talented musician. "Oklahoma" gives his personal impressions, and his prevailing hope for a better world, inspired by a State from which he draws much of his musical inspiration.
The Recording Academy often favours "issue" songs, and some of the tracks meet that expectation - though Keb's approach tends to be gentle and optimistic, rather than confrontational. One track, "Put A Woman in Charge", is a duet with Roseann Cash - and it is certainly possible to give the song an electoral interpretation, with lines like "He set the borders, built the walls. He won't stop ’til he owns it all. And here we are. Standing on the brink of disaster." But the song as a whole is more generalized, as a plea for a less aggressive view of life's goals, based on kindness and understanding.
Another track, "This Is My Home" deals with immigration, with verses written from the perspective of Mexican and Moslem immigrants. The most personal is the concluding verse, dealing with the forced immigration of African-Americans, which mentions the suffering, but concludes with Keb's overall message of hope "They sacrificed then they paid the price, So I could live this wonderful life. And I know this is where I belong. This is my home"
Finally, this is the title track - an interesting song, which both hints at the very mixed musical scene in Oklahoma, embracing both Commercial and Alternative Country, symbolized by the phrase "Cowboys and Outlaws", and the racial mix which has played such a part in the State's history. Here Keb' stresses the harmony that he sees as the ultimate goal - "Rain or shine. Oklahoma’s gonna be OK"
(The reference in the song to "Greenwood, Archer, and Pine" is to the streets in Tulsa that used to mark off the African-American section in Segregation days.) If the dream of racial harmony often seems premature, here, again, his prevailing optimism shows through: "Keep on reachin' for the sky - 'Cause when they go low, we go high - In Oklahoma"
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Another welcome Grammy win, IMHO. was Delbert McClinton's, for Best Traditional Blues Album, with "Tall Dark and Handsome". Now aged 78, Delbert, like Keb' Mo', is another artist whose work stands at the crossroads of Country, Blues and Rock 'n' Roll - in his case, drawing on the vibrant mixed influences in Texas music. Some of his live performances over the years have been among the most energetic and exciting in the genre - and he has, incidentally, often given help and advice to artists from the British Isles visiting America.
In another thread on this board, I've already mentioned Tanya Tucker's new album, "While I'm Living" - her first for 17 years. The whole project involved the current Americana Music "Queen", Brandi Carlile (who both co-produced the album with Shooter Jennings, and co-wrote all the new songs with her twin guitarists, Tim and Phil Hanseroth). As both Tanya and Brandi are among my musical "heroines", I was especially glad that this album was a double winner , for Best Country Album and Best Country Song (the latter for "Bring My Flowers Now")