tigerpants's Diaryland Diary

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Confessions

I was at my beloved Target yesterday, and spotted the Grammy� Nominees 2005 CD. Every year I pick up the Grammy� Nominees CD, hoping it will fill my pop music quotient for the year, and help me to stay abreast of what the kids are into these days. For the past several years, I�ve known most of the songs on each disc, or at least heard of them. This year? I recognize maybe half, and have at least heard of a few more of the artists, and that�s only because I did a great deal of research for the Grammy� Nominations show this year at work. Honestly, y�all. There was some tremendously great music out there this year, and I had no idea.

I tend to stick to CDs in the car, and only head to the radio when I�ve listened to the CDs a bit too much. My radio station options are limited, as I�m a bit persnickety. I tend to stick to alternative music, and only dive into other formats when the songs on our two alternative stations are intolerable, for whatever reason. As I said, I�m picky. Because of this, I tend to miss out on all the great music in the other formats. I�m usually ok with this, as even though it�s good music, it still doesn�t much appeal to me. Currently playing from the Grammy� Nominees CD is a Josh Groban song. This guy? Is not my cup of tea. He�s VERY talented. But he�s just not for me. Like a male Celine Dion, he makes me want to shove ice picks in my ears. But because I respect his talent, I�ll sit here and listen to him. And he is very good. But honestly, dude. Hit the boards of Broadway. Man, and John Mayer is next. Hang on. I have to skip ahead to Brian Wilson. Whew!

Anyway, I think the song I�m most blown away by is Kanye West�s Through The Wire. This song is just amazing, people! Now, I don�t know anything about rap, but I do know a teensy bit about producing and writing, and this song is just gorgeous. It does everything right. If the rest of his album is this solid, the guy totally deserves every nomination he got, and good for him. When I first heard the song, I understood most of the lyrics, which is rare for me, and it sounded like he was talking about an accident of some kind, so I googled �kanye west accident,� and got some fascinating results.

Did y�all know Kanye West was in a huge car accident back in 2002 that nearly killed him? His jaw was broken in 3 places, and he was still harassed at the scene, and received less-than-stellar care, according to one of the reports I read. Here�s the kicker. His jaw was repaired, had a steel plate put in it, then wired shut. 2 weeks later, the guy gets up, heads to the recording studio, and records Through The Wire. 2 WEEKS LATER. Dude. 2 weeks after a cold I�m still whining about having to blow my nose all the time. I cannot even IMAGINE rapping an entire song with my jaw wired shut. I�m just floored. That�s how much this guy loves music, y�all. I�m not sure I love anything that much. His love totally comes through in the song. He�s having a GREAT time recording, and talking about his pain, and surviving the accident. Man. It�s just incredible.

Back in October I worked on a project about Usher that included Kanye West a bit, as he opened for Usher on his Truth tour. I�d only barely heard of him. After googling him today, and learning that he�s been producing for years, and has now put out this album, his 1st as a solo artist, that�s earned him 11 Grammy� nominations, I don�t even know what to say. How have I never really heard of him? That�s just a shame. Usher�s album is really solid, too. Great music, cleanly produced, really smooth. It�s great to see them acknowledged by the recording industry. I hope they get everything they deserve. Oh, and The Killers, too. I enjoy them.

Now I have to go out and buy Kanye West�s album and listen to it all the way through. I mean, I could �borrow� it from someone, but I�m feeling pretty good about tossing some cash this guy�s way. It�s not about whether or not he needs the cash. It�s about respecting the guy�s talent, and paying to hear him perform. Something I�m willing to do.

� 2004-2005 Tigerpants Nation (Rebecca Gross)

6:59 p.m. - 2005-02-02

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