Every year the music industry honors its latest, its newest tunes and stars. So last night’s opening act at the Grammys, featuring a pair of aging folkies, performing the 37 year-old “Sounds of Silence”, revives the old debate that the Grammys perpetually provokes.
What is the music of the moment, and what’s the point of the annual event beyond its embracing of characters for its hall of fame ? Yet as maligned as the Grammys may be, the event is a cultural barometer of the moment. At the very least it continues to track a splintering of the music industry, now rewarding itself with 114 different categories, only 12 of which were showcased on network television last night. And regarding the sweep by the throaty tones, of Norah Jones.
Guests:
Wayne Wadhams, professor of Music Production & Engineering at Berklee College of Music, and author of: “Inside the Hits: The Seduction of a Rock and Roll Generation”
Kelefa Sanneh, pop critic for the New York Times