Well, the award's name may be Grammy but this year's playing field of nominees, made up almost entirely of young upstarts and industry newcomers, sure don't reflect the prowess nor the values of an older generation.
Unless, of course, you count Santana.
And in this race, most people should, because Arista Records (the same label that hyped the soundtrack to "The Bodyguard" to triumph several years earlier) is putting all their money on the Latin veteran, hoping he will ride a wave of seniority and name recognition in a sea of fresh faces to award victory.
That's too bad, because although this should have been a veteran's year at the Grammys, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences picked the wrong ones to shower with praise.
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I am referring to Cher. Many will scoff at the thought of honoring the exhibitionist, but after 16 months, her monumental hit "Believe," which married post-breakup resolve with a palpably passionate dance beat, is still one of the most requested songs in clubs and on the radio. And on top of that, it's the biggest hit in Cher's 35 years as a singer, the kind of career capper Grammy voters usually swarm over.
Cher and Santana go head-to-head in just one category, but it's the big one: Record of the Year. Cher not only competes with the Santana-Rob Thomas duet "Smooth," but also Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way," Ricky Martin's "Livin' la Vida Loca" and TLC's "No Scrubs."
With Santana running such a strong campaign, there seems to be no suspense here. Cher has never gotten Grammy respect, TLC's well-publicized in-fighting will probably hurt whatever chance they may have had, and the Backstreet Boys' albums generally fare better than their singles do.
That leaves -- dios mio -- Ricky Martin as the most likely upset in this category. Sure, his Spanglish smash was one of the year's bigger hits, but there's another reason why Grammy voters now love him. Fans first discovered Martin during his performance at last year's Grammys. By honoring him, NARAS voters would be celebrating themselves.
Backstreet Boys, Santana and TLC face off again in the album of the year category, where the force of Santana's "Supernatural" seems like a sure bet to defeat both "Millennium" and "Fan Mail." Also in competition are "Fly," the follow-up to the Dixie Chicks' successful debut and "When I Look in Your Eyes," the heartfelt jazz set from relative unknown Diana Krall.
The only problem with the likelihood of Santana winning here is that "Supernatural" isn't really his album. Duets with such artists as Everlast, Dave Matthews and Thomas constitute half of the songs, making it more of a tribute album to himself than a coherent collection of new material. Both "Fly" and "Eyes" are more creatively inspired, but lack the publicity necessary to win the coveted award.
If nothing else, the Best New Artist race should provide a departure from the rest of the evening because of Santana's ineligibility. Who does that leave? Christina Aguilera, Macy Gray, Kid Rock, Britney Spears and the lone surprise nominee, bluesy singer-guitarist Susan Tedeschi.
Much to my chagrin, it looks like Grammy voters will go with the good ol' B.S. She personified the pop music love fest that was 1999, and her "Baby One More Time" album was the most successful by a solo artist last year. However, should lightning strike and teen queens Aguilera and Spears split the vote, look for the phenomenal Gray, to prevail. And that's the way it should be.
So when tuning into Santana and Spears tomorrow night, remember that the awards show has less to do with who is the best and everything to do with who is the loudest, in regard to music, style and personality. And believe it or not, I want it that way.
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