Gina Vivinetto's Grammy picks

By GINA VIVINETTO, Times Pop Music Critic
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 24, 2002

Chat with Gina Pop music critic Gina Vivinetto will host a Times Chat on Tuesday to talk about Wednesday's Grammy Awards. Ask her what she thinks; tell her what you think. Log on at Times Chat for the 7 p.m. chat. If you cannot attend this live event, you can submit a question in advance by going to the main chat page. Hey, Grammy: What's going on? Can it be? This year's Grammy nominations seem eerily on target, almost as if the committee is tuned into what's actually happening in pop music.

This is when your pop music critic gets completely subjective and picks not what she thinks will win -- because, come on, this is the Grammys, they don't make sense! -- but what she wants to win.

Here are four major categories, followed by nominees and Gina's choices.

RECORD OF THE YEAR:

• Video, India.Arie
• Fallin', Alicia Keys
• Ms. Jackson, OutKast
• Drops of Jupiter, Train
• Walk On, U2.

Pretty impressive choices, but none is as mighty as Ms. Jackson, a song of such candidness, courage, and cultural importance, it still astounds me. I also would have liked to see Missy Elliott's Get Ur Freak On in this batch.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR:

• Acoustic Soul, India.Arie
• "Love and Theft", Bob Dylan
• Stankonia, OutKast
• All That You Can't Leave Behind, U2
• O, Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack

First of all, nominating a soundtrack by a handful of different artists -- how does that make sense? It's as absurd as not nominating Alicia Keys for her breathtaking Songs In A Minor. The U2 album is great, the OutKast even better, but my vote goes to ol' man Dylan for the flawless "Love and Theft". Sixty and still sizzling, yo.

SONG OF THE YEAR:

• Drops of Jupiter, Train
• Fallin,' Alicia Keys
• I'm Like A Bird, Nelly Furtado
• Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of, U2
• Video, India.Arie

What's the difference between this category and record of the year, you ask. This one honors the songwriter, not the artist(s). My hat is tipped to Ms. Keys for Fallin'.

BEST NEW ARTIST:

• India.Arie
• Nelly Furtado
• David Gray
• Alicia Keys
• Linkin Park

Do you even have to ask? Haven't you gathered who it was who won my heart last year? Say it with me, gang: Alicia Keys.

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