Music's biggest night

            I still buy albums. It’s true because I somehow happen to own all the 58th Grammy nominated albums of the year.  I roughly buy 15 albums a year so for 5 of them to be considered the album of the year is great.  Now I fully expect all the nominated to walk away with the gold plate gramophone (see how its made) in different categories but there will only be one album of the year winner.

 

Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color

            Alabama Shakes has so much soul. This album can be confused for something that came out decades ago.  The variety of songs brings a smile to my face. This is my favorite mixed album of all the nominees (sorry Vance Powell).  I could spend a page writing about my love for this albums mixes.  Shawn Everett did an amazing job. You can read about some of his experiments here. Brittany Howards (lead singer) soulful vocals match with great instrumentation is a recipe for an award-winning album.

Favorite song: Gimme All Your Love

Chris Stapleton – Traveller

            I am ashamed to admit I was not aware of Chris Stapleton before his CMA (Country Music Awards) wins. I immediately fell in love with “Tennessee Wiskey” like every other country rock fan. I did not expect that much soul come out of Chris Stapleton. This album almost confirmed my relocation to Nashville. The legendary Vance Powell was behind the engineering/mixing and it definitely reminds me of the Nashville sound. This is one of my favorite albums of 2015. I have played this album more times than any of the other nominees.

Favorite song: Sometimes I Cry

Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp A Butterfly

I do not like Kendrick Lamar as a rapper. This does not mean I don’t think he deserves to be nominated. The reason why I bought the album is because I heard it was “different”. I like different so I purchased the album hoping to hear something different from most of the stuff I hear on my local hip-hop station. MixedbyAli did a great job of mixing the album. He likes to experiment with panning vocals, which I can appreciate. The production is great; it far exceeds any recent released hip-hop album. Overall I like the album more than I would like to admit. Ok it’s a really good album.

Favorite song: Alright

Taylor Swift – 1989

            1989 was Taylor Swift transition into a mega pop star. She was finally hanging up the cowboy boots. We can thank Max Martin for that. The superstar producer is behind some of pops biggest hits of all time. The album consists of radio hits in typical Max Martin fashion. A catchy tune is the formula behind this album and honestly I enjoyed it. This many radio hits in one album is with out a doubt impressive.

Favorite song – Wildest Dreams

The Weekend – Beauty Behind The Madness           

            The weekend is another powerhouse in R&B/Pop. Producing many radio hits similar to Taylor Swift. I am a fan of his radio hits but not much of the other tracks on his album. Similar to the other nominees, the production and engineering is great but nothing really blows me away.

Favorite song: Prisoner

 

            The Denver Broncos pulled a major upset over the Carolina Panthers during last weeks Super Bowl 50. The unexpected happened during footballs (sorry “soccer” fans) biggest night. Tonight, music’s biggest event will award a Grammy to the album of the year. On paper Kendrick Lamar looks impressive (11 Grammy nominations) but I expect the unexpected. The Alabama Shakes album in my opinion is the clear winner. The production and engineer is great but what really stood out for me was the instrumentation. Taking into consideration of the recent winning albums of the year, I expect the voters to vote for the “alternative” album. Now I can only hope the Alabama Shakes plug their favorite craft beer during their speech. I’m personally a corona guy but they look like the craft beer drinking type.

 

Winner: Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color

Honorable Mention: Chris Stapleton – Traveller/ Taylor Swift – 1989

 

Disclaimer: I am affiliated with the Grammy’s through GrammyU but I am not an official voting member.

The most expensive tracking room?

This past weekend I assisted Andy Bradley on a location recording. I have worked with Andy many times before but most of the events are held in music venues. This time around we recorded at The Museum of Fine Arts. The private party hosted a small orchestra/choir and it was our duty to record the performance. The concert was inside the museum surrounded by 1600 year old oil paintings. Making it the most expensive tracking room I have ever recorded in. It is by far one of my favorite moments this year. Nothing beats good music with a unforgettable view.

A Weekend In Nasville

I was fortunate enough to attend Mix Nashville 2015 this past weekend. I always like to attend events like these due to the knowledge gained from simply listening to other engineers explain their thought process. Also the amount of networking opportunities available at these events make the trip worthwhile. The event was put on by Mix Magazine and Nashville's AES chapter. My primary focus was to attend all the panels. Panels included subjects on studio business, tracking, vocal sessions, and hybrid mixing. They were all helpful but the vocal session and hybrid mixing panels were my favorites. A live vocal session was done on stage in a attempt to get a better performance from your vocalist. I will definitely be using some of the tips I learned. The hybrid mixing panel consisted of two of my favorite Nashville engineers. Jaquire King and Jeff Balding headlined the panel. Hybrid mixing is utilizing both the digital and analog components of audio. I am a firm believer that its the way to go in 2015. Overall the experience was amazing and I ended up loving the city of Nashville. I don't know what the future hold for me but the idea of making a career in Nashvile does sound appealing.