55th Grammy Awards: the performers

This year's Grammys ceremony is bringing lots of great artists to the stage, not only to receive awards but also to perform. And that's a big part of the show.

The Black Keys are nominated in five categories with El Camino. Before winning any of those prizes, they will be performing with Dr. John in a tribute to the late jazz icon Dave Brubeck.

In the list of the most nominated artists, Kelly Clarkson is also going to present something from the album Stronger live at the 55th Grammys. Fun and Mumford & Sons, both up for Best New Artist, are going to play something as well.

Ed Sheeran has received an invitation to return to the Grammy's stage after last year's performances and this time he's not alone. Sheeran will be singing a duet with Sir Elton John.

In what concerns stage collaborations, Bruno Mars will be joined by Sting and Rihanna (what?!), Maroon 5 are playing with Alicia Keys, and as a tribute to Levon Helm (The Band) Mumford & Sons will go on with Zack Brown, Elton John and T Bone Burnett.

Mumford & Sons, who are up for six awards, are also playing solo, just like Frank Ocean, Fun, The Lumineers and Jack White. Justin Timberlake is expected to bring his latest news.
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A cerimónia dos Grammys deste ano traz actuações de qualidade de muitos artistas nomeados.

Os The Black Keys têm o nome em seis categorias principais. O dueto americano convida Dr. John para um tributo ao ícone do jazz, Dave Brubeck.

A Kelly Clarkson marca a presença feminina da noite. A cantora do American Idol recebeu várias nomeações, como também os Mumford & Sons e os Fun. Frank Ocean, The Lumineers e Jack White juntam-se à lista das actuações dos 55º Prémios Grammy. Justin Timberlake deverá levar o seu material novo de que anda meio mundo a falar. 

No campo das colaborações, há Ed Sheeran com Elton John, que se junta mais tarde aos Mumford &Sons, Zack Brown e T Bone Burnett para prestar homenagem a Levon Helm (The Band). Bruno Mars actuará com Rihanna e Sting, numa combinação algo estranha. Maroon 5 e Alicia Keys também se juntam para os Grammys.

The 55th Grammy Awards are almost here

They call it music's biggest night. It's definitely an exciting event and this year, with three new categories, 81 golden gramophones are being awarded next Sunday, February 10th.

Here's a list of some nominees and *my bets for the winners of the 55th Grammy Awards. (In such a big year for the Grammys they failed big with this awful poster.)

Album of the Year/Álbum do Ano 

El Camino, The Black Keys; Some Nights, Fun; Babel; Mumford & Sons; Channel Orange, Frank Ocean; *Blunderbuss, Jack White

(I'm rooting for Jack White's Blunderbuss but Frank Ocean has been pointed out by many as having the best album of 2012, so I'm in doubt./Estou a torcer pelo Blunderbuss do Jack White mas com tantas nomeações do disco de Frank Ocean como o melhor álbum de 2012, não sei o que vai a Recording Academy decidir.)

Record of the Year/Gravação do Ano
'Lonely Boy', The Black Keys; 'Stronger', Kelly Clarkson; 'We Are Young', Fun. feat. Janelle Monae; *'Somebody That I Used to Know', Gotye feat. Kimbra; 'Thinkin Bout You', Frank Ocean; 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together', Taylor Swift

(This one can either way - the Academy can decide to go pop with the Record of the Year and in that case it's definitely going to be 'Somebody That I Used to Know', or they can take it to the alternative side and give the award to The Black Keys./Este prémio pode resultar em duas escolhas - se a Academia decidir levá-lo para os êxitos pop do ano, o vencedor será o já esgotado 'Somebody That I Used to Know'; se a escolha permitir gostos menos óbvios, serão os The Black Keys a receber o galardão.)

Best New Artist/Melhor Artista Revelação 
Alabama Shakes; Fun.; Hunter Hayes; The Lumineers; *Frank Ocean

Best Pop Vocal Album/Melhor Álbum Vocal Pop
Stronger, Kelly Clarkson; *Ceremonials, Florence and the Machine; Some Nights, Fun.; Overexposed, Maroon 5; The Truth About Love, Pink

Song of the Year/Canção do Ano
'The A Team', Ed Sheeran; 'Adorn', Miguel; 'Call Me Maybe', Carly Rae Jepsen; 'Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)', Kelly Clarkson; *'We Are Young', Fun. 

(If it is 'Call Me Maybe' I'm tuning out./Se for a 'Call Me Maybe' desligo na hora.)
  
Best Pop Solo Performance/Melhor Performance Pop a Solo
*'Set Fire to the Rain (Live)', Adele; 'Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)', Kelly Clarkson; 'Call Me Maybe', Carly Rae Jepsen; 'Wide Awake', Katy Perry; 'Where Have You Been', Rihanna

(After last year, it's obvious she's coming back for more./Depois da razia do ano passado, é claro que ela quer mais.)

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance//Melhor Performance Pop em Dupla ou Grupo 
'Shake It Out', Florence and the Machine; *'We Are Young', Fun.; 'Somebody That I Used to Know', Gotye feat. Kimbra; 'Sexy and I Know It', LMFAO; 'Payphone', Maroon 5

Best Dance Recording/Melhor Canção de Dança 'Levels', Avicii; 'Let's Go', Calvin Harris feat. Ne-Yo; *'Bangarang', Skrillex feat. Sirah; 'Don't You Worry Child', Swedish House Mafia feat. John Martin; 'I Can't Live Without You', Al Walser 

Best Rock Performance/Melhor Performance Rock 
'Hold On', Alabama Shakes; 'Lonely Boy', The Black Keys; 'Charlie Brown', Coldplay; 'I Will Wait', Mumford & Sons; *'We Take Care of Our Own', Bruce Springsteen

Best Rock Song/Melhor Canção Rock 
'Freedom at 21', Jack White; 'I Will Wait', Mumford & Sons; 'Lonely Boy', The Black Keys; *'Madness', Muse; 'We Take Care of Our Own', Bruce Springsteen
 
Best Rock Album/Melhor Álbum Rock
El Camino, The Black Keys; The 2nd Law, Muse; Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay; Wrecking Ball, Bruce Springsteen; *Blunderbuss, Jack White

Best Alternative Music Album/Melhor Álbum Alternativo
*The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do, Fiona Apple; Biophilia, Bjork; Making Mirrors, Gotye; Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, M83; Bad As Me, Tom Waits

Best Urban Contemporary Album/Melhor Álbum Contemporâneo Urbano 
Fortune; Chris Brown; Kaleidoscope Dream; Miguel; *Channel Orange, Frank Ocean

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration/Melhor Colaboração Rap
'Wild Ones', Flo Rida feat. Sia; 'No Church in the Wild', Jay-Z & Kanye West feat. Frank Ocean & The-Dream; 'Tonight (Best You Ever Had)', John Legend feat. Ludacris; '*Cherry Wine', Nas feat. Amy Whinehouse; 'Talk That Talk', Rihanna feat. Jay-Z

Best Country Song/Melhor Canção Country
'Blown Away', Carrie Underwood; 'Cost of Livin'', Ronnie Dunn; *'Even If It Breaks Your Heart', Eli Young Band; 'So You Don't Have to Love Me Anymore', Alan Jackson; 'Springsteen', Eric Church

Best Americana Album/Melhor Álbum Americana
The Carpenter, The Avett Brothers; From the Ground Up, John Fullbright; The Lumineers, The Lumineers; *Babel, Mumford & Sons; Slipstream, Bonnie Raitt

(Something for Mumford & Sons, ok?/Alguma coisinha para os Mumford & Sons, sim?)
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Estas são *as apostas do Urban Blues para algumas das categorias dos Grammys. Acontece já no próximo Domingo, 10 de Fevereiro, a entrega dos 81 gramofones mais emblemáticos do mundo da música.

A special treat by The Black Keys

I love BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge (somebody should print that on a tshirt). Here is a full performance by The Black Keys from February 2012.

0:00 Howlin For You, 3:50 Next Girl, 7:00 Gold On The Ceiling, 11:00 Thick Freakness, 14:20 I'll Be Your Man, 17:50 Your Touch, 20:50 Little Black Submarines, 25:30 Dead And Gone, 29:30 Tighten Up, 33:20 Lonely Boy, 36:40 I Got Mine

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Adoro o BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge e aqui mais uma razão para isso: o vídeo da actuação dos The Black Keys em Fevereiro, com direito a algumas das músicas de que mais gosto da banda. 

The Black Keys tocam no Atlântico em Novembro

Finalmente, os The Black Keys estreiam-se em Portugal. As produtoras resolveram passar por cima da época de festivais e agendar o duo em nome próprio, para o Pavilhão Atlântico, a 27 de Novembro.

Talvez a sala seja um pouco ambiciosa, mas a venda de bilhetes - que começa já no dia 4 de Abril - logo o dirá. Os preços vão dos 29 aos 39 euros.

Aqui fica a actuação dos The Black Keys no BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, com músicas do último álbum, El Camino.

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The Black Keys will be playing in Portugal at last. The producers decided to skip the Summer season and book the duo for November 27th at the Atlantic Pavilion.

Maybe the room is a bit to ambitious but only the tickets sales will tell. Tickets will be available from April 4th. Prices range from 29 to 39 euros.

See The Black Keys' performance of El Camino songs at the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge.

Have you heard of Michael Kiwanuka?

Andava a ver a cara deste rapaz na MTV há dias e a sua voz não me saía do ouvido, mas ainda não tinha apanhado o nome. Depois de descobrir Michael Kiwanuka só posso afirmar que a música britânica continua a produzir talentos assombrosos.

Michael Kiwanuka já foi comparado a nomes como Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding e Van Morrison, numa mistura de sons que vão do jazz ao soul com um toque harmonioso de folk. Recentemente a BBC deu-lhe o estatuto de som de 2102.

O cantor e compositor britânico, filho de pais ugandeses, faz-se rodear de boas companhias: já partilhou o palco com Adele e gravou uma música com os The Black Keys.

 

O álbum de estreia, Home Again, sai a 12 de Março e, se for tão bom quanto os EPs que ele já nos deu a ouvir, Kiwanuka vai destronar Ed Sheeran na minha playlist do momento.

 

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I have been watching him pass by on MTV for the past days and his voice was stuck in my head, but I hadn't catch his name yet. Now that I have found Michael Kiwanuka I must say that British music keeps on delivering astonishing talents.

He was compared with such names as Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding and Van Morrison, having a sound mix that goes from jazz to soul with a melodic hint of folk. Recently, he was the winner of BBC Sound of 2012.

This British singer/songwriter, son of Ugandan parents, likes to be in good company: he already shared the stage with Adele and recorded a song with The Black Keys.

His debut album, Home Again, is launched on March 12th and if it proves to be as good as the EPs that he has released, I think Kiwanuka is going to replace Ed Sheeran in my current playlist.

Celebration

To celebrate 1000 views and around 80 post in less than two months, here is my playlist for the weekend. Hope you guys like it and feel inspired to comment and follow the Urban Blues. Thanks for reading.

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Para celebrar 1000 visitas a este blog e cerca de 80 posts em menos de dois meses, deixo a minha playlist para o fim-de-semana. Espero que gostem e que vos inspire a comentar e a seguir o Urban Blues. Obrigada por seguirem.

I was blind, but now I see El Camino

I finally decided to wake up and listen to The Black Keys. And wow, I have been missing a lot!

El Camino is the duo's latest album and it is amazing. Its homogeneous without being boring. The vocals are captivating without outshining the instruments. It's a breath of fresh air breaking through my dusty indie playlist.

There isn't a song I don't like and it's hard to point out a favourite. So, today I'll leave you with 'Little Black Submarines'. Enjoy!

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Finalmente acordei para a vida e conheci The Black Keys. Tenho andado mesmo a dormir.

El Camino é o mais  recente álbum do duo e é espectacular. É homogéneo sem ser aborrecido. A voz é hipnotizante sem roubar a spotlight  aos instrumentos. É uma lufada de ar fresco na minha playlist indie que já andava a precisar de uma renovação.

Não há música deste álbum que não goste e não consigo escolher uma favorita. Por isso, hoje deixo-vos com a Little Black Submarines. Espero que gostem.