“Lonely Boy” – Best Rock Performance winner

Reviewed by Antonio Salcido

Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys took home the award for “Best Rock Performance” at this year’s Grammys with their song “Lonely Boy.”

The Black Keys were up against well-known bands such as Mumford & Sons and Coldplay, as well as the increasingly popular Alabama Shakes.

The two front-runners for this award were The Black Keys and Mumford & Sons.

Mumford & Sons highly acclaimed second studio album “Babel” made them a formidable challenger. While arguably, their hit single, “I Will Wait” was the better song; their performance lacked a certain theatrical flair that gave The Black Keys their well-deserved victory.

The duo’s performance of “Lonely Boy” was a clear standout of the evening. The accompaniment by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and six-time Grammy winning artist Dr. John is what made this particular rendition memorable.

The Jazz Band presented a fresh new excitement to the original rockabilly sound. The brass section added an element of pizazz while the jazz drummer was pounding and dancing around with this great big grin on his face.

It was hard to not to notice Dr. John, covered head-to-toe in exuberant Native American attire, headdress and all, jamming out on the keyboard. All this, combined with Auerbach’s fiery stage presence created a fun and entertaining experience that was worthy of being called the night’s “best rock performance”.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

“Set Fire to the Rain” – Best Pop Solo Performance winner

Reviewed by Estrellita Uribe

Adele received an award for “Best Pop Solo Performance” with the live recital of her song “Set Fire to the Rain,” in this year’s Grammy Awards.

The British singer performed the well-known song at the Royal Albert Hall with magnificent vocals, which might’ve been even better than the original recording.

But, does this entire act deserve a Grammy? I find myself struggling to decide, considering that the winning song was released in her 2011 album. The radio continuously played the hit and I fell in love with the song, singing it out loud every time it came on.However, it soon became over played and annoying. It no longer made everyone turn up the volume; but turn off the radio.

For the next Grammy Awards, Adele should step aside and let the spotlight shine on new talents. Another suggestion would be to come up with a new album, to avoid the same over played 2011 hits of “21” to be nominated.

Her songs once sounded like the new radio masterpieces, now they are just one in the bunch.

Rating: 3 out of 5

“We Are Young” – Fun. Best Song of the Year winner

Reviewed by Reghan Jameson

Listeners are now turning off Mika’s “Life in Cartoon Motion” album and shuffling to Fun., the new indie-pop band that has seized radio by storm and is moving full force ahead.

With a tough beat marking the beginning of the record, Fun’s newest album “Some Nights” embodies every college kid’s ’80s movie fantasy of a disorderly night on the town. Taking home “Best New Artist” at the Grammy Awards this year, teenage girls are crawling all over the radio to get a better taste of “We Are Young.”

The band’s name, Fun., is everything that it sounds like– a spunky, upbeat group that has moved from No. 43 to No. 20 on the Billboards Hot 100 chart in just a week.

The group doesn’t push the intellectual garbage on its listeners, but instead gives them an outlet to release cooped-up dance energy. If you’re having a rough day, leave it to Fun. to bring out the beast in you.

Their urban sound bears no resemblance to their Arizona heritage, and their versatile lyrics even give hipsters a reason to return to mainstream music.

Fun. frontman Nathaniel Ruess is the former singer of the now defunct band The Format. He has taken a different spin on his new band. At this rate, we can anticipate that the fun will last.

Rating: 4 out of 5