Adele takes the Grammys

The award-giving and the parties could not be stopped but a lot of hearts did miss a beat when news was heard that pop icon Whitney Houston had died at the age of 47 last Feb. 11. And it had to happen on the eve of the Grammy Awards, the music industry’s most special annual event and one in which the much-lamented Whitney figured in several triumphant nights. 

Whitney, a ravishing combination of beauty, sex appeal and an incredible voice, sold over 140 million records and won a total of six Grammy Awards, Record of the Year and Pop Vocal Performance for I’ll Always Love You; Pop Vocal Performance for Saving All My Love For You and I Wanna Dance With Somebody; a Female R&B Performance for It’s Not Right But It’s OK; and one for the main price, Album of the Year for the soundtrack of The Bodyguard, the blockbuster movie she also topbilled in 1994.

Coincidentally, the 2012 Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles last Sunday evening, welcomed another young girl into pop royalty the same way it did Whitney 28 years ago. The girl is the 23-year-old singing star from Britain, Adele, who bagged six gold gramophones, a match to Beyoncé’s record six Grammy wins in one night two years ago.

Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl accepts the Best Rock Song award for the band’s Walk

Adele’s Rolling In The Deep was named Song of the Year and Record of the Year and also won for Best Short Form Video. Her other single Someone Like You won the Best Pop Solo Performance. Her second CD, 21, which dissected how she rose from a devastating heartbreak, won the Best Pop Vocal Album and the Album of the Year Grammys. So glad that she won because this girl not only revived Britain’s moribund music industry, she also brought singing back to the charts.

Like Whitney, who could just simply stand and sing and wow all listeners, Adele has no need for stage razzle dazzle. No troop of dancers or complicated stage props for her. Rumor has it that she refused to perform at the Araneta Coliseum because it was too big. She knows that all she needs is her fantastic voice and it never fails to work its magic.

As Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl so aptly said it while accepting the Grammy for the Best Rock Song for Walk, “It’s not about what goes on in a computer, it’s what’s here (heart) and here (the ear).” Proof that there was truth to Grohl’s statement was the standing ovation accorded Adele’s moving rendition of Rolling In The Deep by the famous members of the American music industry at the Grammys.

Tony Bennett wins a Grammy for Pop Performance by a Duo of Group, for his duet of Body And Soul with the late Amy Winehouse

Also doubly affecting was Jennifer Hudson’s tribute to Whitney. The Academy award-winning actress is another one with a great set of pipes and she used these to perfection to perform Whitney’s I’ll Always Love You. It was an emotional moment that overshadowed the star-studded line-up of performers at this year’s Grammys. Hudson who in her sequinned sheath and poufed hairstyle bore an uncanny resemblance to the departed diva, simply sung, beautifully and simply just like what Whitney might have done. And how touching it was for her to replace that final high note, with a spoken We love you for Whitney. So sad.

But there were also lots of reasons to celebrate about that evening. Eighty-five-year-old Tony Bennett won another Grammy. This one was for Pop Performance by a Duo of Group, for his duet of Body And Soul with another tragic star Amy Winehouse; Glen Campbell, the original Rhinestone Cowboy did a duet with Blake Shelton. Glen has announced that he has Alzheimer’s disease and it was great to see him feted at the Grammys while he can still enjoy the honor; the Beach Boys reunited and made Good Vibrations with Maroon 5 and Foster the People.

Oh, before I forget, Taylor Swift and Kanye West did not meet. Taylor came, sang and won for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for her single Mean. Kanye did not, although he bagged Grammys for Best Rap Album for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Best Rap Song and Rap/Sung Collaboration for All Of The Lights with Rihanna and Fergie.