Miller Time: Grammy-winning ‘Fearless’ not best of 2009, but still has merit

by Steve Miller | February 5, 2010 | Montana Kaimin

At one point in my life, I made a “Simpsons” reference at least once every waking hour. And I still do quite often. But of all the wisdom imparted to me through these yellow sages, one particular gem stands out in my mind following music’s biggest (and most predictably generic) night: the Grammy Awards.

Consider a scene from season 11’s “The Mansion Family,” in which Homer Simpson laments getting snubbed at a local awards ceremony, while his daughter, Lisa, attempts to console him:

Homer: “Why won’t anyone give me an award?”

Lisa: “You won a Grammy.”

Homer: “I mean an award that’s worth winning.” (Which is then followed by a disclaimer reading “Mr. Simpson’s opinions do not reflect those of the producers, who don’t consider the Grammy an award at all.” Take that, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.)

To an astute appreciator of music, the Grammys — the awards show, the nominations and the winners — are a joke.

Though I can’t remark on Sunday’s Grammy telecast (I didn’t watch it), the nominees, particularly in the “Album of the Year” category, are worthy of a guffaw. To say that whittling down the year’s best to Beyoncé’s “I Am ... Sasha Fierce,” Lady GaGa’s “The Fame,” Dave Matthews Band’s “Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King,” the Black Eyed Peas’ “The E.N.D.” and Taylor Swift’s “Fearless,” is absurd would be a severe understatement.

The winner of this year’s top honor (and I use that title in the loosest terms possible) is Swift’s “Fearless,” the 20-year-old country star’s crossover to mainstream pop. While it’s easy for a somewhat elitist music fan like myself to scoff at and completely discount an album like “Fearless,” I can honestly say without reservations that I thoroughly enjoy it.

Granted, it’s nowhere near my favorite album of 2009 (a tie between the Flaming Lips’ “Embryonic” and Dirty Projector’s “Bitte Orca”), but “Fearless” possesses a very genuine and heartfelt quality — a quality devoid in most popular music of any genre.

Musically, it’s what you’d expect from any modern country/pop album: bright-toned guitars, rustic acoustics, flawless harmonies and plenty of four-on-the-floor drum beats, all packaged in a slick production. Lyrically, however, the album offers seemingly simple, yet profound, themes or motifs: the joys of love (romantic, plutonic, unconditional or otherwise) and, in other cases, the disillusionment and disappointment when these feelings are left unrealized and unrequited.

With Swift co-writing each of the album’s 13 tracks, there’s a strong sense of authentic, non-manufactured feeling and personal experience throughout, which makes the album all the more believable and, more importantly, relatable to the listener … myself included.

Though I don’t fall into her intended demographic — teenage girls and country fans — I can say songs like “You Belong with Me” and “Fifteen” evoke a nostalgia within me and even connect me with certain things that I, like many others, have experienced at some point or another. High school may be a thing of the past, but some aspects of it, like finding happiness and fulfillment in a relationship, are ongoing, and Swift captures this sentiment fully.

Don’t get me wrong; I don’t consider “Fearless” an album for the ages (personal or overall), nor do I think it’s even in the same realm as my favorite records of this or any year. But I do regard Swift as an honest songwriter with the ability to reach a wide audience.

Given her competition for “Album of the Year,” with the exception of Dave Matthews, I believe she was the best nominee of the category. And although I, like Homer Simpson, view music’s top prize as a worthless award, it’s refreshing to see a young and increasing talent like Swift receive recognition for her work — something that even Grammy bashers, like myself, should respect.

3 out of 4 stars

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