Album of the Year 2007 is a star-studded letdown

In a year that saw a distressed Amy Winehouse refuse to enter rehab, a stronger Kanye West reach graduation, and a more colorful Radiohead give away music for free, nothing stood out as much as jazz legend Herbie Hancock – at least in the eyes of the Recording Academy voters.

On Feb. 10, Hancock’s star-studded River: The Joni Letters won the Grammy award for Album of the Year, beating out other big-name acts such as West, Winehouse, the Foo Fighters and Vince Gill. Although River might not have seemed like the obvious choice, its victory comes as no surprise; this particular award has been known to go to the veteran musicians, rather than the commercially successful ones, or albums by artists on the rise, such as Steely Dan’s Two Against Nature in 2001 and Ray Charles’ Genius Loves Company in 2005.

So is River deserving of this prestigious title, or is it just another way of acknowledging the artists who have paid their dues? Mainly comprised of jazzy revisions of singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell tunes, the Hancock- and Larry Klein-produced River is a solidly soulful album, utilizing celebrity voices such as Norah Jones, Tina Turner and Luciana Souza.

Starting things off with “Court and Spark,” Jones, backed by Hancock and an ensemble of master jazz musicians, gives a sultry rendition of the classic Mitchell song, while saxophonist Wayne Shorter ties it all together with his sizzling soprano grooves.

The album picks up with “Edith and the Kingpin,” but immediately looses steam with the instrumental “Both Sides Now” before arriving at the gem of the album: Corinne Bailey Rae’s sharp rendition of the title track, “River.”

Hancock’s quintet performs solidly throughout the album, from Shorter’s rapid-fire scale ascensions, Dave Holland’s walking bass lines on the standup, Vinnie Colaiuta’s rain-soft brush strokes on the drum set, or Lionel Loueke’s pluckings on the nylon-stringed guitar.

Yet River has its fair share of shallow points, and even dries up completely at times.

Although there are a handful of interesting collaborations, each of them is exactly what you’d expect from the featured artist. The artists take absolutely no risks. River also relies too heavily on subtlety and never really goes anywhere, which becomes especially evident during the instrumentals, all of which stretch beyond the five-minute mark.

Even Mitchell’s appearance on “Tea Leaf Prophecy” seems uninspired and bored. In the album’s finale, “The Jungle Line,” Leonard Cohen’s low growl soliloquy on top of Hancock’s crawling B-minor hardly leaves an impression of greatness. River resonates like the conclusion of a “CSI: New York” episode: it may be mildly entertaining, but it’s ultimately forgettable.

To its credit, River offers a new and intriguing perspective on Mitchell’s songs and generates a relaxing atmosphere of easy-listening vibes. As far as jazz is concerned, however, those looking for the excitement of Ornette Coleman, the dynamic of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, or even the ingenuity of Hancock’s previous work like Sextant, may be at a loss when listening to this subdued collaboration.

Overall, River: The Joni Letters is really nothing more than meets the eye, and certainly not the best release of 2007. According to USA Today, its album sales have skyrocketed from 55,000 copies to 114,000 since its Grammy victory, an increase of 66 percent. As with previous winners in this category, claiming the title of Album of the Year translates to a major boost in record sales.

Unfortunately, what the award doesn’t guarantee is that the recipient is the most relevant, or even the most deserving, album of the year.