Amy Winehouse stole the show Sunday night at the Grammys — all the way from London.
The soul singer known for her audacious music and self-destructive lifestyle won five awards at the ceremony in the Staples Center in Los Angeles. After legal problems led to visa issues, the Briton watched the show from a London studio, where she performed late in the evening.
Rapper-producer Kanye West took four awards, including for best rap album. Herbie Hancock won the best album Grammy for “River: The Joni Letters,” his tribute to Joni Mitchell.
With support of the writers guild, the Grammys went off without a hitch. They started strong with some interesting performances, and after a lackluster middle hour, they finished potently.
And . . . wait, did West just compliment somebody other than himself?
It doesn’t happen every day, but there it was about halfway through the telecast. Accepting the best rap album award, he gave a nod toward Winehouse and her producer, Mark Ronson, and said, “If I don’t get to get up here for album of the year, you deserve it as much as me.”
No word on what West feels about Hancock’s win.
Hubris has never been the MC’s strong suit. But as he rambled on, the cut-off music eventually started in, to West’s dismay, just as he started talking about his mother, who died last year.
“It would be in good taste to stop the music here,” he said.
And they did.
Most surprising Sunday night was the quality of the collaborations. Alicia Keys opened up the show via a duet with an on-screen Frank Sinatra, and it was a classy way to open the 50th annual ceremony. The Time made a comeback with its “Jungle Love,” and the addition of R&B diva Rihanna’s “Umbrella” made it all the more potent a combination.
Of course, the Time’s choreography stole the show.
There was a dynamic, two-piano presentation of “Rhapsody in Blue” — with Chinese pianist Lang Lang and Hancock tickling the ivories. And the West-Daft Punk collaboration on “Stronger” was an epic example of how Grammy collaborations should be carried out.
But Tina Turner’s performance was truly stunning.
Dressed in skintight silver lame, the 68-year-old Turner looked and sounded tremendous. She fronted a band for a couple songs, and later was joined by Beyonce for a classy throwback of a performance.
Tom Hanks introduced the Beatles’ tribute, presented by Cirque du Soleil’s “Love” show and the team behind the Julie Taymor film “Across the Universe.” But as moving as the Beatles’ music is, the tributes were long and awkward — not really lending themselves to the medium of a live televised broadcast.
Winehouse’s via-satellite performance was twitchy but sassy.
“You Know I’m No Good” subtly transformed into a swingy “Rehab,” with Winehouse’s bold alto leading the way.
The performance was solid but not groundbreaking, and Winehouse’s awkward “thank yous” following the song — and her hilariously off speech after winning the Best Record award just minutes later — made you wish she had been around in person to add some personality to the event.
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
