Sam Smith, Beck get Grammys galore

SAM SMITH has a simple rule: "Be yourself." And maybe that's what it takes to make a massive breakthrough in today's media overloaded environment.

Last night, Smith's painfully honest and gorgeously sung ballads about unrequited love earned the gawky 22-year-old two armfuls of awards at the 57th annual Grammys - starting with the prestigious (though often kiss of death) New Artist of the Year.

"Oh my gosh, I have to say something without crying," he shared, perfectly in character.

Later, Smith nailed down awards for Best Pop Vocal Album, then for both Song and Record of the Year - both for "Stay With Me." "The best night in my life," Smith murmured. And for one special guy he was singing about, he shouted out "Thank you so much for breaking my heart. You got me four Grammys."

Beck's subdued, strings-swept "Morning Phase" of Cali-pop tunes denied Smith a clean sweep of the top-shelf awards - claiming Best Album of the Year. Beck also won Best Rock Album (kind of a stretch) and an award for Best Engineered (Non-classical) Set.

Time is on his side: Social historians (starting with the LGBT community) may make much that Smith is the first openly gay solo artist to score this well his first time up for votes. Out-and-proud (and cynically funny) country talent Brandy Clark wasn't gonna share in the enlightenment, though. She lost last night to Miranda Lambert in the Best Country Album competition and as Best New Artist to, um, Mr. Smith.

Also damped down some in the excitement were the night's other six-time nominees - Beyonce and Pharrell Wiliams.

That ambitious, mixed media CD and DVD album project "Beyonce" may have been too grand a meal for Grammy voters to injest. But "Drunk in Love" won Queen Bey and Jay Z best R&B performance and R&B song. And she could bask in the reflected glow of the video album's surround sound win.

Pharrell did better, first at the webcast "Grammy Premiere" afternoon awards nailing the Urban Contemporary Album prize for "Girl" and Best Music Video for his international anthem "Happy." Later the tune also pulled down the Best Pop Solo Performance win through a curious Grammy loophole - made eligible for a second year running through a "new" live version.

Local Notes: Local talents earned a couple notable props. South Jersey super producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins was responsible for the slightly-tweaked version of "Stay With Me" that won Smith glories. Ace bassist Christian McBride was core to Chick Corea's jazz winner "Trilogy." That newly unearthed John Coltrane concert recording "Offering: Live at Temple University" earned a compliment for liner notes writer Ashley Kahn (not a Philly guy).

Tiesto got the remixing Grammy for his birthday re-do of "All of Me" that Penn grad John Legend liked so much he authorized it after the fact.

We was robbed: While oddly frozen out of prime time and the big pop categories, the music of "Frozen" (second biggest selling album of the year) took home two Visual Media Grammys - Best Compilation soundtrack and Best Song ("Let It Go") - for songwriters Kristin Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.

Dead men walking: It was a shockingly strong night for the walking wounded and recently deceased.

Alzheimer's sufferer Glen Campbell's ironic swan song "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" from the "I'll Be Me" documentary claimed best country song.

Label executive Gil Friesen didn't live to see his insightful documentary on background singers "Twenty Feet From Stardom" win the Music Film Grammy.

Blues-rock guitar great Johnny Winter, who passed in July, was honored with Best Blues Album ("Step Back") while the late Joan Rivers' "Diary of a Mad Diva" was Best Spoken Word Album.

Another triple winner, Rosanne Cash almost died and went to heaven on hearing she'd scored two "American Roots" Grammys (performance, song) for "A Father's Not a Bird" then hit again with Best Americana Album for "The River & The Thread" - a wondrous musical trek through the south. "The last time I won a Grammy, Reagan was president" said Johnny's eldest daughter.

Many duets: At the webstreamed "Premiere Ceremony," Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga shared Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album honors for "Cheek To Cheek," no surprise, which they later performed live.

Also notable - Ed Sheeran and John Mayer's sweet go on Ed's "Thinking Out Loud," Jesse J and Tom Jones' trib to Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill, as well match-ups of Hozier and Annie Lennox, Smith and Mary J. Blige, Gwen 1Stefani with Adam Levine, Usher and Stevie Wonder, Common and John Legend, Paul McCartney's impromptu singalong with Jeff Lynne and strum-along with Rihanna and Kanye on her super-catchy "FourFive Seconds." Yeah, quite the theme.

Quirky works: Weird Al Yankovic finally fulfilled his contractural label obligations (he cracked) with the Best Comedy Album "Mandatory Fun." TV-spawned vocal sensations' Pentatonix confessed their homage to "Daft Punk" was "recorded in a bedroom." It won Best Arrangement, instrumental or a capella. Robert Glasper Experiment's "Black Radio 2" claimed "Best Tradition R&B performance" for a track ("Jesus Children"), featuring Lalah Hathaway and Malcom-Jamal Warner. We're wishing other "BR2" tracks with Philly killers Jill Scott and Marsha Ambrosius had done as well.

Rap it up: Kendrick Lamar landed best performance with "I," Eminem scored the Best Album with "The Marshal Mathers LP2" and shared Rap/Sung Collaboration with Rihanna on "The Monster."

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