The emotional highpoint of the Grammys—well, other than Tracy Chapman’s return (covers-adjacent!)–was Annie Lennox’s tribute to Sinéad O’Connor during the In Memoriam. Bonus points because she was backed by two longtime bandmembers of Prince (who, of course, wrote the song), Wendy and Lisa. The teardrop on Lennox’s eye was very Prince, and the political statement at the end was very Sinéad. Continue reading »
The Scratch hail from Ireland. Like so many Irish musicians, they were greatly affected by Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan’s death in November. The band had been playing around with a cover of “Sally MacLennane,” an upbeat celtic punk song that was the second single from The Pogues‘ second album. The song’s title is the name of a stout and the song is a celebration of the Irishmen who had to work outside of Ireland. Once The Scratch heard of MacGowan’s death, they decided to start performing the cover live and now they have released a video. Continue reading »