By Andy Argyrakis

AND THE GRAMMY GOES TO…

The 52nd installment of the GRAMMY Awards is right around the corner (Sunday, January 31 to be exact), which means the timing couldn't be more appropriate for a compilation of top nominees. As expected, 2010 GRAMMY Nominees (Capitol) has all the usual suspects, though there are plenty of top singles on the CD from believer-based acts, including U2, The Fray, Beyonce, Kings of Leon and Katy Perry.

TROAST'S TOUR INSPIRATIONS

Singer/songwriter Jon Troast is no stranger to the road, performing 100 concerts in 100 days last year all within the confines of someone's living room. It may have been an unconventional arrangement, but it earned the Wisconsin troubadour a mound of press clippings and a continuously swelling fan base. Following that outing, he recorded the quaintly titled Living Room under the direction of heralded producer Mitch Dane (Jars of Clay, which was inspired by that marathon trek and the people he met along the way. Catch the ‘70s-inspired, Americana-tipped performer touring for free the first half of 2010 in support of the CD.

RETRO REUNION

Before The Beatles, Cliff and the Shadows were all the rage in England, but the band also amassed global prominence thanks to an astounding 123 singles. Though group leader Cliff Richard (now a Sir, born again Christian and part time gospel artist) hadn't performed with the band in over twenty years, a recent 50th anniversary prompted them to reconnect on the DVD The Final Reunion (Eagle Vision), filmed in late 2009 at the O2 Arena in London. Throughout the project, the literally ageless Richard and his backers belt off golden oldies like "Living Doll," "Summer Holiday," "Wonderful Land" and "The Young Ones" as if time stood still.

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