Grammy Whammy, "Give It To Me", "Streetcorner Symphony"

I missed out on giving a Grammy preview, but I wasn't surprised to see the Dixie Chicks clean up. Musicians have little impact politically these days, John Mayer admits as much on "Waiting on the World To Change." So the Grammy voters made their statements here, rewarding both the Dixie Chicks and John Mayer for their attempt to voice their views on the state of the world today. It's their show, so be it.

Not surprisingly, my Hot Songs didn't fare well at the Grammys this year. I was most disappointed with James Blunt's "You're Beautiful" not taking home any awards. His simple guitar and piano-accompanied performance of the song at the ceremony was fantastic. Other big disappointments: the Shakira/Wyclef "Hips Don't Lie" and The Fray's "How to Save a Life" not winning. Still, I guess I saw the light with the Black Eyed Peas' "My Humps" winning Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal and "My Love" winning Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Remarkably, I called "My Humps" Grammy material 15 months ago on this blog.

So let's move on and see what's hot right now...

"Give It To Me", Timbaland featuring Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado

This song's been leaked and on the Web since the fall, but is just hitting the charts now with an official release. At first glance, it's the first big BEEF song of 2007. Justin and Timbaland go to bat against their latest critics, while Nelly tries to convince us she's a supermodel. Most poignant is J.T.'s comeback to Prince, who claimed that "sexy never left": "If sexy never left, why's everybody on my..."

Still, I try to look beyond lyrics and see if the song has any redeeming qualities. Redeeming Quality 1: It's a Timbaland track, complete with marching-band style drumming. Redeeming Quality 2: Cool voice effects whenever someone's trying to make a point...like Nelly's "my style is "ri-dic-dic-dic-ulous-ulous-ulous." I'm looking forward to hearing any remixes off this hot single.

Read more about the beef here: Justin Timberlake Takes on Janet Jackson and Prince On Timbaland Track

"Streetcorner Symphony", Rob Thomas

Rob Thomas' CD, Something To Be, is amazing. He's been releasing singles off it since 2005, and there's still great songs left. On it, Rob uses new sounds and voices to express his feelings, and the result is a refreshing push even beyond the stellar work he did with Matchbox 20.

This feel-good hit will have you singing "Come On Over!" right along with Rob and crew. And the guitar virtuoso in the background? Why it's John Mayer!