Beck > Beyonce by Caleb Wright

At the 57^th Annual Grammy Awards, Beck’s Morning Phase beat out Beyoncé’s Beyoncé for Album of the Year. Many Beyoncé fans, angered by her loss, have (perhaps justifiably) criticized the Grammy’s nomination process, or the genres of music nominated. But beyond such issues, Beck deserved to win the accolade. This isn’t necessarily due to the inherent superiority of either album, but because of the process behind each one’s creation.

Beck, in his album, plays 15 instruments, performs vocals, and handles orchestral arrangements. Over the course of the album, he plays with 16 other musicians, and borrows the experience of one conductor. He is the head producer, and involves 10 audio engineers. Compare that with those involved with Beyoncé’s final product:

 

Beyoncé performs vocals, and collaborates with 23 other musicians (mostly vocalists) and 52 technical producers. Regardless of which album is better or more well liked, Beck’s Morning Phase required more artistic skill and originality.