New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Stevie Hawkins Official Website) The Avalon in Hollywood was filled with anticipation and excitement as the 40 foot red carpet closed, and the nominees made their way inside to find who would be the winner of the coveted Record of the Year award.
There were five albums contending for Record of the Year in the 22nd Annual Los Angeles
Music Awards that left voters and the panel of judges with a tough decision to make. From the soulful Stevie Hawkins' "What The Funk?", the chart-pop of Katie Cole's "Lost Inside A Moment", the deep funk of John Heintz,
George Clinton and P-Funk's "Big Ol Nasty Getdown Vol 1.", Jimmy Young's strong AC record "Great Spirit", and Aoede's fine "Skeleton's Of The Muse", each record brought something fresh and new to the table.
As the saying goes, there can only be one winner. As expected by many, Stevie Hawkins' "What The Funk?" took home not one, but two Record of the Year plaques. One going to Stevie Hawkins, the record's artist, producer and engineer, the other to
Charlotte Hannon, executive producer and co-lyric writer of "What The Funk?," placing the cap on a brilliant night that saw the rising Georgia star earn a standing ovation for his performances with Miles Grayson on "Procrastination" and "Everything Is Subject To Change". The presenters of the awards were actress
Dustin Quick, TV personality
Tamara Henry, and LA
Music Awards producer Al Bowman.
Ballot votes from the combined fan bases of all nominees, along with the ballots cast by the industry professional panel members, who objectively evaluate melody, composition, lyric and commercial potential, determine the winning nominees. According to Al Bowman, "By a unanimous choice for this award by both fans and panel members, Stevie Hawkins and
Charlotte Hannon were the recipients for the Record of the Year Award, an accolade that recognizes the work of the producers of an album and not the artist. The Record of the Year is the top and most prestigious award given at our annual event."
When asked how he felt about winning the award, Hawkins replied, "It's a very unique emotion I'm feeling right now. I think it's called humility. When you're completely not used to this, I mean winning awards, wrapping the head around it takes some time and is in fact very humbling. On that note, I would like to graciously thank God,
Charlotte Hannon, the fabulous musicians who contributed their inner-most talents to the record, the fans, the judges panel, Al Bowman and Susanna Griffie, ShhhMedia my event sponsor, and my label Emphasis Records. The combination of all those are the reason the Record of the Year award happened."
After blazing the Soul and Funk radio stations and charts around the world this year, the popularity of the album is comprehensible and is not diminishing.
The focus on the melodic, lyrical and authentic musical elements of this record makes Hawkins and company a refreshing change. "What The Funk?" is in all respects a modern Funk/Soul album, but it's one with a strong sense of history. The influence of
James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, and
Al Green is clear on the record. While listening to "What The Funk?," it plays like an album from the prodigious archives, Hawkins voice is huge and the arrangements are tight, an intentional throwback to the mystic '70s, yet sustaining a brand new sound and vibe.
By winning at the LA
Music Awards, and earlier this year winning awards at the Artists In
Music Awards - Hollywood, and Indie
Music Channel Awards - Hollywood, 2013 is shaping up to be an interesting and accelerating career year for Stevie Hawkins.
For a full list of the 2012 award recipients, visit https://www.lamusicawards.net/recipients.html
