BMI Winners:
Outstanding Group - Rage Against the Machine
Outstanding Album - Supernatural, Santana
Outstanding Single - "Smooth," Santana featuring Rob Thomas
Outstanding Hard Rock/Heavy Metal album - The Battle of Los Angeles, Rage Against The Machine
Outstanding Rock/Pop album - Astro Lounge, Smash Mouth
Outstanding R&B Album - Bitter, Me'Shell Ndegeocello
Outstanding Debut Album - Nasty Little Thoughts, Stroke 9
Outstanding Male Vocalist - Steve Harwell, Smash Mouth
Outstanding Guitarist - Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine
Outstanding Bassist - Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Outstanding Songwriters - Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan, Third Eye Blind
Artist of the Year - Rage Against the Machine
Arthur M. Sohcot Award for Public Service - Rage Against the Machine
Arthur M. Sohcot Award for Excellence - Michael Kamen

BMI's Barbara Cane and Tracie Verlinde greet and congratulate Smash Mouth on their two California Music Awards for Outstanding Rock/Pop Album and Outstanding Male Vocalist. Left to right: Smash Mouth's Greg Camp; BMI's Barbara Cane; Smash Mouth's Steve Harwell and Paul De Lisle; and BMI's Tracie Verlinde.		Feature (11/99) Smash Mouth: California in a Can Web Site SmashMouth.com
BMI's Barbara Cane, Nadine Condon and Tracie Verlinde join in the celebration with Stroke 9 after they won the Outstanding Debut Album at the California Music Awards. Left to right: BMI's Tracie Verlinde; Stroke 9's Eric Stock, Greg Gueldner and John McDermott; BMI's Barbara Cane and Nadine Condon; and Stroke 9's Luke Esterkyn.		On the Scene (12/99) Stroke 9 Web Site Stroke9.com
Shown congratulating Me'Shell Ndegeocello (center) on her Tower Records California Music Award for Outstanding R&B Album are BMI's Barbara Cane and Tracie Verlinde.		Feature (10/99) Me'Shell Ndegeocello: "Bitter" is a Sweet Success Web Site Meshell.com
Congratulating Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine for his Outstanding Guitarist award and Rage's five California Music Awards are (l to r): BMI's Tracie Verlinde; Morello; BMI's Hanna Bolte and Barbara Cane. Photos by Billy Douglas		On the Scene (10/99) Rage Against the Machine Web Site RATM.com

The intimate "That's Just My Way," the passionate "Why You Follow Me," the tender "Come As You Are," the vengeful "When You Think Of Me," along with "Loving Your Best Friend," contribute to the deeply textured emotional experience within A Day In the Life, his sophomore Warner. Bros. effort.

The main musical ingredient in A Day in the Life is classic R&B, with salsa, gospel, jazz and funk added to the mix. Eric co-wrote all 11 of the new tracks; the project's two covers are "Georgy Porgy," the Toto hit which now features guest vocals by Faith Evans, and the immortal '70s ballad "Dust In the Wind" from Kansas, now in a funkified interpretation. Eric co-produced and co-wrote the album with a dynamic group of collaborators, including Wyclef Jean, Ali Shaheed Muhammed (A Tribe Called Quest), Something For the People, Brian Morgan (SWV, Nicole), James Poyser & Vikter DuPlaix (Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill), Tamia, Me'Shell Ndegeocello, plus long-time partners Demonte Posey and cousin George Nash, Jr.

Nash and Eric's sister, Lisa, were members of his first band, Benet, in their hometown of Milwaukee. Their first album was released in 1992 and fared poorly in the commercial arena. The experience was a traumatic one for the young artist, and it made him "afraid to trust [his] heart' with the kind of music he wanted to create. But he conquered his fear and embarked down a solo path; his revealing 1996 debut album for Warner Bros. was titled True To Myself.

The critical accolades for True To Myself, along with the enthusiastic response from audiences throughout the United States, Europe and Japan, gave Eric the confidence to broaden the scope of his musical approaches within A Day in the Life.

On the cover of her new Maverick Records album Bitter, singer/songwriter Me'Shell Ndegeocello lies in woeful repose, crumpled on a bed like a carelessly cast-off blouse. In stark contrast, the back cover features a photo of the singer staring mirthfully into the camera.

Like its ambiguous cover art, Bitter is a record of contrasts: lovelorn ballads followed by sensual funk shuffles; folk-inflected tracks proceeded by neo-classical instrumentals. Lushly appointed with strings, piano and other acoustic instruments, the album possesses a philosophic resonance that's apparent in song titles like "Sincerity," "Grace" and "Loyalty." Lyrical and alluring, "Bitter" is an intensely personal examination of modern love and betrayal.

For her part, Ndegeocello describes the album as a back-to-basics recording devoid of pretension. "I wanted to make something people could get into texturally," the singer says. "Simplicity is a gift, and that's what this album is all about."

To capture the various moods of her new songs, Ndegeocello recruited some of the music industry's most reputable musicians, including multi-instrumentalists Wendy & Lisa and percussionist Abe LaBoriel, Jr. "With my first two albums, I was in my own little world," Ndegeocello explains. "I wanted to be with other people this time, and have them express themselves too. It's nice to have their spirits on the record."

"Bitter" marks a dramatic about-face for Ndegeocello. Her 1993 debut album, Plantation Lullabies, heralded the arrival of an exultant funk goddess. Defiantly retro, the record possessed an organic sound far removed from the automated r&b favored by urban radio. Ndegeocello parlayed the album's critical success into a triumphant tour. In concert, she proved to be a potent triple threat: a riveting singer/songwriter whose nimble bass playing recalled funk legends like Larry Graham and Bootsy Collins.

Ndegeocello's fortunes ascended even higher in 1994 when she joined rocker John Mellencamp for an interpretative recording of Van Morrison's '70s classic, "Wild Night." Her 1996 sophomore effort, "Peace Beyond Passion," was hailed as a spiritual masterwork steeped in biblical imagery.

With the release of her new album, Ndegeocello solidifies her reputation as the thinking person's funk performer. In an effusive review, Billboard described Bitter as "a brilliant, fully-realized work," while Newsweek, Vibe and Jane magazine crowned the record Album of the Year.

by Bruce Britt