Soul man Charles hits right note from other side

THE Grammy’s finally got soul this year, honouring Ray Charles with five posthumous awards and handing Dublin rock superstars U2 three gongs.

The star-studded event, considered the music industry's version of the Oscars, featured an impressive slate of performers including James Brown, Green Day and newlyweds Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony who performed in Spanish.

The show kicked off with an explosion of controlled chaos featuring, across three stages, nominees The Black Eyed Peas, Gwen Stefani, Los Lonely Boys, Maroon 5 and Franz Ferdinand.