Taylor Swift's Grammy Performance Defended

Call it the new "Swift Boating"! Taylor Swift‘s off-pitch performance at the Grammys has drawn the hackles of everyone from lonely bloggers in their basements to The New York Times. "[Her first song] was limp, a parody of her best songs about teen love fantasy," wrote the Times critic. "That transitioned into a pitch-challenged duet of ‘Rhiannon’ with Stevie Nicks, who then joined in — facing her own vocal challenges — on a banjolin-driven version of Ms. Swift’s ‘You Belong With Me.’ ”

Enter Scott Borchetta, the CEO of Taylor’s label Big Machine Records, who came out swinging in her defense Thursday arguing that the Grammys are not a competition to see who can sing the highest note. "Maybe she’s not the best technical singer, but she’s probably the best emotional singer because everybody else who gets up there and is technically perfect, people don’t seem to want more of it," Borchetta told the Tennessean. "She’s an extraordinary songwriter and her vocal performances are getting better. Everybody is not perfect on any given day."

In an interview with The New York Times, Borchetta continued the argument. "I think [the critics] are missing the whole voice of a generation that is happening right in front of them," he said. Borchetta blamed Sunday night’s performance on a “volume problem” with Taylor’s ear piece suggesting it was turned down low so that she could hear the rest of the band. When all else fails, blame the sound tech! –JOE GALBO