Jamie Foxx

A few short years ago, Jamie Foxx was the opposite of an award magnet -- but that was before he won a Best Actor Oscar for the 2004 Ray Charles biopic Ray. Since then, he's been nominated for five Grammys, including three this year: one for his contributions to "Georgia,"...

By Michael Roberts

January 11, 2007

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A few short years ago, Jamie Foxx was the opposite of an award magnet -- but that was before he won a Best Actor Oscar for the 2004 Ray Charles biopic Ray. Since then, he's been nominated for five Grammys, including three this year: one for his contributions to "Georgia," a Field Mob cut that also features Ludacris, and a pair of tracks from 2005's Unpredictable, which attempted to reposition him as an R&B lover man. The latter accomplished its goal, more or less, and it's certainly a lot more listenable than the typical movie-star-tries-his-hand-at-crooning opus -- like, for instance, the abominations once foisted on a vulnerable public by Eddie Murphy, Foxx's co-star in another trophy favorite, Dreamgirls. Despite the disc's title, though, his determination to play things straight leaves many of Unpredictable's songs feeling more than a little (ahem) predictable. It's fortunate, then, that Foxx's current tour is envisioned as "a night of comedy and music" rather than one or the other. Awards are nice, but entertainment value is even better.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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