Kanye West’s ‘Late’ wins critics poll

WITH the Grammy Awards less than a week away, Kanye West heads into the ceremony with the nation’s music critics solidly behind him: His “Late Registration” album has topped the Village Voice’s annual critics poll of the preceding year’s best works.

That makes back-to-back wins for the rapper: His “The College Dropout” came in No. 1 in last year’s poll.

Otherwise, there’s not a lot of common ground between what voting members of the Recording Academy have singled out and those works most prized in 2005 by the critics.

English grime musician M.I.A.’s “Arular” finished second in the survey of 795 critics, followed by singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens’ “Illinois.”

For the poll, critics are allowed 100 points to divide among their albums, with none receiving more than 30 nor fewer than 5 points. This year’s result gave West’s album 2,525 points, with M.I.A.’s not far behind at 2,418. Stevens’ work tallied 1,747 points.

The acts holding the remaining Top 10 spots are Sleater-Kinney (1,212 points), Fiona Apple (1,117), White Stripes (1,013), Antony and the Johnsons (1,006), The Hold Steady (980), New Pornographers (954), and My Morning Jacket (942).

West’s double win is only the second time since Village Voice started its poll in 1971 that an act has won two years in a row: The Clash did it with “London Calling” and “Sandinista” in 1980 and ‘81, respectively.

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-- Randy Lewis