Grammy Nomination Reaction: Adele and Queen B Dominate
The nominations for the 59th Grammy Awards were announced yesterday. The full list can be found here. As is usually the case, they were met with a healthy smattering of praise, surprise, disappointment and criticism. Here are some of the big takeaways:
Album Of The Year Predictions-- Revisited
You may recall, back in early October, I gave a rundown of the contestants for Album of the Year, which I and many others consider THE Grammy. In my final predictions, I only got 2 of the 5 actual nominees correct-- the two obvious ones in Adele and Beyoncé. Though, in my defense, I did have both Justin Bieber's Purpose and Drake's Views listed among the contenders, and I was far from the only one shocked by the nomination for A Sailor's Guide To Earth by Sturgill Simpson (who?).
So, went wrong for my other predicted finalists? First, about a month ago, Frank Ocean-- whom most outlets pegged as likely a finalist as the two female superstars-- declared that he wouldn't even submit his music to be nominated by the Grammy Committee (Academy? Board?), declaring it his "Colin Kaepernick moment." It's hard to fault the logic of his protest, but it is a shame we won't be able to witness Blonde's potential recognition. Elsewhere, both David Bowie and Radiohead were, surprisingly (especially in the case of the former), relegated to Alternative/Rock categories.
Recognizing Artists-- The Good
Every now and then, the Grammys surprise us music fans by, you know, actually recognizing good music. In what is becoming a bit of a trend, the Best New Artist category has some real talent this year: two country starlets-to-be in Kelsea Ballerini and Maren Morris, though to lump the two together would be a disservice to their wildly different styles; two rappers in the rapidly-rising Chance The Rapper (owner of 7 Grammy nominations) and Anderson.Paak, whom Jordan gave a shoutout to in his "Dream Collaborations" article. Also multiple nominees: Twenty One Pilots, champions of the indie-grunge-pop-rock-rap-what really are they genre. I personally am not the biggest fan, but have heard their names for years now, so it's cool to see a band with such a devoted following break through into the mainstream. Another loaded category was Best Alternative Music Album, which somewhat unfairly pits David Bowie, Radiohead, and Bon Iver against each other. Most musical publications had those artists' Blackstar, Moon Shaped Pool, and 22, A Million, respectively ranked in their year-end Top 10, if not higher.
Recognizing Artists-- The Bad and The Ugly
Yet, just when we're beginning to commend the Grammys for getting things right, they get others so horribly wrong. Yes, the nominations once again included several cardinal sins-- not the least of which was over-nominating Drake, the Taylor swift of the Rap genre. But I will hone in on just two: The Chainsmokers, the musical incarnation of Frat Boy Trumpkins somehow find themselves nominated for 3 Grammys, including Best New Artist, which I am terrified they will win. Even more egregiously, the Grammys decided to reward the summer's weepiest/most barf-inducing "hit" by Lukas Graham. I shudder at the thought of the Danish Cry-Singing group even gracing the stage, especially for an acceptance speech. Fortunately, that won't happen. How can you be so confident, you ask? Because they're nominated for Song of The Year and Record of The Year, along wiiiiiith:
Beyoncé and Adele
This show is going to be all about them. And it always was going to be. The two superstars have a different style, but both women completely broke the internet, shattered sale and download numbers, and made critics swoon with their newest albums. The Ringer has a great article about why A vs. B will be the one of the best Grammy showdowns ever. It also makes a great point about how much Lukas Graham and The Chainsmokers suck. And how sad it is that Frank Ocean won't be there. Man, why am I even writing, just read that article!
Anyways, Adele and Beyoncé are expected to reign supreme. The former's nominations are more streamlined: "Hello" is up for Song and Record of the Year as well as Best Pop Solo Performance, and 24 is up for Album of the Year and Pop Album of the Year. Queen B, conversely, leads all comers with 9 nominations, and they're all. over. the. place. She's nominated for those same general categories for album Lemonade and song "Formation." She's also nominated for Pop ("Hold Up"). She's also nominated for Rock ("Don't Hurt Yourself," featuring Jack White). She's nominated for Urban Contemporary music. She's also nominated for Rap ("Freedom," featuring Kendrick Lamar). Oh, and just for good measure, she's nominated for Film, thanks to Lemonade's visual album. The nominations alone are an incredible feat, but, similar to Kendrick Lamar, it will feel a little empty if she goes without claiming one or all of the major general awards.
I will refrain from full-blown Grammy predictions until closer to the ceremony, but know this: I do not expect either woman to go home empty-handed on that February night.