The Nominees: Album Of The Year
Taylor Swift already stands alone as the sole female artist to thrice win Album of the Year at the Grammys. Will Midnights help deliver record-extending win number 4?
Mere days remain until the Grammys ceremony, and the last general category up in our pre-Grammys preview is also the biggest award of the night: Album of the Year! If you missed it, below are the three other major awards we've already previewed:
As has been discussed on this blog many a time, this is the closest equivalent to a Best Picture for the Grammys. Album of the Year recognizes a full catalog of musicianship, and historically, this is the one category the Grammys have actually done a fairly good job of nominating the best in addition to the biggest. That being said, that has not always (or even often) translated to the best body of work actually winning the prize. Case in point: in alternating years, Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé lost the award despite having the biggest AND best albums of their respective eligibility periods. The winners haven't provided much clarity either: where Kacey Musgraves' victory in 2019 for Golden Hour might have signified a change in the tide in that regard, Billie Eilish's clean sweep of the major awards the next year, including a win in this category for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? was a reversion to "biggest name wins," a trend that continued with Taylor Swift's victory in 2021. Then, the year following, all theories, trends and prognosticators were thrown aside when the award stunningly went to Jon Batiste for his record We Are. So, in other words, who really knows?
In my preview of the contenders for this award last fall, I did highlight all of the eventual nominees as possible names you'd hear called, but in reality, only half of the 10 albums I thought would make it in as nominees actually did so. That said, before I toot my own horn too much, if the last couple years has taught us anything, it's to expect the unexpected. So, let those guessing games begin!
In order from worst to best odds, according to GoldDerby.com:
The Age of Pleasure - Janelle Monáe
Odds: 10-1
Peak Chart Position (Billboard): 17th
Metacritic rating: 78 (out of 100)
Strongest Song: "Float"
Weakest Song: "The Rush"
Daniel's Overall Rating: 8/10
I mentioned-- okay, I bragged --that all eight nominees were previously highlighted by me as likely candidates back in October. Of all the albums that did make the final cut, however, Janelle Monáe's was the only one that came as a genuine surprise to me. Not because of the artist herself; Janelle is truly a singular talent, one that doesn't get the amount of shine she should. And in fairness to the Grammys, they have actually been pretty high on Monáe from the start, granting her 10 nominations over the last decade-plus. But, given how non-mainstream Age of Pleasure was, and the "eh, pretty good" reviews it got in contrast to her last nominated album Dirty Computer, I did not expect to see her name called. It's wholly deserved in my opinion, though: this isn't an album you come back to in order to pull out a favorite song or two, sure, but it's one you play from start to finish when you're ready to dance, or dream of the summer months.
Endless Summer Vacation - Miley Cyrus
Odds: 19-2
Peak Chart Position (Billboard): 3rd
Metacritic rating: 79
Strongest Song: "Island"
Weakest Song: "Muddy Feet"
Daniel's Overall Rating: 7/10
Given that Miley Cyrus had never gotten a major Grammy nomination coming into this year, and the decent-but-not-great reviews Endless Summer Vacation received, I figured the safer bet was that Cyrus wouldn't be among the Album of the Year nominees. But, with a star of her stature, and an album that had as much commercial success as it did, I can't say I'm shocked. And I will say, having recently re-listened, I liked Vacation a lot more than I thought I did! It's uneven, and certainly loses some steam down the stretch, but there are several real highlights. I think it's much more likely that smash hit "Flowers" pulls out a Song and/or Record of the Year win than she does a win for Album, but I also don't think you can count out the possibility.
Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd.? - Lana Del Rey
Odds: 17-2
Peak Chart Position (Billboard): 3rd
Metacritic rating: 80
Strongest Song: "Grandfather please stand on the shoulders of my father while he's deep-sea fishing"
Weakest Song: "Fingertips"
Daniel's Overall Rating: 9/10
Lana Del Rey has only been up for this award once before (2019's Norman Fucking Rockwell!) and, at least over the last decade, has a niche enough style that it wasn't a sure thing she would be in contention again this year. But I imagined the combination of a well-received body of work and, let's call it what it is, a weak year in music, would be enough to land her a spot in the field. And boy, am I glad I was right- I absolutely adored this album. This isn't going to be one you can just pop on at a party and expect everyone to get on board with; it's mood music to a T. But if you're in the mood for quiet, contemplative artistry, you won't find a better provider in general (and especially from this year) than Miss Lana, whose honeyed vocals pair so well with her words both barbed and introspective, in equal measure. Don't count Del Rey out altogether for this award, either, odds be damned. I don't expect it to happen, but she's a revered enough songwriter with unique enough appeal that a #lanasurprise isn't out of the question
GUTS - Olivia Rodrigo
Odds: 17-2
Peak Chart Position (Billboard): 1st
Metacritic rating: 91
Strongest Song: "logical"
Weakest Song: "get him back!"
Daniel's Overall Rating: 7/10
I've opened the last few nominee intros talking about the ways I was skeptical they would make the final cut. No such skepticism existed with Olivia Rodrigo. The 21-year old, in just her 2nd album, is already one of the bigger pop stars in the country, and the impressive quality of her short discography has earned her admirers of all ages and backgrounds. I actually wasn't quite as high on GUTS as I hoped I would be or as the masses are. A lot of that is just down to personal preference; Rodrigo leaned more into the pop punk sound with her sophomore sound, which I'm not wild about, and I generally found this a little more inconsistent than 2021's SOUR. But it matters not what I think. In fact, many are saying it matters not at all! GUTS was one of the biggest albums of the year, and was near-universally acclaimed. I've got to imagine that's a recipe for a serious contender in this category.
World Music Radio - Jon Batiste
Odds: 15-2
Peak Chart Position (Billboard): 104th
Metacritic rating: 69
Strongest Song: "CALL NOW (504-305-829)"
Weakest Song: "Drink Water"
Daniel's Overall Rating: 6.5/10
Much like fellow music industry vet Brandi Carlile, Jon Batiste followed up a surprise nomination a few years ago with yet ANOTHER surprise nomination for Album of the Year. One key distinction between him and Carlile, though (as nominees, at least; the differences between them in general are myriad): Brandi never won of the big ones. Batiste won the damn thing in 2022. And for that reason, you have to imagine he goes and does it again. It'd be truly baffling, maybe even more so than the first go-round; World Music Radio made little cultural impact, and it's honestly just an okay album. A very cool concept with a wide variety of sounds, but it comes across a little bit like chaotic genre tourism rather than a consistent, cohesive project. There's no denying Batiste's immense talent and likability, though, and maybe that's enough to see him through yet again.
SOS - SZA
Odds: 11-2
Peak Chart Position (Billboard): 1st
Metacritic rating: 90
Strongest Song: "Good Days"
Weakest Song: "F2F"
Daniel's Overall Rating: 9/10
Two years after winning her first Grammy for her collaboration on "Kiss Me More" with Doja Cat, and fresh off a year in which her acclaimed album launched a successful arena tour, SZA was a slam-dunk to see her name called a lot in the nominations announcement. What was perhaps unexpected was that she enters Sunday night as the most nominated artist on the night. And what remains to be seen is how many of those turn into actual wins, given the Grammys' reticence to award black women appropriately (see: her 0-for-5 outing at the 2018 Grammys). But god, a semi-surprising win here for SZA would be such a good call. SOS was absolutely worth the five-year wait between albums. It features the same heartbreaking lyrical vulnerability and delicious vocals that made us fall in love with Ctrl back in 2017, but with even more maturity and introspection in the former, and even more musical variety in the latter. There's little-to-no filler in this album, just an hour-plus of smooth listening.
the record - boygenius
Odds: 5-1
Peak Chart Position (Billboard): 4th
Metacritic rating: 90
Strongest Song: "Cool About It"
Weakest Song: "Revolution 0"
Daniel's Overall Rating: 8/10
boygenius, the supergroup of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus has had an enormous year, continuing the three individual artists' unlikely rise to the top of the alternative music game. Also nominees (and strong contenders) for Record of the Year, it's not too surprising that the record found its way into Grammy contention, even without much radio play, given how well it was received and the adoration indie music circles have for the three artists. The album has really grown on me after several listens; it's not without its deadweight, but boygenius' deadweight is better than most music from the last year, and it really highlights Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus's individual strengths, as well as their undeniable synergy and chemistry as a musical and lyrical unit. I think the combination of the buzzy year this group had, the universal adoration for this album, and the cross-generational appeal of their brand of indie rock makes them a very formidable nominee indeed...
Midnights -Taylor Swift
Odds: 5-1
Peak Chart Position (Billboard): 1st
Metacritic rating: 85
Strongest Song: "Mastermind"
Weakest Song: "Vigilante Shit"
Daniel's Overall Rating: 6.5/10
..but formidable enough to top Taylor Swift? That's the chief question here, not just for boygenius, but for anyone. If Taylor is in the mix for Grammys, she's usually a solid bet, and that holds especially true for this award, which just 3 years ago she won to become the first female solo artist to three-peat. Midnights was well-received by critics, and perhaps more importantly to the Academy, was absolutely massive, placing every single track on the Billboard charts and spawning a worldwide megastadium tour, which itself spawned a well-received concert film. Not that anyone asked me, and nor they should be, but I will confess this is the one potential winner that bum me out. Not only has she won this multiple times before, Midnights is just...fine. There's really only one, maybe two songs I dislike, but conversely, very few are genuinely memorable, and the album as a whole is hardly a real pivot, or gamechanger the way each of her previous winning albums were. But I understand that I (and anyone who feels the same way) would be well-served to go ahead and start mentally preparing for the high possibility.
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