The Music Man: For once, the Grammys got it mostly right
December 8, 2015
So, I may or may not have made a promise in a previous blog that I would review “A Head Full of Dreams,” Coldplay’s seventh and potentially last album, after it came out Friday, Dec. 4. However, to my dismay, the album won’t stream on free services like Spotify for a while. I prefer physical copies of albums over downloaded copies, and I won’t be able to buy “A Head Full of Dreams” for a bit, so you’ll have to wait for that review. But, I do have something else for you — my predictions for the 58th Grammy Awards.
A month or so ago, I predicted the nominations for the four general Grammys. Yesterday, the Recording Academy announced the actual nominees for all categories, and I experienced the emotional roller coaster I do every year when I see my favorites nominated, and my least favorites right next to them. (Or, worse, when my favorites aren’t nominated.) Enough talk, though — here’s what I think about the categories.
Album of the year
“1989,” Taylor Swift
“Beauty Behind The Madness,” The Weeknd
“Sound & Color,” Alabama Shakes
“To Pimp a Butterfly,” Kendrick Lamar
This is one of the best mixes of albums in recent years: There’s pop, R&B, rock, hip-hop and country. I’m pretty irked that D’Angelo and The Vanguard didn’t receive a nomination for “Black Messiah” — a record that was, technically speaking, 14 years in the making. Alabama Shakes seem to be turning into Grammy darlings with their nomination here, after being nominated for best new artist a few years ago, but they do deserve to make the list (at least more so than Mumford & Sons or Foo Fighters, two rock Grammy darlings coming off subpar releases). I am surprised by Chris Stapleton’s nomination for “Traveller,” but after listening to a bit of his music, I respect his inclusion, as he makes some darn good country music.
My winner: “To Pimp a Butterfly”
In the end, this race is between Kendrick Lamar — who leads the awards with an impressive 11 nominations — and Swift. On one hand is Lamar’s critically acclaimed, socially impactful, 80-minute genre-bending epic … and on the other is Taylor Swift, who’s basically guaranteed an album of the year nomination every time she releases something. While Swift’s shift from country to pop was smooth and successful, that doesn’t merit a win here. Lamar and everyone involved with “To Pimp a Butterfly” truly made a work of art and took risks, and if that doesn’t pay off, I might be madder than I was when Beyonce lost album of the year to Beck last year.
Record of the year
“Blank Space,” Taylor Swift
“Can’t Feel My Face,” The Weeknd
“Really Love,” D’Angelo and The Vanguard
“Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran
“Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
This was my best category for predictions, with four out of five proving correct. D’Angelo seemed to get his nomination here (but not for album of the year? Still salty) for “Really Love,” the beautiful first single off “Black Messiah.” Nothing else is really a shock.
My winner: “Uptown Funk”
Aside from D’Angelo, who seems to be pretty unknown to the general public, any of the nominees here could walk away with the award. My pick is for the Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars collaboration “Uptown Funk,” which has become pretty ubiquitous in the last year or so. (I even have a shirt with its lyrics on it from journalism state last year.) As a producer, Ronson is no stranger to this category, and he’d be the one to propel “Uptown Funk” to a win with its upbeat, throwback-style horns and extremely recognizable guitar riffs.
Song of the year
“Alright,” Kendrick Lamar
“Blank Space,” Taylor Swift
“See You Again,” Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
“Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran
This was my worst category for predictions, as I got a whopping two out of five nominations correct (though I did say I wanted Lamar to be nominated, but didn’t think he would be). I’m not super surprised by seeing “Girl Crush” on here, as it seems to be one of the bigger songs to have bled over from the country world to the pop world in the last year. I am surprised by two things, though: “Uptown Funk” isn’t on here, and “See You Again” is. As much as I enjoyed the production on “Uptown Funk,” the lyrics were what really made it shine, between catchy lines like “I’m too hot … make a dragon want to retire, man” and “smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy,” and that should’ve merited a nomination. On the flipside, seeing “See You Again” here makes me want to do something in between vomit and cry, as that song just straight-up isn’t good.
My winner: “Blank Space”
I feel indebted to give Swift some recognition, and here it is. “Blank Space” has some pretty awesome melodies and lyrics (not including references to Starbucks lovers). Like “Uptown Funk,” it’s been pretty essential to this past year in music, and Swift does deserve a win for something this year. While I’d love to say Lamar has a chance with “Alright,” I sadly think he’ll be overshadowed by all the pop music here — but I won’t complain if he wins, either.
Best new artist
This category, like album of the year, is pretty well rounded between pop, alternative, rock and country (except Fetty Wap isn’t here to represent hip-hop). It kind of pains me to see Meghan Trainor on the list, but after her record and song of the year nominations last year, it was virtually guaranteed to happen. I appreciate that James Bay was included, as one of the better representatives from all the alternative-acoustic singer-songwriters who have popped up in music this year. The most exciting nomination for me (of all 83 categories, actually) is Courtney Barnett, who released one of my favorite debut albums ever, “Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit,” this year.
My winner: Courtney Barnett
Here’s my outlandish pick for this year: I’m predicting Courtney Barnett will pull a Bon Iver and win best new artist despite a lack of name recognition. Critics fawned left and right over her debut full-length, and its lead single, “Pedestrian At Best,” has been pegged as one of the best songs of the year. Barnett may have been snubbed in all the rock and alternative categories, but if she wins this award, that should shut most alternative rock fans up for a year or two (including me).
As I read back over the nominees, this year doesn’t seem too bad as far as the Grammys go — it’s almost hopeful in a way. Not only are most of the general nominees worthy, or at least tolerable, but this year has also given recognition to long-awaited artists like Justin Bieber and newcomers like Wolf Alice. Needless to say, I can’t wait to watch all of the festivities at music’s biggest night this February — granted, of course, Kendrick Lamar wins something and “See You Again” doesn’t win anything.
