Decker

Record of the Year: "Lonely Boy," The Black Keys; "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," Kelly Clarkson; "We Are Young," fun. featuring Janelle Monae; "Somebody That I Used To Know," Gotye featuring Kimbra; "Thinkin Bout You," Frank Ocean; "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," Taylor Swift.



Album of the Year: "El Camino," The Black Keys; "Some Nights," fun.; "Babel," Mumford & Sons; "Channel Orange," Frank Ocean; "Blunderbuss," Jack White.

Song of the Year: "The A Team," Ed Sheeran, songwriter (performed by Ed Sheeran); "Adorn," Miguel Pimentel, songwriter (Miguel); "Call Me Maybe" Tavish Crowe, Carly Rae Jepsen & Josh Ramsay, songwriters (Carly Rae Jepsen); "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)," Jorgen Elofsson, David Gamson, Greg Kurstin & Ali Tamposi, songwriters (Kelly Clarkson); "We Are Young," Jack Antonoff, Jeff Bhasker, Andrew Dost & Nate Ruess, songwriters (fun. featuring Janelle Monae).

New Artist: Alabama Shakes, fun., Hunter Hayes, The Lumineers, Frank Ocean.

Pop Vocal Album: "Stronger," Kelly Clarkson; "Ceremonials," Florence & The Machine; "Some Nights," fun.; "Overexposed," Maroon 5; "The Truth About Love," Pink.

Rock Album: "El Camino," The Black Keys; "Mylo Xyloto," Coldplay; "The 2nd Law," Muse; "Wrecking Ball," Bruce Springsteen; "Blunderbuss," Jack White.

R&B Album: "Black Radio," Robert Glasper Experiment; "Back To Love," Anthony Hamilton; "Write Me Back," R. Kelly; "Beautiful Surprise," Tamia; "Open Invitation," Tyrese.

Rap Album: "Take Care," Drake; "Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album, Pt. 1," Lupe Fiasco; "Life Is Good," Nas; "Undun," The Roots; "God Forgives, I Don't," Rick Ross; "Based on a T.R.U. Story," Chainz.

Country Album: "Uncaged," Zac Brown Band; "Hunter Hayes," Hunter Hayes; "Living For A Song: A Tribute To Hank Cochran," Jamey Johnson; "Four The Record," Miranda Lambert; "The Time Jumpers," The Time Jumpers.

Latin Pop, Rock or Urban Album: "Campo," Campo; "Dejenme Llorar," Carla Morrison; "Imaginaries," Quetzal; "Electro-Jarocho," Sistema Bomb; "La Bala," Ana Tijoux.

Jazz Vocal Album: "Soul Shadows," Denise Donatelli; "1619 Broadway: The Brill Building Project," Kurt Elling; "Live," Al Jarreau (And The Metropole Orkest); "The Book Of Chet," Luciana Souza; "Radio Music Society," Esperanza Spalding.

Full list of nominees can be found here

Decker

No huge surprises here, except that I was expecting Taylor Swift to be competing in the Record of the Year category for "Safe and Sound" (w/ Civil Wars) rather than for "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" which thought was a far inferior song. Also they really seem to love Frank Ocean -- he did better than I would have expected.

Tough year to predict (unlike Adele's sweep last year).

Mike86

Cool to see Jack White get a few nominations as I thought Blunderbuss was a great album. Although I get the feeling that they're more just giving him a nod of recognition but I'll be surprised if he actually wins anything.

DaveyJoe

WTF, how did I completely miss a new album by the Roots? I have never heard of Undun, I thought How I Got Over was their latest.

bunkaroo

Not a major category but Steven Wilson is nominated again for best surround album for the Storm Corrosion collaboration with Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth. I thought he had won in the category before but he hasn't. Fourth nomination in five years though.

cungar

Shit
shit
shit
shit
more shit

...

Hokeyboy

^aaaaaand here come the middle-aged white guys!

Decker

Um, thanks for your insight.


I saw that "I Will Wait" by Mumford was nominated for Best Rock Song. I really like that song, but never considered it a Rock song by any stretch. Hope Springsteen wins that category since I think "We Take Care Of Our Own" is a really strong anthem (used well by the Obama team, I might add).

nothingfails

Shocked at all the negativity. This has to be the best year since probably the early 90s if before that where I actually enjoy all five albums up for Album Of The Year. They usually nominate way too many artists like Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Rihanna, Gaga, Backstreet Boys, etc... as more of a token to prove they know what's popular as opposed to going for what critics and "real music fans" really are listening to.

bunkaroo

The Muse song picked isn't really a rock song either. But this is from the same organization that gave Jethro Tull a heavy metal grammy, so there's that.

Bob_Bobbson

The rock category looks solid.

I can't wait for Jamey Johnson to lose again in the Country Category.

Giles

Decker

Technically it was Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal. They split the categories the next year. For an award where the top prize (Album of the Year) was awarded to Can't Slow Down over Purple Rain and Born In The USA and to Falling Into You over Odelay and Mellon Collie & the Infinite Sadness, it seems like a minor blunder -- more than made up by the fact that Metallica has won like every Heavy Metal Grammy since (while Prince, Bruce Springsteen, Beck and Smashing Pumpkins have never won the top prize). Still that's what everyone seems to want to harp on, so whatever.

nothingfails

I don't get the hate for "Madness" either. I've heard a lot of people say the song sounds like what Queen would probably be making if Freddie was still alive and they were still making music. The guitar/synth solo is VERY Brian May.

nothingfails

+1

The sad thing is that the Grammy blunder destroyed Jethro Tull's career as a result as well. They had been making a bit of a comeback in the mid-late 80s and then they won the Grammy and they haven't had a top 40 or gold album since. I doubt anyone regrets the 1988 metal Grammy more than Jethro Tull themselves considering how everyone turned on them for winning over their metal golden boys.

And I agree, Lionel winning in 1984 when Bruce/Prince both would've been worthy winners is the all time worst. Celine was bad too, but by 1996 they already seemed to care more about awarding the biggest hit (like when Bodyguard won over REM) than the best album. But even in commercial standings, Born In The USA and Purple Rain were bigger sellers than Can't Slow Down.

bunkaroo

I would argue Jethro Tull isn't even hard rock. They were like classic rock or prog rock at that point.

I think it just stings a little because that was the best song they were ever nominated for. Whatever they won for after, well, grammy has a history of rewarding crap.

bunkaroo

Maybe my comment came off the wrong way, but I like "Madness" quite a bit. I like that Muse is being perceived as an heir to Queen. Muse is one of my top 10 favorite bands right now. I just wouldn't call "Madness" a rock song. It's like a synth pop song from a rock band.

Jason

I don't really see how Alabama Shakes qualifies as rock either.

Decker

I assume you're referring to Metallica getting nominated for the album ...And Justice For All? At least they won for Metallica, which was clearly the right winner..
I think they won for their instantly forgettable cover of Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy" the next year. All Metallica whining should have ceased forever right then.

bunkaroo

I don't know if the nomination was for the whole album or for "One", but yeah, that was the last great record they did IMO.

Looking at Wikipedia, it seems the grammy for best Metal performance can go for an album or a song. I see Megadeth "Hangar 18" was nominated the same year as the black album. I take that Megadeth record all day long against the black album.

I didn't know they won for that Queen cover. I guess I stopped keeping track of the awards back then. My band actually covered Metallica's cover of that at the time. Not that I liked it, but it was an easy tune to add to the set.

PopcornTreeCt

I actively listen to all the nominated best albums. Apparently, my tastes are too mainstream.

Decker

Well, before we go too far overboard with our praise, let's remember that there was no Lady Gaga, Rhianna, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift or Foo Fighters album released during the eligibility period this year. That might partially explain all the new blood in the Album category.

Decker

Bringing this back with the Awards coming up this weekend. Still have no idea who will win Best Album, though fun feels like a lock in the Record of the Year category for "We Are Young". Best New Artist feels like a coin flip between fun and Frank Ocean. But I've got no feeling at all about the big Album category, partially because none of those albums have been big hits or spawned many singles. I feel that Bruce Springsteen is a little like Ben Affleck at the Ocsars : Had Wrecking Ball been nominated for Album of the Year, it would be the clear favorite to win.

Barth

Honestly, when Jethro Tull won for best metal act I gave up on the grammys. It might have ruined their "career" but they got a lot of press out of it. I, like a lot of others didn't even know a song they made. Hard rock/metal seems like it's never going to be respected even though it made millions for the suits in the music industry.

nothingfails

But it was all negative press and they never commercially recovered... which is pretty bad since a lot of their contemporaries still sell out arenas. So technically they were destroyed because some Grammy suits thought they were better than Metallica despite JT themselves agreed it was preposterous to be in a metal catagory.

And you've never heard a song of theirs? I am sure you have heard Aqualung, its a classic rock staple.