Some thoughts on the Grammy 2014 nominations....(part one)

And here we are again at the end of year, when the nominations for the Grammy awards come in to try to kick-start the last quarter's earnings through holiday sales. And this year, while it doesn't have much that's truly embarassing, is rather safe and, well, meh.

Album Of The Year

Sara Bareilles - The Blessed Unrest
Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Heist
Taylor Swift - Red

Well, there was a bit of a shock in the biggest category of them all, as not only were predicted works by Justin Timberlake and Kanye West "snubbed" (if you can call it that), but the inclusion of Sara Bareilles (to my glee) and two rap albums certainly make this an unexpected slate. Also, no "legacy" or veteran acts are here (David Bowie's would not count IMHO, but Neil Young's would), nor the multi-artist vote-cows that have been showing up a lot.  Swift's album has the broadest appeal audience-wise, but in terms of actual musical chops it's definitely more a product than an art. Sara Bareilles, the most "pop" of the five, is amazing artistically but I'm not sure how many total people have given it a listen. Perhaps this will spark it. Daft Punk's breakthrough to the mainstream was all about "Get Lucky", and while the album is entertaining, I don't believe it's consistently strong enough to give the AOTY label to. That leaves the two hip-hop nominees from opposite ends of the spectrum. While Lamar's set is set in the dark underbelly of the urban experience, Macklemore's frat-boy-ish witty yet insightful lyrics come from a more suburban-style reverence to the old-school version of hip-hop. Although he placed three songs from the set on the top-40 of the Hot 100, with titles like "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", Lamar could be prone to alienate a big chunk of voters, both female and older. Macklemore and Lewis' work is a lot more complex than media lets on ("Thrift Shop" is an awesome takedown of the rampant materialism in the genre without actually calling anybody out on it), but overcoming the "novelty" aspect of their first big hit is a big hurdle (though the push behind the marriage-equality hit "Same Love" did help with that). In the end, given these choices, as much as I would love Sara to win this, I think Red will end up the Can't Slow Down of winners - safe, and popular.

Who should win: The Blessed Unrest
Who will win: Red

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Record Of The Year

Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams - "Get Lucky"
Imagine Dragons - "Radioactive"
Lorde - "Royals"
Bruno Mars - "Locked Out Of Heaven"
Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams - "Blurred Lines"

The difference between Record and Song of the Year always ends up confusing a ton of people, but to make it easy the "record" nom is more about the production and musical performance of the record, as opposed to the "Song" nom which is geared towards the composition itself. And with the ROTY nods are the safest of the safe, with five of the most played-out pop songs of the year that no one who went outside their house could even avoid blaring from some speaker somewhere. In fact, Bruno's seems the most left-field simply because it's the oldest. But even though Sting may approve your crib of his work, that doesn't mean the voting bloc will go there as well. Robin Thicke's is probably the biggest of these five, and the winner over Daft Punk for "song of the summer" by commanding the #1 spot throughout the season, but the now-growing campaign to trash the song for its presumed misogyny and alleged rape overtones along with the family of Marvin Gaye and Thicke suing each other over accusations of plagiarism, and it may be just the reason for a voter to sway away. Imagine Dragons have proved themselves to be the Matchbox 20/Maroon 5/Train "safe rock band" of the year, and "Radioactive" crossed over everywhere but country, but it might be a bit non-anthemic for ROTY. Lorde's "Royals" was a surprise choice, given the "newness" of the song, and its 17-year-old singer/songwriter, and maybe the nomination is meant to be an "attagirl" to give an OK for the future. Which brings me to "Get Lucky", which originally looked to be the "song of the summer", only to stall under "Blurred Lines" at #2. Not that sales are anything, but before BL caught on everyone was aware of the return of the classic Chic guitar of Nile Rodgers on this fun trip back to guilt-free disco.  And as a production that was flawlessly executed, I feel this will be the duo's moment.

Who Should Win: "Get Lucky"
Who Will Win: "Get Lucky"

Song Of The Year

Lorde - "Royals"
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - "Same Love"
Bruno Mars - "Locked Out Of Heaven"
Katy Perry - "Roar"
Pink featuring Nate Ruess - "Just Give Me A Reason"

Two of the nominees for ROTY show up here, with Bruno's "Locked Out Of Heaven" as a composition more of a throwback to Motown than the Police, while Lorde's "Royals" with it's youthful denunciation of "bling" culture a refreshing counter to the flash and pomp of pop music's excess this year. Pink and Nate's "Just Give Me A Reason" is an appropriately "serious" relationship song, but while it was big, and realistically true, it was a bit "safe" as a song. "Roar" is simply a product of the Swedish Neo-Brill Building, and the most blatantly offbase of the five. Macklemore and Lewis' bravery to not just take on a subject that is mostly ignored at best if not downright ignorant in the genre but promoting it as the third single was a big step to reconciling the GLBT community with the hiphop community. Yes, maybe it took a couple of white guys with a novelty hit to kick it off to make it "palatable" to the masses, but sometimes our allies can truly open some doors. But in the end I think while "Royals" is the "it" record of the moment, the support behind both proven performer Pink with Nate Ruess from fun, who have been making themselves available everywhere co-writing and cameoing, will carry the day.

Who Should Win: "Same Love"
Who Will Win: "Just Give Me A Reason"

Best New Artist

James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Ed Sheeran

It is a shock that Lorde got both Record and Song nods without the New Artist, but she may have came too late at the time to not be pegged a one-hit-wonder ("Team" is too new.) James Blake fills her spot, which will serve him well in the "who the hell is James Blake" department. Kacey Musgraves is country music's best new hope from bromantic drivel, and may draw enough of the vote to carry this. Ed Sheeran is an odd choice, since he was nominated last year for Song of the Year, but he may have gotten the push from the record companies (there's a big Swift/Sheeran fan alliance in play). And again, there are two rap artists in the category, and while Lamar is by far the fave of the hip-hop community majority, I think this will be the award Macklemore and Lewis will grab as consolation for the AOTY and SOTY losses they will probably endure.

Who should win: Kacey Musgraves
Who will win: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Pop Solo Performance

Sara Bareilles - "Brave"
Lorde - "Royals"
Bruno Mars - "When I Was Your Man"
Katy Perry - "Roar"
Justin Timberlake - "Mirrors"


A lot of fun on the Twitter was made with the nomination of both "Brave" and "Roar" here, but the sincere amity between Sara and Katy seemed to deflect the initial groundswell on how the two records sounded so much alike. However, for the same reason, the two will probably split their voting bloc. "When I Was Your Man" was a great performance from Bruno, but the nagging hint that it may be just a rewrite of Adele's "Someone Like You"'s gameplan (see also, Rihanna's "Stay") that the piano-only record may get lost in the shuffle. "Royals" is the big record on pop radio now, but like last year's "Someone That I Used To Know" it's a little more alternative than "pop". Which leaves the first appearance from Justin Timberlake, who released two albums that probably should have been one in the beginning, and the only real classic track from either of them. "Mirrors" is the justification for Justin's "comeback", and I think this will take the award. Timberlake is well-liked in the industry, and this will be his nod.

Who Should Win: "Brave"
Who Will Win: "Mirrors"

Pop Duo/Group Performance

Daft Punk with Pharrell Williams - "Get Lucky"
Pink with Nate Ruess - "Just Give Me A Reason"
Rihanna with Mikky Ekko - "Stay"
Robin Thicke with T.I. & Pharrell Williams - "Blurred Lines"
Justin Timberlake with Jay-Z - "Suit & Tie"

The second year in a row that proves that groups have a hard time in today's pop music world, which only one non-solo act in the five noms that's just a duo at heart. "Just Give Me A Reason" and "Stay" will split the vote of those geared to serious love songs, while "Get Lucky" is more of a dance track than a pop song. "Suit & Tie" did well to re-introduce Timberlake, but the song was a disjointed mess with a juicy hook hidden within. And like the summer, this one will most likely be a fight between the French neo-disco duo and the blue-eyed soul of Thicke, both appropriating the R&B genre for the flyover states, and just under the radar of ROTY, this is Robin's best bet.

Who Should Win: "Blurred Lines"
Who Will Win: "Blurred Lines"

Pop Vocal Album

Lana Del Rey - Paradise
Lorde - Pure Heroine
Bruno Mars - Unorthodox Jukebox
Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines
Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience - The Complete Experience

Again, Lorde nominated for this but not New Artist? Wow. A few years ago hers and Del Rey's would have been placed in the "alternative" album spot, but here they are, along with white-boy soul from Justin Timberlake and Robin Thicke. All of those but Timberlake's have not proven to have legs beyond a big hit song, so it's a race between Timberlake's sprawling double release combined here as one, and Bruno's extra-tight but extremely versatile hand of A-list songs. Bruno worked hard to make an album that matched his debut, and it should be rewarded.

Who Should Win: Unorthodox Jukebox
Who Will Win: Unorthodox Jukebox

Best Dance Recording

Duke Dumont - "Need U (100%)"
Calvin Harris featuring Florence Welch - "Sweet Nothing"
Kaskade - "Atmosphere"
Armin Van Buuren featuring Trevor Guthrie - "This Is What It Feels Like"
Zedd featuring Foxes - "Clarity"

 Personally, I was psyched to read the inclusion of Duke Dumont's single, which is a great song to dance/drive to, though the lyrical sparseness would keep this for being "the best" of the bunch. Veteran EDM producers Kaskade and Armin Van Buuren are shown love here, but I think this will be between Scottish hitmaker Harris, whose 18 Months album has spun off eight singles, and Russo-German newcomer Zedd, who has had a hand in some major pop projects for Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj. Artistically, Florence just brings her A-game to her record, though I think the momentum will be behind the more exposed "Clarity", which won pop radio and even got a high-profile cover on The Voice. Well, at least there's no Al Walser this time out.

Who Should Win: "Sweet Nothing"
Who Will Win: "Clarity"

Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical

Delerium featuring Michael Logen - "Days Turn Into Nights" (Andy Caldwell Mix)
OneRepublic - "If I Lose Myself" (Alesso vs. OneRepublic)
Bruno Mars - "Locked Out Of Heaven" (Sultan & Ned Shepard Remix)
Bob Marley & The Wailers - "One Love/People Get Ready" (Photek Remix)
Lana Del Rey - "Summertime Sadness" (Cedric Gervais Remix)

What a turnaround from the previous category. These choices are pretty scattershot, with none of the five nominees making the top ten of the club play chart in Billboard. Not that that should be a requirement, but it looks more to be a reflection of name recognition of the original artist than the recording itself (especially with Bob Marley). While "Locked Out Of Heaven" is the most known of the songs here (in its original form), it's Gervais' transformation of Del Rey's dirgeful "Sadness" that not only improved and enhanced the original, but also kick-started Lana's own career to an A-lister with a bonafide hit behind the hype.

Who Should Win: "Summertime Sadness"
Who Will Win: "Summertime Sadness"

Best Dance/Electronica Album

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories
Disclosure - Settle
Calvin Harris - 18 Months
Kaskade - Atmosphere
Pretty Lights - A Color Map Of The Sun

So Daft Punk got a dance album nod but not a dance performance? Hmm. Well, the Grammy voters as a whole will be likely to give this one to the duo, the other nominees in this category are strong, especially the darker neo-house of the Disclosure record and the pop/dance triumph of 18 Months.

Who Should Win: Settle
Who Will Win: Random Access Memories

Best Rock Performance

Alabama Shakes - "Always Alright"
David Bowie - "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)"
Imagine Dragons - "Radioactive"
Led Zeppelin - "Kashmir" (from Celebration Day)
Queens Of The Stone Age - "My God Is The Sun"
Jack White - "I'm Shakin'"

If there's one thing that grinds my gears about the Grammys, its when they nominate an older song in a "live" recording. And with a year that rock music had the most qualitatively strong material to choose from, it's more of a travesty to fill a slot with a rehash of a Led Zep tune. "Radioactive" would be the safe choice, though it should be Bowie's welcome return that grabs the trophy.  The other nominees are kind of headscratchers for me, not bad per se but not outstanding in this year's field...(and while we're at it, why lump all the rock field to this when there's too much fat in the folk and world music field?)

Who Should Win: "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)"
Who Will Win: "Radioactive"

Best Rock Song

Guy Clark Jr. - "Ain't Messin' Around"
Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear - "Cut Me Some Slack"
The Rolling Stones - "Doom And Gloom"
Black Sabbath - "God Is Dead?"
Muse - "Panic Station"

This is definitely the AARP section of the award, with both McCartney and the Stones along with Black Sabbath earning nods. Clark represents the Triple-A (hipster rock) crowd, while Muse is the sole modern rock entry here. But nostalgic voters will gravitate to the McCartney/Grohl collab, which tips its hat both to the artist as well as the Sound City studio the song's documentary came from. But the Stones truly had the best song they've released in years, which was criminally overlooked.

Who Should Win: "Doom And Gloom"
Who Will Win: "Cut Me Some Slack"

Best Rock Album

Black Sabbath - 13
David Bowie - The Next Day
Kings Of Leon - Mechanical Bull
Led Zeppelin - Celebration Day
Queens Of The Stone Age - ...Like Clockwork
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Psychedelic Pill

Kings Of Leon seem like babies in this field of six, and again Led Zeppelin are given a nod like there wasn't any worthy albums of newer caliber. At least Black Sabbath's comeback was true, with a #1 album and hit single to their credit. The Queens also went to #1, but the return wasn't as heralded, and Neil Young, well, I don't know what this is doing here. David Bowie's relevant return to the rock world should definitely be rewarded here.

Who Should Win: The Next Day
Who Will Win: The Next Day

Best Alternative Album

Neko Case - The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight...
The National - Trouble Will Find Me
Nine Inch Nails - Hesitation Marks
Tame Impala - Lonerism
Vampire Weekend - Modern Vampires Of The Weekend

 
Another odd set of random nominees from a genre with a lot of more worthy efforts, perhaps fragmented too much to reach a consensus. There was a lot of great new music coming from Australia and New Zealand, with acts like Lorde and Atlas Genius, and Tame Impala's retro spin on alt-rock made it a fresher album as a whole, though momentum and making up for past snubs may hand this to Reznor's Nails.

Who Should Win: Lonerism
Who Will Win: Hesitation Marks

I'll continue later with the finalists in the country, soul, and rap categories...