Yeah, I’m a little late but I’ve been rushing around so bear with me while we take a closer look at this years nominees. A mixed bag for sure, if by mixed bag you mean pop albums for all… I’ll leave comments till I lose interest. but it will be a biggie for bey. Fortunately she deserves it.
Album of the Year:
Beyonce Beyonce
Pharrell Girl
Ed Sheeran X
Beck Morning Phase
Sam Smith In the Lonely Hour
Should Win: Beyonce
Will Win: Beyonce
Missing: Leonard Cohen’s Popular Problems, a significant late period album.
Record of the Year:
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX, “Fancy”
Sia, “Chandelier”
Sam Smith, “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)”
Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off”
Meghan Trainor, “All About That Bass”
Should win: Taylor
Will Win: Taylor
Missing: Clean Bandit added strings to EDM and made a mint, a terrific recording on “Rather Be”
Song of the Year
Meghan Trainor – “All About That Bass”
Sia – “Chandelier”
Taylor Swift – “Shake It Off”
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)”
Hozier – “Take Me to Church”
Should Win: Taylor
Will Win: Hozier (they need to shake it up not off)
Missing: Perfume genius’s “Queen” was a major statement, the Tomas Doncker Band’s “The New Day” was the most important song of the year.
Best New Artist
Bastille
Iggy Azalea
Brandy Clark
HAIM
Sam Smith
Will Win: Sam Smith
Should Win: Sam Smith
Missing: FKA Twigs, who is, indeed, the best new artist of the year.
Best Pop Vocal Album
Coldplay, Ghost Stories
Miley Cyrus, Bangerz
Ariana Grande, My Everything
Katy Perry, Prism
Ed Sheeran, x
Sam Smith, In the Lonely Hour
Should win: Sam Smith
Will Win: Sam Smith -I just can’t see anybody beating him.
Missing: Mariah carey’s vocal tour de force uniformly ignored
Best Pop Solo Performance
John Legend, “All of Me (Live Version)”
Sia, “Chandelier”
Sam Smith, “Stay With Me”
Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off”
Pharrell Williams, “Happy”
Will Win: Happy
Should Win: Taylor
Missing: SZA’s “Child Play” and anything by the other Azelea
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Iggy Azalea feat. Charli XCX, “Fancy”
Coldplay, “A Sky Full of Stars”
A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera, “Say Something”
Jessie J, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj, “Bang Bang”
Katy Perry feat. Juicy J, “Dark Horse”
Will Win: “Say Something” -they are gonna have to prove their seriousness
Should Win: “Fancy”
Missing: Calvin Harris and Ellie? OK, maybe Zed and Hayley
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Cheek to Cheek
Annie Lennox, Nostalgia
Barry Manilow, Night Songs
Johnny Mathis, Sending You a Little Christmas
Barbra Streisand, Partners
Will Win: Bennett
Should Win: Annie
Best Country Album:
Dierks Bentley, Riser
Eric Church, The Outsiders
Lee Ann Womack, The Way I’m Living
Brandy Clark, 12 Stories
Miranda Lambert, Platinum
Will Win: A tough call, some great albums here. Miranda…?
Should win: Lee Ann Womack
Missing; Old 97’smasterpiece.
Best Country Solo Performance
Eric Church, “Give Me Back My Hometown”
Hunter Hayes, “Invisible”
Miranda Lambert, “Automatic”
Carrie Underwood, “Something in the Water”
Keith Urban, “Cop Car”
Will Win: Hunter Hayes -i know but they need ringers here and there.
Should Win: What a shitty list but Miranda
Missing – Lydia Loveless’s “Head”
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
The Band Perry, “Gentle On My Mind”
Miranda Lambert with Carrie Underwood, “Somethin’ Bad”
Little Big Town, “Day Drinking”
Tim McGraw feat. Faith Hill, “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s”
Keith Urban feat. Eric Church, “Raise ‘Em Up”
Will Win: Tim and Faith? Absolutely
Should win: Little Big Town
Missing: “Longer Than You’ve Been Alive”
Best Country Song
Kenny Chesney, “American Kids”
Miranda Lambert, “Automatic”
Eric Church, “Give Me Back My Hometown”
Glen Campbell, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You”
Tim McGraw feat. Faith Hill, “Meanwhile Back at Mama’s”
Will Win: Tim? Maybe Glen
Should Win: Glen -no doubt
Missing: Moneyball – Jennifer Nettles
Best Urban Contemporary Album:
Jhene Aiko, Sail Out
Beyonce, Beyonce
Chris Brown, X
Mali Music, Mail Is
Pharrell Williams, G I R L
Will Win: Beyonce
Should win: Beyonce
Missing: Faith Evans deserves a nod (though she may have missed the cutoff)
Best R&B Album
Bernhoft, Islander
Aloe Blacc, Lift Your Spirit
Toni Braxton & Babyface, Love, Marriage & Divorce
Robert Glasper Experiment, Black Radio 2
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Give The People What They Want
Should Win: Robert Glasper
Will Win: Braxton? Aloe Blacc?
Missing: Tricky
Best R&B Performance
Beyonce feat. JAY Z, “Drunk in Love”
Chris Brown feat. Usher & Rick Ross, “New Flame”
Jennifer Hudson feat. R. Kelly, “It’s Your World”
Ledisi, “Like This”
Usher, “Good Kisser”
Best Traditional R&B Peformance
Marsha Ambrosius & Anthony Hamilton, “As”
Angie Fisher, “I.R.S.”
Robert Glasper Experiment Featuring Lalah Hathaway & Malcolm Jamal Warner, “Jesus Children”
Kem, “Nobody”
Antonique Smith, “Hold Up Wait A Minute (Woo Woo)”
Best R&B Song
Beyonce feat. JAY Z, “Drunk in Love”
Usher, “Good Kisser”
Chris Brown feat. Usher & Rick Ross, “New Flame”
Luke James, “Options”
Jhene Aiko, “The Worst”
Best Rock Album
Ryan Adams, Ryan Adam
Beck, Morning Phase
The Black Keys, Turn Blue
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Hypnotic Eye
U2, Songs of Innocence
Comment: Man, that really sucks doesn’t it?
Best Rock Performance
Ryan Adams, “Gimme Something Good”
Arctic Monkeys, “Do I Wanna Know?”
Beck, “Blue Moon”
The Black Keys, “Fever”
Jack White, “Lazaretto”
Best Metal Performance
Anthrax, “Neon Knights”
Mastodon, “High Road”
Motorhead, “Heartbreaker”
Slipknot, “The Negative One”
Tenacious D, “The Last in Line”
Best Rock Song
Paramore, “Ain’t It Fun”
Beck, “Blue Moon”
The Black Keys, “Fever”
Ryan Adams, “Gimme Something Good”
Jack White, “Lazaretto”
Best Rap Album
Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP 2
Childish Gambino, Because the Internet
Iggy Azalea, The New Classic
Common, Nobody’s Smiling
Schoolboy Q, Oxymoron
Wiz Khalifa, Black Hollywood
Best Rap Solo Performance
Childish Gambino – “3005″
Drake – “0 to 100/The Catch Up”
Eminem – “Rap God”
Kendrick Lamar “i”
Lecrae – “All I Need Is You”
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Common Featuring Jhené Aiko, “Blak Majik”
Eminem feat. Rihanna, “The Monster
I Love Makonnen feat. Drake, “Tuesday”
Schoolboy Q feat. BJ The Chicago Kid, “Studio”
Kanye West & Charlie Wilson, “Bound 2″
Best Rap Song
Nicki Minaj, “Anaconda”
Kanye West & Charlie Wilson, “Bound 2″
Kendrick Lamar, “I”
Wiz Khalifa, “We Dem Boyz”
Drake – “0 to 100/The Catch Up”
Best Dance/Electronic Album
Aphex Twin, Syro
Deadmaus, While (1<2)
Little Dragon, Nabuma Rubberband
Röyksopp & Robyn, Do It Again
Mat Zo, Damage Control
Best Dance Recording
Basement Jaxx, “Never Say Never”
Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne, “Rather Be”
Disclosure feat. Mary J. Blige, “F for You”
Duke Dumont feat. Jax Jones, “I Got You”
Zhu, “Faded”
Best Reggae Album
Ziggy Marley, Fly Rasta
Lee ‘Scratch Perry, Back on the Controls
Sean Paul, Full Frequency
Shaggy, Out of Many, One Music
Sly & Robbie & Spicy Chocolate, The Reggae Power
Soja, Amid the Noise and the Haste
Best Alternative Music Album
alt-J, This Is All Yours
Arcade Fire, Reflektor
Cage the Elephant, Melophobia
St. Vincent, St. Vincent
Jack White, Lazaretto
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
American Hustle
Frozen
Get On Up
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
Frozen
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Gravity
Saving Mr. Banks
Best Song Written For Visual Media
The Lego Movie, “Everything Is Awesome!!!” (Tegan and Sara ft. The Lonely Island)
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, “I See Fire” (Ed Sheeran)
Glen Campbell, I’ll Be Me, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” (Glen Campbell)
Frozen, “Let It Go” (Idina Menzel)
Her, “The Moon Song” (Scarlett Johansson & Joaquin Phoenix)
Best Spoken Word Album
James Franco, Actors Anonymous
Jimmy Carter, A Call to Action
John Waters, Carsick: John Waters Hitchhikes Across America
Elizabeth Warren, A Fighting Chance
Joan Rivers, Diary of a Mad Diva
Gloria Gaynor, We Will Survive: True Stories of Encouragement, Inspiration and the Power of Song
Best Comedy Album
“Weird Al” Yankovic, Mandatory Fun
Jim Gaffigan, Obsessed
Louis CK, Oh My God
Patton Oswalt, Tragedy Plus Comedy Equals Time
Sarah Silverman, We Are Miracles
Best Musical Theater Album
Aladdin
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
A Gentleman’s Guide To Love & Murder
Hedwig and The Angry Inch
West Side Story
Best Americana Album
Roseanne Cash, The River & The Thread
John Hiatt, Terms of My Surrender
Keb’ Mo’, Bluesamerica
Nickel Creek, A Dotted Line
Sturgill Simpson, Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
Best Music Video
Pharrell Williams, “Happy”
Arcade Fire, “We Exist”
DJ Snake and Lil Jon, “Turn Down for What
Sia, “Chandelier”
Woodkid feat. Max Richter, “The Golden Age”
Best Music Film
Beyonce & Jay Z, Beyonce & Jay Z: On The Run Tour
Coldplay, Ghost Stories
Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill, 20 Feet from Stardom
Metallica, Metallica Through The Never
Pink, The Truth About Love Tour: Live From Melbourne
