Reaction to 2020 Grammy Awards Nominees

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With the 2020 Grammy Award nominees announced, it’s time to react to the expected, surprises, snubs, and make some predictions.

Ah, it’s that time of year.  The time of year when the Grammy nominees are announced and music bloggers, enthusiasts, and journalists about lose their ever-loving mind.  I’ve personally always likened the Grammy Awards to a musician’s version of the Super Bowl because their ‘kind of a big deal.’ No, winning a Grammy or NOT winning a Grammy doesn’t define you, but is anyone going to say that earning that golden statuette isn’t a dream come true? Enough blabbering.  Let’s get into these nominations, shall we?

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Record of the Year

Predictable:  Many of the songs that appeared in the Record of the Year category were not the least be shocking.  Locks in this category arrived courtesy of Ariana Grande (“7 Rings”), Billie Eilish (“Bad Guy”), Lil Nas X (“Old Town Road”), and Lizzo (“Truth Hurts”).  While Khalid (“Talk”) and Post Malone/Swae Lee (“Sunflower”) weren’t quite locks, I wasn’t surprised to see them earn nominations.

Surprises:  I certainly didn’t expect to see a Bon Iver record in the ROTY field by any means.  That said, “Hey Ma” represents one of the best moments from the band’s 2019 album, I,I.   I was also quite surprised to see H.E.R. nominated in this category for “Hard Place,” the 17^th track from her 2019 LP, I Used to Know Her.  Regardless of the surprise factor, like “Hey Ma,” “Hard Place” is lovely, soundly performed and soundly written record.

Snubs: Given its success, one might argue Jonas Brothers might’ve mustered up a nomination for “Sucker”, but its omission isn’t a travesty by any means.

Initial Prediction: This is a highly competitive category.  We’ve seen many of the year’s most successful records fall short in this category.  That said, “Old Town Road” was so ubiquitous it may be hard not to award it.  Still, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, and Lizzo all seem like they have a legit shot beyond Lil Nas X.

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Album of the Year

Predictable: Many artists who I expected to be nominated for Album of the Year were indeed nominated. Ariana Grande (Thank U, Next) has been long overdue, while Billie Eilish (WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?) and Lizzo (Cuz I Love You) were locks.  Shocking to some perhaps are nominations for Lana Del Rey (Norman Fucking Rockwell!) and Vampire Weekend (Father of the Bride), but I consider those two of the very best albums of 2019 that deserve Grammy love.

Surprises: The biggest surprise from the AOTY category comes courtesy of Bon Iver. While Justin Vernon and company have been victorious at past Grammys, I didn’t expect the rather low-key I,I to have a shot at any Grammys, let alone AOTY.  It’s even more bewildering to me when you consider how awesome their 2016 album, 22, A Million was, and didn’t receive such recognition.  The surprises don’t stop there. H.E.R. is nominated in consecutive years for AOTY for I Used to Know Her.  Lil Nas X earns a nomination for his EP, 7, which is totally unexpected.

 

Snubs: Some common names people were sold on in this category were Maren Morris (GIRL) and Taylor Swift (Lover).  I thought the Maren Morris buzz was overblown, with no disrespect intended – she’s a fantastic artist.  Taylor Swift had a chance in my eyes, and Lover was a solid album, but Swift has previously won for her breakthrough country album (Fearless, 2008) and breakthrough pop album (1989, 2014).  I’m a bit surprised A Star is Born didn’t earn a nod here, while you could also argue albums by Bruce Springsteen (Western Stars) and Tyler, the Creator (IGOR) were worth consideration.

Initial Prediction: Damn, this is tough.  Hard to imagine this award not going to Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, or Lizzo. I don’t see Lil Nas X standing a chance, even with hits “Old Town Road” and “Panini.” H.E.R., Lana Del Rey, and Vampire Weekend are quite intriguing possibilities, while the Bon Iver nomination still baffles me… just saying.

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Song of the Year

Predictable: In the Song of the Year category, there is more variance than usual compared to Record of the Year.  That said, “Bad Guy” (Billie Eilish) and “Truth Hurts” (Lizzo) seemed like surefire locks.  Also, “Someone You Loved” by newcomer Lewis Capaldi has been picking up steam for a while.

Surprises: There are plenty of surprises in the SOTY category.  Tanya Tucker is chief amongst them getting love for “Bring My Flowers Now.” That said, it’s a gorgeous song, notably co-written by Brandi Carlile.  Lady Gaga earns a nod for “Always Remember Us This Way” from A Star is Born. Once more, H.E.R. is honored for “Hard Place,” giving the R&B singer/songwriter entries in three of the big four categories.  While we rarely call a Taylor Swift nomination a surprise, the inclusion of “Lover”, arguably the best song from Lover is unexpected but deserved.  It’s also nice to see Lana Del Rey pick up her second major category nod with “Norman Fucking Rockwell.”

Snubs: Honestly, no truly notable snubs come to mind in this category.

Initial Prediction: Billie Eilish, Lewis Capaldi or Lizzo seem to be in the driver’s seat.  That said, recognizing Tanya Tucker would be nice as well.

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Best New Artist

Predictable: Did anyone have a Best New Artist ballot without Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, or Lizzo? I’d hope not! I’m also not surprised to see Maggie Rogers and Rosalía earn nods in this category.

Surprises: Unexpected in the BNA category are Black Pumas, Tank and the Bangas, and YOLA.

Snubs: In my eyes, the biggest new artists were sufficiently covered.

Initial Prediction: Billie Eilish, Lizzo, or Lil Nas X.  I’d narrow it down even further to Eilish vs. Lizzo.

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Other Categories

Pop

Best Pop Solo Performance: Best pop solo performance is all about the girls this year.  This is a heavyweight category consisting of Ariana Grande (“7 Rings”), Beyoncé (“Spirit”), Billie Eilish (“Bad Guy”), Lizzo (“Truth Hurts”), and Taylor Swift (“You Need to Calm Down”).  It would seem this is a battle between Eilish and Lizzo, though Grande could get into the action.

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Jonas Brothers mustered up their Grammy nomination for “Sucker” in this category.  That said, doesn’t “Old Town Road” feel like a shoo-in? If not “Old Town Road,” isn’t it “Sunflower”, another Record of the Year nominee?

Best Pop Vocal Album: Ed Sheeran managed to sneak into Best Pop Vocal Album (No.6 Collaborations Project) … for some ungodly reason, ugh.  I like Ed but this was not his best work.  I think the nomination for Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift is surprising, but I’m okay with it – it was an intriguing album.  That said, the contenders seem to be Ariana Grande (Thank U, Next), Billie Eilish (WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?), and Taylor Swift (Lover).

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Rock 

Best Rock Performance: I was a fan of some particular nominations here: Gary Clark Jr. for “This Land” and Brittany Howard for “History Repeats.” “This Land” is one of the best songs of 2019 by my estimations – a socially conscious gem.

Best Rock Song: Best Rock Song has some notable entries including “Fear Inoculum” (TOOL), “Give Yourself a Try” (The 1975), “Harmony Hall” (Vampire Weekend), “History Repeats” (Brittany Howard), and my beloved “This Land” (Gary Clark Jr.).  Honestly, I’m a fan of all five songs.

Best Rock Album: I mention this one because of one album that stood out in particular: Bring Me the Horizon’s Amo.  Released earlier in 2019, this is a fine album that I’m thrilled to see nominated.  Of course, hard to knock nominating In the End, the final studio album by The Cranberries with the late, great Dolores O’Riordan.

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Alternative

Best Alternative Music Album: Sigh, for years, Best Alternative Music Album has been one of my favorite categories.  It is often a highly contested category, and this year is no different.  That said, this seems like a battle between Vampire Weekend (Father of the Bride) and Bon Iver (I, I) ultimately.

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R&B

Best R&B Performance: Lizzo stands out with “Exactly How I Feel,” a collaboration with Gucci Mane.  Still, this is a loaded category with entries from Daniel Caesar & Brandy (“Love Again”), H.E.R. (“Could’ve Been”), Lucky Daye (“Roll Some Mo”) and Anderson .Paak (“Come Home”).

Best Traditional R&B Performance: Lizzo is present once again with the feisty ballad “Jerome.” She gets some heavy competition from BJ the Chicago Kid (“Time Today”) and India.Arie (“Steady Love”).  Lucky Daye and Grammy darling PJ Morton fill out the category.

Best Urban Contemporary Album: Lizzo seems like a lock here (Cuz I Love You), particularly with H.E.R. shockingly NOT nominated in this category.

Best R&B Album: This is a nice R&B field and I’m not sure who comes out on top.  BJ the Chicago Kid had a very nice album with 1123 that didn’t get its just due. Ella Mai came out victorious for “Boo’d Up,” and now Ella Mai is deservedly nominated.  Anderson .Paak is the man, so if Ventura came out on top, it would be a win as well.  Don’t count out Lucky Daye (Painted) or the aforementioned darling, PJ Morton (Paul).

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Rap 

Best Rap Performance: J. Cole finally got a nomination? “Middle Child” is quite deserving.  I am also pleasantly surprised to see DaBaby nominated for “Suge,” as well as a posthumous nod for Nipsey Hussle (“Racks in the Middle”).

Best Rap Album: For the first time since I can remember, there is no definitive favorite in the Best Rap Album category.  I like Tyler, the Creator to come out on top with IGOR, which was a bit underrated by the Grammys.  Still, Tyler has stiff competition from all four of his fellow nominees.

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Country 

Best Country Solo Performance: Doesn’t Tanya Tucker feel like the favorite with “Bring My Flowers Now”? That’s a YES. Still, I love the Blake Shelton nomination for the powerful “God’s Country”.

Best Country Duo/Group Performance: Maren Morris gets her nomination her for “Common” featuring Brandi Carlile.  It has a great chance the win, but she may have to hold off Dan + Shay for “Speechless”.

Best Country Song: Ah, some more heavy hitters.  Nice to see Miranda Lambert earn a nod for “It All Comes Out in the Wash”.  That said, she’s going to have to beat out Tanya Tucker and Dan + Shay for “Bring My Flowers Now” and “Speechless.” Talk task!

Best Country Album: Hmm, so much was said about Maren Morris earning a nomination for GIRL and yet the album doesn’t even earn a nomination in the country category.  This is a strong category including Eric Church (Desperate Man), Reba McEntire (Stronger Than the Truth), Pistol Annies (Interstate Gospel), and Thomas Rhett (Center Point Road).  But we all know that it is Tanya Tucker who will come out on top with While I’m Livin’.

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Other Takeaways:

Kirk Franklin will win Best Gospel Album for Long Live Love – bank on it!

Disco superstar Gloria Gaynor is nominated for her gospel album, Testimony (NOTE: not against Kirk Franklin mind you, but in the Best Roots Gospel Album category).

Are Luis Fonsi (Vida) and Maluma (11:11) favorites in the Best Latin Pop Album category.

Bad Bunny didn’t get near the love he deserved for X 100PRE, but it is nominated in the Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album category. He’s also nominated against himself (Oasis with J Balvin) and maybe more formidably, against ROSALÍA (El Mal Querer).

Sara Bareilles could’ve earned a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album for Amidst the Chaos.  Thankfully, her brilliant “Saint Honesty” is recognized as a nominee for Best American Roots Performance.

Gary Clark Jr. earns a nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album for This Land.

Snubbed for Album of the Year, A Star is Born is nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.

The talented Ramin Djawadi is deservedly nominated for a Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for Game of Thrones: Season 8.

FINNEAS is nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for his work on his sister, Billie Eilish’s debut album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO.  He has stiff competition of course – Jack Antonoff, Dan Auerbach, John Hill, and Ricky Reed.

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