There are surprises galore in the 2016 Grammy Awards nominations. No, one of them is not the absence of Adele’s 25 in the list. The record-breaking album was released only last November and that is too late for the Grammys’ Sept. 30 annual deadline. That answer also goes out to fans of Justin Bieber and One Direction. Their new albums will get their Grammy turn next year.
The biggest surprise is that Taylor Swift did not top the nominations. Well, she got a lot, seven in fact for her album, 1989 but somebody else got more. And that is rapper Kendrick Lamar with 11 nods. His strong social commentary in his album To Pimp A Butterfly resonated well among the record industry members who participated in the nominations. Like everybody else, music people are also very, very concerned about what is happening in the world right now.
Also surprising is how diverse are the choices. Just take a look at the nominees for Album of the Year. Lamar’s rap To Pimp A Butterfly is there. As well as Sound & Color by alternative rockers Alabama Shakes; Traveller, the award-winning country album by Chris Stapleton; Swift’s pop confection, 1989; and Beauty Behind The Madness by Canadian experimental rapper The Weeknd, who is tied with Swift at seven nominations.
This line-up gives me the feeling that we are nearing the time when music genres would be irrelevant. We will find out what will happen come Feb. 15 when the Grammys hand out those little, but oh so coveted grammophone trophies.
P.S. No, Madonna did not make it. Neither did Carly Rae Jepsen. But Bob Dylan did and surprise! He is nominated for singing Sinatra covers.
Here is the list of the nominees.
Record of the Year: D’Angelo & the Vanguard Really Love; Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, Uptown Funk!; Ed Sheeran Thinking Out Loud; Taylor Swift Blank Space; The Weeknd, Can’t Feel My Face.
Song of the Year: Alright by Kendrick Lamar; Blank Space Taylor Swift; Girl Crush, Little Big Town; See You Again, Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth; Thinking Out Loud, Ed Sheeran.
Album of the Year: Alabana Shakes Sound & Color; Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp A Butterfly; Chris Stapleton, Traveller; Taylor Swift 1989; The Weeknd, Beauty Behind The Madness.
New Artist of the Year: Courtney Barnett, James Bay, Sam Hunt, Tori Kelly and Meghan Trainor.
Pop Vocal Album: Kelly Clarkson, Piece By Piece; Florence + The Machine, How Big How Blue How Beautiful; Mark Ronson, Uptown Special; Taylor Swift 1989; James Taylor Before This World.
Pop, Duo and Group Vocal Performance: Ship To Wreck – Florence + The Machine; Sugar: Maroon 5; Uptown Funk! Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars; Bad Blood Taylor Swift & Kendrick Lamar; See You Again, Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth.
Pop Solo Performance: Kelly Clarkson, Heartbeat Song; Ellie Goulding, Love Me Like You Do; Ed Sheeran, Thinking Out Loud; Taylor Swift, Blank Space; The Weeknd, Can’t Feel My Face.
Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap, The Silver Lining, The Songs Of Jerome Kern; Bob Dylan, Shadows In The Night; Josh Groban, Stages; Seth MacFarlane, No One Ever Tells You; Barry Manilow & Various Artists, My Dream Duets.
Dance Recording: We’re All We Need, Above & Beyond feat. Zoe Johnston; Go by the Chemical Brothers; Never Catch Me by Flying Lotus feat. Kendrick Lamar; Runaway (U&I) by Galantis; Where Are U Now by Skrillex And Diplo with Justin Bieber.
Rock Song: Alabama Shakes, Don’t Wanna Fight; Elle King, Ex’s & Oh’s; James Bay, Hold Back The River; Highly Suspect, Lydia; Florence + The Machine, What Kind Of Man.
Rock Album: James Bay, Chaos And The Calm; Death Cab for Cutie, Kintsugi; Highly Suspect, Mister Asylum; Muse, Drones; Slipknot, 5: The Gray Chapter.
Rock Performance: Alabama Shakes, Don’t Wanna Fight; Florence + The Machine, What Kind Of Man; Foo Fighters, Something From Nothing; Elle King, Ex’s & Oh’s; Wolf Alice, Moaning Lisa Smile.
Alternative Music Album: Sound & Color, Alabana Shakes; Vulnicura by Bjork; The Waterfall, My Morning Jacket; Currents, Tame Impala; Star Wars, Wilco.
Metal Performance: August Burns Red, Identity; Cirice, Ghost; Lamb of God, 512; Sevendust, Thank You; Slipknot, Custer.
R&B Performance: Tamar Braxton, If I Don’t Have You; Andra Day, Rise Up; Your World; Hiatus Kaiyote Breathing Underwater; Jeremih feat. J. Cole, Planes; The Weeknd, Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey).
R&B Song: Coffee, Miguel; Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey), The Weeknd; Let It Burn, Jazmine Sullivan; Really Love, D’Angelo & the Vanguards; Shame, Tyrese.
Traditional R&B Performance: Faith Hill, He Is; Lalah Hathaway, Little Ghetto Boy; Jazmine Sullivan, Let It Burn; Tyrese, Shame; Charlie Wilson, My Favorite Part Of You.
R&B Album: Coming Home, Leon Bridges; Black Messiah, D’Angelo & the Vanguards; Cheers To The Fall, Andra Day; Reality Show, Jazmine Sullivan; Forever Charlie, Charlie Wilson.
Rap Album: 2014 Forest Hills Drive, J. Cole; Compton, Dr. Dre; If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Drake; To Pimp A Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar; The Pinkprint, Nicki Minaj.
Rap Performance: J. Cole, Apparently; Drake, Back To Back; Fetty Wap, Trap Queen; Kendrick Lamar, Alright; Nicki Minaj feat. Drake & Lil’ Wayne, Truffle Butter; Kanye West feat. Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney, All Day.
Rap Song: All Day, Kanye West feat. Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom & Paul McCartney; Alright, Kendrick Lamar; Energy, Drake; Glory, Common & John Legend; Trap Queen by Fetty Wap.
Urban Contemporary Album: Ego Death by The Internet; You Should Be Here, Kehlani; Blood, Lianne La Havas; Wildheart, Miguel; Beauty Behind The Madness, The Weeknd.
Rap/Sung Collaboration: One Man Can Change The World, Big Sean feat. Kanye West & John Legend; Glory, Common and John Legend; Classic Man, Jidenna feat. Roman Gian Arthur; These Walls, Kendrick Lamar feat. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat; Only, Nicki Minaj feat. Drake, Lil Wayne & Chris Brown.
Music Video: LSD, A$AP Rocky; I Feel Love, The Dead Weather; Alright, Kendrick Lamar; Bad Blood, Taylor Swift & Kendrick Lamar; Freedom, Pharrell Williams.
Compilation Album for Visual Media: Empire: Season 1; Fifty Shades of Grey; Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me; Pitch Perfect 2; Selma.
Song Written for Visual Media: Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey) by The Weeknd; Glory, Common and John Legend; Love Me Like You Do, Ellie Goulding; See You Again, Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth; Til It Happens To You, Lady Gaga.
Score for Visual Media: Birdman; The Imitation Game; Interstellar, The Theory of Everything; Whiplash.
Musical Theater Album: An American In Paris; Fun Home; Hamilton; The King and I; Something Rotten.
Music Film: Foo Fighters, Sonic Highways; James Brown, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown; Nina Simone, What Happened Miss Simone; Roger Waters, The Wall; Amy Winehouse, Amy.