Album of the Year
Winner - SZA "SOS"
Runners Up - boygenius "The Record", Nas "King's Disease III", Taylor Swift “Midnights”, Lainey Wilson "Bell Bottom Country"
Commentary - SZA's gritty, experimental, and fundamentally brilliant album SOS premiered early in this Grammy cycle, and way over a year later, the power, the inventiveness, and the pure artistry of this album continues to dominate the conversation. SZA is going to end up as one of those artists that 20 years from now we are still in awe of her talent. I am betting on it, and I don't take bets lightly.
Single of the Year
Winner - Miley Cyrus "Flowers"
Runners Up - Foo Fighters "Rescued", SZA "Kill Bill", Killer Mike Featuring André 3000, Future And Eryn Allen Kane "SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS", Tyler Childers "In Your Love"
Commentary - The catchy tune of the year, Flowers is the first single of Miley Cyrus' that I have really loved in a long time. Her vocals are on point and the production is fantastic. I think the reason this song resonates is that Cyrus has been through hell and back, and still comes out strong. The message is universal, the lyrics are both uplifting and heartbreaking at the same time. Easily the single of the year.
Best New Artist
Winner - Victoria Monet
Runners Up - Gracie Abrams, Ice Spice, Coco Jones
Commentary - After years of working her butt off from songwriter to successful solo artist, Victoria Monet's stunning Grammy nomination haul this year is proof that dedication can, and always will, pay off. Her blend of old and new, and her ability to push new ground in R&B music is why she wins this award, and why, I hope, she continues to bless the world with her undeniable talent.
Best Pop Album
Winner - Taylor Swift “Midnights”
Runners Up - Miley Cyrus "Endless Summer Vacation", Caroline Polachek "Desire, I Want to Turn Into You", Olivia Rodrigo "Guts", Various Artists "Barbie The Album"
Commentary - Taylor Swift gets a lot of flack. She is now the target of angry, sexist NFL fans for having the audacity to date a football star. Sure, I have had my fair criticisms of her over the years. But no one, and I mean no one, can deny the power that she has with fans, with critics, with the industry, as she constantly reinvents herself and consistently revitalizes the music industry. Midnights is a perfect example of her continual growth as an artist, and is a masterful pop record.
Best Rock/Alternative Album
Winner - boygenius "The Record"
Runners Up - Foo Fighters "But Here We Are", Lana Del Rey "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd", Metallica "72 Seasons"
Commentary - The dazzling trio of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker created boygenius, one of the more successful rock groups of the last twenty years. A brilliant, emotional, intimate and utterly fascinating rock album, "The Record", is hopefully not the last of this one in a lifetime group of extraordinary artists.
Best Rap Album
Winner - Nas "King's Disease III"
Runner Up - Killer Mike "Michael"
Commentary - The King's Disease trilogy revived one of rap's greatest legends, and part three is one his best in a long string of some of the best records released in the last thirty years. Nas is often referred to as "your favorite rapper's favorite rapper". King Diseases III proves just why he has earned that title.
Best R&B Album
Winner - SZA "SOS"
Runners Up - Janelle Monae "The Age of Pleasure", Victoria Monét "Jaguar II", Summer Walker "Clear 2: Soft Life"
Commentary - See Album of the Year
Best Country/Americana Album
Winner - Lainey Wilson "Bell Bottom Country"
Runners Up - Zach Bryan "Zach Bryan", Brothers Osborne "Brothers Osborne", Ashley McBryde "The Devil I Know", Tanya Tucker "Sweet Western Sound"
Commentary - Lainey Wilson has quickly risen in the country scene thanks to her album Bell Bottom Country. A brilliant combination of country, rock, and working-class blues, all the praise and acclaim that has been heaped on Wilson in the last year is well-deserved, as she emerges as country's newest star.
Best Pop Performance
Winner - Miley Cyrus "Flowers"
Runners Up - Doja Cat "Paint the Town Red", Troye Sivan "Rush", Taylor Swift “Anti-Hero”
Commentary - See Single of the Year
Best Rock/Alternative Performance
Winner - Foo Fighters "Rescued"
Runners Up - boygenius "Not Strong Enough", Metallica "Lux Æterna", PJ Harvey "I Inside The Old Year Dying"
Commentary - The emotional first single since the death of Taylor Hawkins, Foo Fighters produced a haunted, vital work of rock music.
Best Rap Performance
Winner - Killer Mike Featuring André 3000, Future And Eryn Allen Kane "SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS"
Runners Up - Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar "The Hillbillies", Megan Thee Stallion "Her", Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj "Princess Diana"
Commentary - Before the flute album (I'll get over it, someday), we got a great guest verse from Andre 3000 on Killer Mike's SCIENTISTS & ENGINEERS, a fantastic reunion of Southern rap greats with a fun hook. In a rather weak year for hip-hop, this single stood out.
Best R&B Performance
Winner - SZA "Kill Bill"
Runners Up - Janelle Monae "Lipstick Lover", Victoria Monét "On My Mama", Victoria Monét Featuring Earth, Wind & Fire & Hazel Monét, Summer Walker with Usher and 21 Savage "Good Good"
Commentary - A potent breakup song about heartbreak, Kill Bill is easily the best song of SZA's brilliant SOS album, which is saying something. It also has an underbelly of vulnerability, and brilliant lyrics, making it worth the listen.
Best Country/Americana Performance
Winner - Tyler Childers "In Your Love"
Runners Up - Luke Combs "Fast Car", Chris Stapleton "White Horse", Tanya Tucker "Ready as I'll Never Be"
Commentary - A hauntingly beautiful tale of love and loss. Tyler Childer's gay love story, dedicated to a cousin of his whom he considers a mentor, is easily the best country song of the year.
No comments:
Post a Comment