Album of the Year
Winner - Charli XCX "Brat"
Runners Up - Beyoncé "Cowboy Carter", Billie Eilish "Hit Be Hard and Soft", Rapsody "Please Don't Cry"
Commentary - Brat Summer took over pop culture in 2024, and for a very good reason. With a perfect mix of bold and vulnerable, fun club bangers and surprisingly deep lyrics, and an energy that is unmatched, we all wanted to be brat.
Single of the Year
Winner - Beyoncé "Texas Hold Em"
Runners Up - Sabrina Carpenter "Espresso", GloRilla "Yeah, Glo!", Muni Long "Made for Me", Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds "Song of the Lake"
Commentary - I am so tired of the critics that say "Beyoncé can't do country music" or "this isn't real country". What it is is Beyonce. A fun and clever mix of twang and soul, this is Beyonce at her best. Beautiful vocals, signature style, endlessly listening power, and my favorite of the year.
Best New Artist
Winner - Chappell Roan
Runners Up - Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii
Commentary - What a ride Chappell Roan has been on, and to see the entire music community singing along with Pink Pony Club at the Grammys last night cements her pop icon status. The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess has already crashed the Rolling Stone top albums of the 21st Century, and will continue to serve as an amazing work. It used to be that Best New Artist was a curse, but more recently, we have seen that curse broken. Hopefully that means we have a lot more Chappell Roan coming soon.
Best Pop Album
Winner - Charli XCX "Brat"
Runners Up - Billie Eilish "Hit Be Hard and Soft", Chappell Roan "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess"
Commentary - See Album of the Year
Best Rock/Alternative Album
Winner - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds "Wild God"
Runners Up - Vampire Weekend "Only God Was Above Us", St. Vincent "All Born Screaming", Kim Gordon "The Collective"
Commentary - This group has been going strong for years, and Wild God is just further proof that they are one of the best rock acts of the day. Wild God is vibrant chock full of songs that leave you feels exhilarated, including one of my favorites Song of the Lake. Wild God is the kind of uplifting rock music we need right now, and it delivers on all levels.
Best Rap Album
Winner - Rapsody "Please Don't Cry"
Runners Up - Schoolboy Q "Blue Lips", Doechii "Alligator Bites Never Heal", Megan Thee Stallion "Megan"
Commentary - I'm not gonna lie, Doechii winning Best Rap Album last night was such an amazing moment, and as you can see she was a close runner-up. I was also so thrilled to see North Carolina's own (I'll forgive her for going to NC State), Rapsody finally win a well-overdue Grammy for her soulful duet with the legendary Erykah Badu. That is because, that song, and the entirety of Please Don't Cry showcased why Raps is one of the best, and most underappreciated, hip-hop artists working today. The album was lyrically potent, with a great production value, and a perfect showcase for Rapsody's flow.
Best R&B Album
Winner - Muni Long "Revenge"
Runners Up - Omar Apollo "God Said No", Usher "Coming Home", Kehlani "Crash"
Commentary - Muni Long, for me, is bringing back what I loved about R&B music of the 90's and 2000's, great vocals, emotional lyrics, and stunning production values. That is not to say she is dwelling in the past, she is forging forward with her own version of R&B style, but it is welcomed after many years of subtler, and less vibrant productions. Revenge proves she is one to continue to watch in the years to come.
Best Country/Americana Album
Winner - Beyoncé "Cowboy Carter"
Runners Up - Sarah Jarosz "Polaroid Lovers", Kacey Musgraves "Deeper Well", Chris Stapleton "Higher"
Commentary - SHE FINALLY WON!!!!! As someone who as rewarded Beyoncé twice for my personal Album of the Year, it has always blown my mind that the Grammys have never gotten on board. It looks like they finally got the memo that it was ridiculous that they had missed the mark so many times, and finally rewarded her for her country debut, a powerful, taut, soulful and twangy twist on classic country that bended the genre, broke traditions, and made her the first black woman to ever win the Best Country Album Grammy. It's about damn time.
Best Pop Performance
Winner - Sabrina Carpenter "Espresso"
Runners Up - Charli XCX "360", Billie Eilish "Birds of a Feather", Chappell Roan "Good Luck, Babe!", Troye Sivan "One of Your Girls"
Commentary - Espresso is the infectious pop hit of the year. It is so much fun, so catchy, and cements Sabrina Carpenter's status as a new pop icon.
Best Rock/Alternative Performance
Winner - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds "Song of the Lake"
Runners Up - Vampire Weekend "Capricorn", The Black Keys "Beautiful People (Stay High)",Kim Gordon "BYE BYE"
Commentary - See Rock/Alternative Album.
Best Rap Performance
Winner - GloRilla "Yeah, Glo!"
Runners Up - Rapsody feat. Hit-Boy "Asteroids", Kendrick Lamar "Not Like Us"
Commentary - Glorilla has burst on the scene with a ferocity that is unmatched. Her first breakthrough single, Yeah, Glo! has an incredible hook, brings the energy that only Glo can bring, and is a braggadocios intro to a brilliant new hip-hop artist.
Best R&B Performance
Winner - Muni Long "Made for Me"
Runners Up - Omar Apollo "Spite", SZA "Saturn", Victoria Monet and Usher "SOS", Coco Jones "Here We Go"
Commentary - Made for Me is the perfect R&B song. In an era where so much of the music has gone to subtle tones, Muni Long manages to bring an old-school soul feel with a classic romantic ballad that is powerful, easy to listen to, and instantly addictive. This may have gone viral as a Tik Tok/Instagram trend, which is why it is so pervasive for many. But at its core, it proves that R&B still has it, and that Muni Long is its future.
Best Country/Americana Performance
Winner - Beyoncé "Texas Hold Em"
Runners Up - Beyoncé "16 Carriages", Kacey Musgraves "The Architect", Shaboozey "A Bar Song [Tipsy]",Chris Stapleton "It Takes a Woman"
Commentary - See Single of the Year
No comments:
Post a Comment