When the 54th Grammy Award Nominations were announced many predictions came true, many snubs were noticed, and some just had us scratching our heads in wonder. Between now and February 12, 2012, when the statues are handing out, it gives us plenty of time to catch up with the nominees and try and figure out where things went wrong and right.
It’s no surprise that Adele dominated many of the categories she was eligible for including the top awards: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year (awarded to the songwriters). But she was topped in nominations by Grammy-fave Kanye West. Unfortunately for Kanye, 4 of the nominations are within 2 categories – and ties at the Grammy Awards are as common as Milli Vanilli singing live (yes, it’s been almost 22 years since their Best New Artist Grammy was revoked). Kanye also wasn’t nominated in the Album of the Year category but 2 other multiple Grammy nominees were (Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars). Rounding out the Album of the Year category is Rihanna and Lady Gaga (who can now claim 3 Album of the Year nominations for all 3 of her LPs).
In the Record of the Year category, Adele and Bruno Mars are surprisingly joined by the folk band Bon Iver and Mumford & Sons. Although Mumford & Sons were nominated for 2 Grammy Awards last year for their debut LP, it is largely felt that their work should have amassed more recognition by the Grammys. This year the single “The Cave” racked up 4 nominations – possibly a move to make up for over-looking one of the best LPs of last year. The final spot for Record of the Year goes to Katy Perry for “Firework.” A year ago when nominations for the 53rd Grammy Awards were announced, there was much mumbling about Katy’s abundance of nominations including Album of the Year. After 5 #1 tracks from the LP Teenage Dream, it looks like the mumbling can stop.
This year the Grammy categories have been shortened with some categories being dropped and some being combined. The Male and Female Vocal Performances in all the major categories are no longer gender-specific. As a result, the Best Pop Solo Performance is dominated by females (Adele, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Pink) with Bruno Mars rounding out the list. The Best R&B Performance is also dominated mostly by women with many major acts left out (i.e. Beyonce). Even the Best Country Solo Performance has 3 female nominations (Martina McBride, Taylor Swift, and Carrie Underwood) and 2 male nominations (Jason Aldean and Blake Shelton).
The Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category is always interesting with a mix of actual groups, collaborations, and groups we always thought were solo artists (think Sade). This year one of the last recordings Amy Winehouse did with Tony Bennett is up against the like of Foster The People, Coldplay, Maroon 5 with Christina Aguilera, and the Black Keys.
The Best Dance Recording category was said to be stripped from any acts that should be considered pop acts (i.e. Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Rihanna) resulting in nominees considered strictly dance acts (Deadmau5, Duck Sauce, David Guetta, Robyn, and Skrillex).
In the Grammy tradition, there are always odd nominations: Seth MacFarlane (of Family Guy fame) is up against Tony Bennett, Susan Boyle, Harry Connick, Jr., and Barbra Streisand in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category. The Best Country Duo/Group Performance only has 4 nominees and only 2 are actual groups. Duets by Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson and Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter were nominated along with country act Thompson Square. The 4th spot goes to The Civil Wars who aren’t considered a strictly country act but need a spot to be nominated for their critically lauded debut work. Comedian Steve Martin landed a Grammy nod for Best Bluegrass Album. Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder got a nod for Best Folk Album. Betty White could get a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album.
Surprises/Snubs: Kanye West and Taylor Swift not making it into the Album of the Year category is considered head-scratching to some, not so much to others. Tony Bennett was expected to get more nominations for his star-studded collaboration album Duets II (his first #1 album during his career) but only made it into the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category. Taylor Swift received 3 Grammy nominations, all in the country category, and was considered a front runner for many other categories (but she has already has an Album of the Year Grammy – so let it go). Beyonce received only 2 nominations (with 1 for a DVD). Traditionally she has dominated nominations but this year likely suffered from a lack-luster LP release and with the slimming down of categories. Beyonce has traditionally released worked that covered spectrum of R&B and Hip-Hop, along with collaborations – and this year, there were less eclectic categories to possibly include her in. The Grammys are a far stretch from the popularity-based American Music Awards, and therefore this is no mention of Justin Bieber this year. The closest link is Diane Warren’s nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media for the song “Born To Be Somebody” from his ‘movie’. Grammy favorites Paul Simon and Jill Scott were also missing from the nominations. But before anyone can really get upset about who got nominated and who didn’t… think of your own job and how many awards you receive for being paid to work and for being ‘better’ than your co-workers (just slipping in a reality check).
At this year's Grammy Awards, the Best Pop Vocal Performance is no longer separated by gender (one of the many changes made with the Grammys this year). So this year it is 4 women (Adele, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Pink) in the category with one lonely male (Bruno Mars). In previous years, the category had artist's singles competing with whole albums at times - but that appears to have ended in 1995 with the introduction of the Best Pop Vocal Album category, which remains today. In the early years of the Grammys, winners and nominees in this category were often dominated with familiar names: Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, and Glen Campbell. In the 70's, awards went to Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, James Taylor, Carole King, and Linda Ronstadt.
