South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Swift, Beyonce and Eilish could dominate
Putting out music in a pandemic felt sort of like a tree falling in the forest with no one around to hear it. Experiencing music in 2020 became a solo experience, and music that was able to transcend the physical bubbles we all put around ourselves felt rare and special. In some ways, the Grammy nominees represented that difference with albums and music meant for self-exploration or dancing like no one was watching.
Music writers Mesfin Fekadu and Kristin M. Hall dissect the best of an extremely unpredictable year in music.
The Grammys air Sunday on CBS.
Album of the Year
“Chilombo,” Jhene Aiko; “Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition),” Black Pumas; “Everyday Life,” Coldplay; “Djesse Vol. 3,” Jacob Collier; “Women In Music Pt. III,” Haim;
“Future Nostalgia,” Dua Lipa; “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” Post Malone; “folklore,” Taylor Swift
Fekadu: Congratulations Taylor Swift, you will make history and become the first female artist to have three albums win album of the year at the Grammy Awards. Though “folklore” is the best of this bunch, the issue here is that the Recording Academy has designed a swift win for Tay Tay. While Dua Lipa and Post Malone had multiple hits, that won’t be enough for them to win this. As much as I love Haim, Black Pumas and Jhene, do you really think they have a chance of winning here? No. And who even remembered that Coldplay dropped an album? There’s a small chance that the uber talented Jacob Collier could win, but it’s not likely. If the academy wanted to really challenge Swift, they would have nominated albums from Fiona Apple, Brittany Howard, Tame Impala or even The Weeknd.
Hall: When I look at this list, I think more about the albums I loved that weren’t nominated. While Swift’s introspective pandemic album deserves to be in this category, “folklore” feels like a safe, obvious choice for voters. We’ve seen artists (Fiona, Run the Jewels) take great creative leaps and bounds, and yet we’re served up a prepackaged win. There are sometimes under-theradar wins in this category, so I think Haim’s complex and intriguing album has a chance (however slight) to win.
Record of the Year
“Black Parade,” Beyonce; “Colors,” Black Pumas; “Rockstar,” DaBaby and Roddy Ricch; “Say So,” Doja Cat; “Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish; “Don’t Start Now,” Dua Lipa; “Circles,” Post Malone; “Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion and Beyonce
Hall: Three words, “Classy, bougie, ratchet,” propelled Megan Thee Stallion to viral fame with an insanely catchy song. Rap songs don’t often win in these top categories, and with Beyonce and DaBaby also competing for votes,
I predict one of the most popular songs of the year probably isn’t going to win here. Dua Lipa put the dance club in our bedrooms this year, and she’ll walk away a winner.
Fekadu: Normally I would think Dua Lipa wouldn’t have a chance here. But then I remembered that Dua won best new artist over H.E.R. and Luke Combs. Still, “Don’t Start Now” won’t win now. My mind tells me Beyonce will win her first record of the year honor, but my body says Billie will win her second.
Song of the Year
“Black Parade,” Beyonce, Jay-Z, Derek Dixie, Denisia Andrews, Stephen Bray, Brittany Coney, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk and Rickie “Caso” Tice; “The Box,” Roddy Ricch, Samuel Gloade, Larrance Dopson, Adarius Moragne, Eric Sloan and Khirye Anthony Tyler; “cardigan,” Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner; “Circles,” Post Malone, Louis Bell, Adam Feeney, Kaan Gunesberk and Billy Walsh; “Don’t Start Now,” Dua Lipa, Caroline Ailin, Ian Kirkpatrick and Emily Warren;
“Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish and Finneas; “I Can’t Breathe,” H.E.R., Dernst Emile II and Tiara Thomas; “If the World Was Ending,” Julia Michaels and JP Saxe
Fekadu: Just rename this award “The Eilish Family Prize.”
Hall: “Black Parade” is a well-crafted cinematic celebration that evokes the history of Black music. Even without releasing an album last year, Beyonce is still dominating the Grammys.
Best New Artist
Ingrid Andress; Phoebe Bridgers; Chika; Noah Cyrus; D Smoke; Doja Cat; Kaytranada; Megan Thee Stallion
Hall: While the records from Andress and Bridgers were an emotional salve during a tough year, Megan’s momentum is unstoppable. She built up to her debut full-length record, “Good News,” with back-to-back hits and huge collaborations on songs like “Hot Girl Summer” with Nicki Minaj and backing up Cardi B on “WAP.”
Fekadu: The rap princess deserves this honor more than any other artist.
Best Rock Performance
“Shameika,” Fiona Apple; “Not,” Big Thief; “Kyoto,” Phoebe Bridgers; “The Steps,” Haim; “Stay High,” Brittany Howard; “Daylight,” Grace Potter
Hall: Fiona Apple’s return after several long years was personal and unconventional, intimate and experimental, and her exploration in “Shameika” of feeling recognized just zeroed in on all my millennial feelings.
Fekadu: The apple of my eye (and this award): Fiona.
Best R&B Song
“Better Than I Imagined,” Robert Glasper, H.E.R. and Meshell Ndegeocello; “Black Parade,” Beyonce; “Collide,” Tiana Major9 and Earthgang; “Do It,” Chloe x Halle; “Slow Down,” Skip Marley and H.E.R.
Fekadu: I’m marching in Beyonce’s “Black Parade.”
Hall: I have fallen in love with “Slow Down” featuring these two young stars. The mixture of their distinct voices and the blending reggae and R&B on a sweet love song is just beautiful.
Best Rap Song
“The Bigger Picture,” Lil
Baby; “The Box,” Roddy Ricch; “Laugh Now Cry Later,” Drake and Lil Durk; “Rockstar,” DaBaby and Roddy Ricch; “Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion and Beyonce
Hall: Megan and Beyonce will not be denied.
Fekadu: There’s another rap hit that dominated the year more than “Savage,” and that’s “The Box.” The Grammys love Roddy, and “The Box” is also nominated for song of the year, and “Savage” isn’t.
Best Country Duo/ Group Performance
“All Night,” Brothers Osborne; “10,000 Hours,” Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber; “Ocean,” Lady A; “Sugar Coat,” Little Big Town; “Some People Do,” Old Dominion
Fekadu: I don’t think “10,000 Hours” will win here. This year marks Brothers Osborne’s sixth nod in this category, but they’ll fall short to Old Dominion’s “Some People Do,” a touching tune that’s also nominated for best country song.
Hall: I would bet $10,000 on Dan + Shay wining the trifecta in this category.
HARDCOVER FICTION
1. “Life After Death” by Sister Souljah (Atria) Last week: —
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. “Beyond Order: 12 More Rules for Life” by Jordan B. Peterson (Portfolio) Last week: — 2. “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s) Last week: 1
3. “Dark Sky” by C.J. Box (Putnam) Last week: —
4. “The Affair” by Danielle Steel (Delacorte) Last week: —
5. “Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro (Knopf ) Last week: —
6. “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig (Viking) Last week: 3
7. “A Court of Silver Flames” by Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury) Last week: 2
8. “The Sanatorium” by Sarah Pearse (Viking/ Dorman) Last week: 4
9.“The Vanishing Half”by Brit Bennett (Riverhead) Last week: 5
10. “We Begin at the End” by Chris Whitaker (Holt) Last week: —
2.“How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need” by Bill Gates (Knopf ) Last week: —
3. “Professional Troublemaker” by Luvvie Ajayi Jones (Penguin Life) Last week: —
4.“Believe It: How to Go from Underestimated to Unstoppable” by Jamie Kern Lima (Gallery) Last week: 1
5.“Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage” by Anne Lamott (Riverhead) Last week: —
6. “Just as I Am: A Memoir” by Cicely Tyson (HarperCollins) Last week: 5
7.“Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know” by Adam Grant (Viking) Last week: 4
8. “Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey (Crown) Last week: 6
9.“Walk in My Combat Boots: True Stories from America’s Bravest Warriors” by James Patterson and Matt Eversmann (Little, Brown) Last week: 3
10.“Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess: 5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking” by Caroline Leaf (Baker) Last week: —
For the week ended March 6, compiled from data from independent and chain bookstores, book wholesalers and independent distributors nationwide.