High and low notes of award picks
TEN THINGS worth noting about Wednesday’s nominations for the 2020 Grammy Awards, from snubbed singers to the comeback kids.
R&BUMMER
At the Grammys, R&B should stand for ‘REALLY, BRUH’?
So many epic and talented R&B acts who have brought new life to the genre were overlooked this year, including Raphael Saadiq, Ari Lennox, Summer Walker, Solange, Jhene Aiko, and Pink Sweats, to name a few.
Instead, acts like Lizzo, BJ the Chicago Kid, PJ Morton, and Anderson.Paak were overloaded with multiple R&B nominations. And acts like Ella Mai and Chris Brown were deemed lucky, just scoring one nod each when they easily deserved more.
ROCK’S RETURN
Rock music is returning in a big way to the 2020 Grammys.
Two rock-based albums are nominated for Album of the Year: Bon Iver’s I, I and Vampire Weekend’s Father of the Bride. The last time a rock album was up for the top prize was at the 2016 show when Alabama Shakes’ Sound & Color lost to Taylor Swift’s 1989.
THEY NO LONGER SUCK
Thanks to their comeback hit Sucker, the Jonas Brothers have nabbed their first Grammy nomination in a decade. They last competed for Best New Artiste at the 2009 Grammys, when they appropriately lost to Adele. Hello!
WHO RUN THE WORLD? GIRLS!
Like the 2019 Grammys, women rule in the top four categories at the 2020 show.
Seven of the eight tunes competing for Song of the Year are from female acts, with Lewis Capaldi being the only male contender. Five of the eight Album of the Year and Best New Artiste nominees are women (only two of the eight nominees are exclusively male; the final nominee, Tank and the Bangas, includes male and female acts). Record of the Year is evenly divided between male and female musicians.
LONG LIVE THE DEAD
A month after the 2019 Grammys – where Nipsey Hussle was nominated for Best Rap Album with his critically acclaimed major-label debut album – he died.
He’s back in a big way at the 2020 show: He earned three nominations, including Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap/Sung performance.
Dolores O’Riordan, the lead vocalist for the Cranberries, died last year, but the Irish band’s final album earned a nomination for Best Rock Album. In the End was recorded after O’Riordan died, and the surviving members used her unfinished vocals to flesh out their eighth and final album.
FORMER FIRST LADY
Michelle Obama is on track to become a Grammy winner. Her bestseller Becoming is nominated for Best Spoken Word Album – a category Barack Obama won twice. Other past winners include the Rev Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou, Hillary Clinton, and Bill Clinton.
WHO’S FUNNIER?
The competition for Nest Comedy Album is stacked this year: Nominees include Ellen DeGeneres, Trevor Noah, Aziz Ansari, Jim Gaffigan, and Dave Chappelle, who won the prize in 2019 and 2018.
FEMALE HIP-HOP IS DEAD
Following Cardi B’s success, a number of female rap acts have hit the scene and found major success, including City Girls, Megan Thee Stallion, Rapsody, Saweetie, Tierra Whack, and many, many more. Unfortunately, their presence isn’t felt at the Grammys.
Cardi B, who won
Best Rap Album earlier this year, is nominated for Best Rap Performance for her guest appearance on hubby Offset’s hit, Clout. Lizzo, a semi-rapper, scored eight nominations, though none of them was really for rapping. I mean, the truth hurts.
GLORIA’S GOSPEL: I WILL SURVIVE
Gloria Gaynor won Best Disco Recording for the classic I Will Survive in 1980, but now, she’s competing for Grammys with her first gospel album.
Gaynor scored nominations for Best Roots Gospel Album for Testimony and Best Gospel Performance/ Song for Talkin’ ‘Bout
Jesus, featuring Yolanda Adams.
R&B SANTA CLAUS
Christmas has come early for John Legend: People’s Sexiest Man Alive, who earned a nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album with his holiday album A Legendary Christmas. His competition includes albums from Barbra Streisand, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Andrea Bocelli, and Michael Bublé.