2017 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

On the sixtieth year of honoring the best in all genres of music, the Grammy Awards seems to have finally presented a list of nominations that comes closest to representing the music that many people are actually listening to. Hip-hop, rap and alt-r&b, which has been the driving force in popular music for at least the last ten years, has actually made a significant and long overdue dent in the major categories. Jay Z leads with the most nominations with eight for "4:44". the rap artist's response to his wife,  Beyoncé's album of pain, betrayal and infidelity, "Lemonade", including Album of The Year. Kendrick Lamar's critically acclaimed, "DAMN." follows with seven while Bruno Mars received six nominations for his tasty slice of classic soul, "24K Magic" with both also vying for the best album of 2017. Lorde's long-awaited follow-up album, "Melodrama" and Childish Gambino, otherwise known as actor, Donald Glover, and his collection of psychedelic funk, "Awaken, My Love" (which received five nominations) round out the Album of The Year category. Two young performers, Khalid and SZA, who both represent thrilling new directions for r&b music, each received five nominations and competing against each other for Best New Artist along with Alessia Cara, Julia Michaels and Lil Uzi Vert.

The 60th Annual Grammy Awards will be televised live on January 28, 2018 at New York City's Madison Square Garden. This is the first time the ceremony has been held in the Big Apple in fifteen years and James Corden will once again serve as host.

Here is a partial list of the nominations for the 60th annual Grammy Awards. For the complete list of nominees, please click below:

Grammy.com

Album of the Year:

“Awaken, My Love!” — Childish Gambino
"4:44" — Jay-Z
"DAMN." — Kendrick Lamar
"Melodrama" — Lorde
"24K Magic" — Bruno Mars

Record of the Year:

"Redbone" — Childish Gambino
"Despacito" — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
"The Story Of O.J." — Jay-Z
"HUMBLE." — Kendrick Lamar
"24K Magic" — Bruno Mars

Song of the Year:

"Despacito"— Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber)
"4:44" — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (Jay-Z)
"Issues" — Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels)
"1-800-273-8255" — Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury & Khalid Robinson, songwriters (Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid)
"That’s What I Like" — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)

Best New Artist:

Alessia Cara
Khalid
Lil Uzi Vert
Julia Michaels
SZA

Best Pop Solo Performance:

"Love So Soft" — Kelly Clarkson
"Praying" — Kesha
"Million Reasons" — Lady Gaga
"What About Us" — P!nk
"Shape Of You" — Ed Sheeran

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

"Something Just Like This" — The Chainsmokers & Coldplay
"Despacito" — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
"Thunder" — Imagine Dragons
"Feel It Still" — Portugal. The Man
"Stay" — Zedd & Alessia Cara

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

"Nobody But Me" (Deluxe Version) — Michael Bublé
"Triplicate" — Bob Dylan
"In Full Swing" — Seth MacFarlane
"Wonderland" — Sarah McLachlan
"Tony Bennett Celebrates 90" —  Various Artists

Best Pop Vocal Album:

"Kaleidoscope" EP — Coldplay
"Lust For Life" — Lana Del Rey
"Evolve" — Imagine Dragons
"Rainbow" — Kesha
"Joanne" — Lady Gaga

Best Dance Recording:

"Bambro Koyo Ganda" — Bonobo Featuring Innov Gnawa
"Cola" — Camelphat & Elderbrook
"Andromeda"— Gorillaz Featuring DRAM
"Tonite" — LCD Soundsystem
"Line Of Sight" — Odesza Featuring WYNNE & Mansionair

Best Dance/Electronic Album:

"Migration" — Bonobo
"3-D The Catalogue" — Kraftwerk
"Mura Masa" — Mura Masa
"A Moment Apart" — Odesza
"What Now" — Sylvan Esso

Best Rock Performance:

"You Want It Darker" — Leonard Cohen
"The Promise" — Chris Cornell
"Run" — Foo Fighters
"No Good" — Kaleo
"Go To War" — Nothing More

Best Rock Song:

"Atlas, Rise!" — James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich, songwriters (Metallica)
"Blood In The Cut" — JT Daly & Kristine Flaherty, songwriters (K.Flay)
“Go To War” — Ben Anderson, Jonny Hawkins, Will Hoffman, Daniel Oliver, David Pramik & Mark Vollelunga, songwriters (Nothing More)
"Run" — Foo Fighters, songwriters (Foo Fighters)
"The Stage" — Zachary Baker, Brian Haner, Matthew Sanders, Jonathan Seward & Brooks Wackerman, songwriters (Avenged Sevenfold)

Best Rock Album:

"Emperor Of Sand" — Mastodon
"Hardwired…To Self-Destruct" — Metallica
"The Stories We Tell Ourselves" — Nothing More
"Villains" — Queens Of The Stone Age
"A Deeper Understanding" — The War On Drugs

Best Alternative Music Album:

"Everything Now" — Arcade Fire
"Humanz" — Gorillaz
"American Dream" — LCD Soundsystem
"Pure Comedy" — Father John Misty
"Sleep Well Beast" — The National

Best R&B Performance:

"Get You" — Daniel Caesar Featuring Kali Uchis
"Distraction" — Kehlani
"High" — Ledisi
"That’s What I Like" — Bruno Mars
"The Weekend" — SZA

Best Traditional R&B Performance:

"Laugh And Move On" — The Baylor Project
"Redbone" — Childish Gambino
"What I’m Feelin'" — Anthony Hamilton Featuring The Hamiltones|
"All The Way" — Ledisi
"Still" — Mali Music

Best R&B Song:

"First Began" — PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton)
"Location" — Alfredo Gonzalez, Olatunji Ige, Samuel David Jiminez, Christopher McClenney, Khalid Robinson & Joshua Scruggs, songwriters (Khalid)
"Redbone" — Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)
"Supermodel" — Tyran Donaldson, Terrence Henderson, Greg Landfair Jr., Solana Rowe & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (SZA)
"That’s What I Like" — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)

Best Urban Contemporary Album:

"Free 6LACK" — 6LACK
"Awaken, My Love!" — Childish Gambino
"American Teen" — Khalid
"Ctrl" — SZA
"Starboy" — The Weeknd

Best R&B Album:

"Freudian" — Daniel Caesar
"Let Love Rule" — Ledisi
"24K Magic" — Bruno Mars
"Gumbo" — PJ Morton
"Feel The Real" –Musiq Soulchild

Best Rap Performance:

"Bounce Back" — Big Sean
"Bodak Yellow" — Cardi B
"4:44" — Jay-Z
"HUMBLE." — Kendrick Lamar
"Bad And Boujee" — Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert

Best Rap/Sung Performance:

"PRBLMS" — 6LACK
"Crew" — Goldlink Featuring Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy
"Family Feud" — Jay-Z Featuring Beyoncé
"LOYALTY." — Kendrick Lamar Featuring Rihanna
"Love Galore" — SZA Featuring Travis Scott

Best Rap Song:

"Bodak Yellow" — Dieuson Octave, Klenord Raphael, Shaftizm, Jordan Thorpe, Washpoppin & J White, songwriters (Cardi B)
"Chase Me" — Judah Bauer, Brian Burton, Hector Delgado, Jaime Meline, Antwan Patton, Michael Render, Russell Simins & Jon Spencer, songwriters (Danger Mouse Featuring Run The Jewels & Big Boi)
"HUMBLE." — Duckworth, Asheton Hogan & M. Williams II, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
"Sassy" — Gabouer & M. Evans, songwriters (Rapsody)
"The Story Of O.J." — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (Jay-Z)

Best Rap Album:

"4:44" — Jay-Z
"DAMN." — Kendrick Lamar
"Culture" — Migos
"Laila’s Wisdom" — Rapsody
"Flower Boy" — Tyler, The Creator

Best Country Solo Performance:

"Body Like A Back Road" — Sam Hunt
"Losing You" –Alison Krauss
"Tin Man" — Miranda Lambert
"I Could Use A Love Song" — Maren Morris
"Either Way" — Chris Stapleton

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

"It Ain’t My Fault" — Brothers Osborne
"My Old Man" — Zac Brown Band
"You Look Good" — Lady Antebellum
"Better Man" — Little Big Town
"Drinkin’ Problem" — Midland

Best Country Song:

"Better Man" — Taylor Swift, songwriter (Little Big Town)
"Body Like A Back Road" — Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Sam Hunt)
"Broken Halos" — Mike Henderson & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton)
"Drinkin’ Problem" — Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne & Mark Wystrach, songwriters (Midland)
"Tin Man" — Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert & Jon Randall, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

Best Country Album:

"Cosmic Hallelujah" — Kenny Chesney
"Heart Break" — Lady Antebellum
"The Breaker" — Little Big Town
"Life Changes" — Thomas Rhett
"From A Room: Volume 1" — Chris Stapleton

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media:

"Baby Driver" — (Various Artists)
"Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2: Awesome Mix Vol. 2" — (Various Artists)
"Hidden Figures: The Album" — (Various Artists)
"La La Land" — (Various Artists)
"Moana: The Songs" — (Various Artists)

Best Song Written For Visual Media:

"City Of Stars" — Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, songwriters (Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone)
"How Far I’ll Go" — Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Auli’i Cravalho)
"I Don’t Wanna Live Forever ("Fifty Shades Darker")" — Jack Antonoff, Sam Dew & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Zayn & Taylor Swift)
"Never Give Up" — Sia Furler & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Sia)
"Stand Up For Something" — Common & Diane Warren, songwriters (Andra Day Featuring Common)

Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical):

Calvin Harris
Greg Kurstin
Blake Mills
No I.D.
The Stereotypes

Best Music Video:

"Up All Night" — Beck
"Makeba" — Jain
"The Story Of O.J." — Jay-Z
"HUMBLE." — Kendrick Lamar
"1-800-273-8255" — Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid

DAVID CASSIDY (1950 - 2017)

David Cassidy, the popular teen heartthrob who found fame in television and music throughout the 1970's, passed away on November 21st due to complications from dementia. Playing Keith Partridge for four seasons on the musical-comedy series, "The Partridge Family" along with his step-mother at the time, Shirley Jones (who played his mother on the show), Cassidy was able to take the music from this fictional music family and turn it in to real-life pop hits with The Partridge Family's biggest song being "I Think I Love You" which went to number one in the U.S. and sold over five million copies.

Cassidy was born in New York City to actors Jack Cassidy and Evelyn Ward so it's hardly a surprise that David eventually found himself drawn in to the family business. He made his professional acting debut in the failed 1969 Broadway musical, "The Fig Leaves Are Falling" but a casting director, after seeing the show, saw his potential and had him come to Hollywood. Cassidy made guest appearances on several television shows before he was cast on "The Partridge Family" in 1970. After he had some pop music success from the show, Cassidy went to work on a solo album and had his own hit with a cover of The Association's, "Cherish" in 1972. While he wanted to seen as a serious rock musician, the baggage from the show and his teen idol image made it difficult for people to separate fact from fiction.

By the time the show ended it's run in 1974, Cassidy's popularity cooled in America but he remained a major draw internationally. While on tour, a tragic event occurred when a fourteen year old girl was killed during a stampede to the stage at one of his London concerts in 1974. This tragedy along with the intense pressure of fame caused Cassidy to decide to take a hiatus from touring and acting to focus on songwriting and recording. However, by the 1980's, Cassidy found himself broke despite still having a lucrative career throughout much of the world.

He later returned to the stage, appearing in London and Broadway productions of "Little Johnny Jones", "Blood Brothers" (along with his half-brother, Shaun Cassidy) and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". Cassidy released his last studio album, "A Touch of Blue" in 2003, appeared with half-brother, Patrick on the 2009 family comedy series, "Ruby & The Rockits" and was the first fired on the 2011 season of "Celebrity Apprentice". He admitted his problem with alcohol in 2008 and faced a few arrest charges over the following years but he continued to tour with concert appearances across the USA and the UK until his diagnosis of dementia forced him to retire earlier this year. Let's look back and enjoy a few musical moments from this talented performer:

NUMBER ONE FLASHBACK

This Number One Flashback happened the week I had just turned five years old back in November of 1967. "To Sir, With Love" by Scottish singer and actress, Lulu reached the top of the U.S. pop chart and remained there for five weeks. It also became the number one pop single of the year according to Billboard and sold over one million copies.

At the age of fifteen, Lulu (born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie) was the lead singer with the group, the Luvvers and they reached the top-ten of UK pop charts with a cover of the Isley Brothers' hit, "Shout" in 1964. Not long after, she left the group and went solo to become one of the biggest-selling British female singers of the 1960's.

Lulu made her acting debut with the 1967 film, "To Sir, With Love" which starred Sidney Poitier. The actor plays a teacher who arrives at a secondary school in a rough area in the East End of London where the students drove the last teacher out with their disruptive behavior and outrageous pranks. But Mr. Poitier is not having it and tries another effective approach to have these kids come around. Lulu appears as "Babs" and at the end of the film, she performs the moving title song to reflect all of the students' deep appreciation for their teacher.

This is one of my all-time favorite songs so it's probably appropriate to play this classic tune by my fellow Scorpio today on my birthday. Enjoy:

HALF-LIGHT

When he was a member of the art-rock quartet, Vampire Weekend, Rostam Batmanglij was a major driving force behind the band as he was a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer and producer of much of their material. The group (featuring bass guitarist Chris Baio, drummer Chris Tomson and guitarist, songwriter and lead vocalist Ezra Koenig) were together since their college days at Columbia University and released three critically-acclaimed albums with their third, "Modern Vampires of the City" winning them a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2014.

During his time with the band, Batmanglij teamed with Wes Miles of the indie rock band, Ra Ra Riot in 2006 for a side project called Discovery that explored electronic and alt-r&b sounds but after Vampire Weekend's last release, he began to further experiment musically. Batmanglij did some work for a film, teaming up with Charli XCX and Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran on a song for the soundtrack of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1", writing original music for a play by Kenneth Lonergan called "This Is Our Youth" in 2014, writing and producing tracks for Carly Rae Jepsen's well-received 2015 album, "E•MO•TION", producing the Frank Ocean's track, "Ivy" from his follow-up 2016 album, "Blonde" and worked on songs for recent releases from Haim and Solange.

All this activity may have led him to decide on leaving Vampire Weekend in January 2016 although his departure was amicable and open to working with them in the future. Now, going professionally by his first name, Rostam, he is ready to use his own voice to express himself and released his first solo album in September, "Half-Light". For his own music, Rostam further pushes conventional pop structures, using complex musical textures to create moody and emotional songs. Here are two tracks that best represents the inventive, dreamlike atmosphere on the album: