2021 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

The nominations for the 64th annual Grammy Awards were announced on November 23rd with Jon Baptiste, receiving the most nominations this year with a total of eleven for "We Are", his latest studio album that features an intriguing blend of jazz and r&b. Batiste, best known for his role as musical director on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert", had won an Oscar for Best Original Score alongside Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross earlier this year for the animated film, "Soul". 

Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. all received eight nominations. Last year's big winner, Billie Eilish received seven nominations for "Happier Than Ever", the follow-up to her debut along with Olivia Rodrigo for her debut, "Sour" who received a nom for Best New Artist. The Swedish super-pop group, ABBA shockingly received their very first Grammy Award nod for their first single in forty years, "I Still Have Faith in You" in the Record of the Year category. 

The music legend, Tony Bennett made history as the oldest nominee at age of ninety-five for his collaboration with Lady Gaga on the jazz collection, "Love For Sale". And Jay-Z, the recent inductee in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, also made history this year as the most nominated individual artist of all-time with eighty-three with three new nominations for his work with the late DMX and Kanye West. Paul McCartney moved in to the second spot with eighty-one due to two additional nominations in the rock category.

One notable change this year is that in the four major categories; Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist, have been expanded to include ten nominees. I think that while this will give recognition to more deserving artists, there will still only be one winner, making the final selection even more difficult than it has been in the past.

The 2021 Grammys will be held in Los Angeles at the former Staples Center which has recently been newly renamed Crypto.com Arena on January 31, 2022, April 3rd, 2022 broadcasting live on CBS and streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Here is a partial list of the nominations for the 2021 Grammy Awards:

Album Of The Year:

"We Are" — Jon Batiste
"Love For Sale" — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
"Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)" — Justin Bieber
"Planet Her (Deluxe)" — Doja Cat
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish
"Back Of My Mind — H.E.R.
"Montero" — Lil Nas X
"Sour" — Olivia Rodrigo
"Evermore" — Taylor Swift
"Donda" — Kanye West

Record Of The Year:

"I Still Have Faith In You" — ABBA
"Freedom" — Jon Batiste
"I Get A Kick Out Of You" — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
"Peaches" — Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon
"Right On Time" — Brandi Carlile
"Kiss Me More" — Doja Cat Featuring SZA
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish
"Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" — Lil Nas X
"Drivers License" — Olivia Rodrigo
"Leave The Door Open" — Silk Sonic

Song Of The Year:

“Bad Habits” — Fred Gibson, Johnny McDaid & Ed Sheeran, songwriters (Ed Sheeran)
"A Beautiful Noise" — Ruby Amanfu, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, Alicia Keys, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry & Hailey Whitters, songwriters (Alicia Keys And Brandi Carlile)
"Drivers License" — Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Olivia Rodrigo)
"Fight For You" — Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
"Kiss Me More" — Rogét Chahayed, Amala Zandile Dlamini, Lukasz Gottwald, Carter Lang, Gerard A. Powell II, Solána Rowe & David Sprecher, songwriters (Doja Cat Featuring SZA)
"Leave The Door Open" — Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic)
"Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" — Denzel Baptiste, David Biral, Omer Fedi, Montero Hill & Roy Lenzo, songwriters (Lil Nas X)
"Peaches" — Louis Bell, Justin Bieber, Giveon Dezmann Evans, Bernard Harvey, Felisha “Fury” King, Matthew Sean Leon, Luis Manual Martinez Jr., Aaron Simmonds, Ashton Simmonds, Andrew Wotman & Keavan Yazdani, songwriters (Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon)
"Right On Time" — Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)

Best New Artist:

Arooj Aftab
Jimmie Allen
Baby Keem
Finneas
Glass Animals
Japanese Breakfast
The Kid Laroi
Arlo Parks
Olivia Rodrigo
Saweetie

Best Pop Vocal Album:

"Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)" — Justin Bieber
"Planet Her (Deluxe)" — Doja Cat
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish
"Positions" — Ariana Grande
"Sour" — Olivia Rodrigo

Best Pop Solo Performance:

"Anyone" -Justin Bieber
"Right On Time" - Brandi Carlile
"Happier Than Ever" - Billie Eilish
"Positions" - Ariana Grande
Drivers License" - Olivia Rodrigo

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

"I Get A Kick Out Of You" - Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
"Lonely" - Justin Bieber & benny blanco
"Butter" - BTS
"Higher Power" - Coldplay
"Kiss Me More" - Doja Cat Featuring SZA

Best Rap Album:

"The Off-Season" — J. Cole
"Certified Lover Boy" — Drake
"King’s Disease II" — Nas
"Call Me If You Get Lost" — Tyler The Creator
"Donda" — Kanye West

Best Rap Performance:

"Family Ties" — Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar
"Up" — Cardi B
"m y . l i f e" — J. Cole Featuring 21 Savage & Morray
"Way 2 Sexy" — Drake Featuring Future & Young Thug
"Thot Shit" — Megan Thee Stallion

Best Rap Song:

"Bath Salts" - Shawn Carter, Kasseem Dean, Michael Forno, Nasir Jones & Earl Simmons, songwriters (DMX Featuring Jay-Z & Nas)
"Best Friend" - Amala Zandelie Dlamini, Lukasz Gottwald, Randall Avery Hammers, Diamonté Harper, Asia Smith, Theron Thomas & Rocco Valdes, songwriters (Saweetie Featuring Doja Cat)
"Family Ties" - Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Hykeem Carter, Tobias Dekker, Colin Franken, Jasper Harris, Kendrick Lamar, Ronald Latour & Dominik Patrzek, songwriters (Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar)
"Jail" - Dwayne Abernathy, Jr., Shawn Carter, Raul Cubina, Michael Dean, Charles M. Njapa, Sean Solymar, Brian Hugh Warner, Kanye West & Mark Williams, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Jay-Z)
"M Y . L I F E" - Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph & Jermaine Cole, songwriters (J. Cole Featuring 21 Savage & Morray)

Best R&B Album:

"Temporary Highs In The Violet Skies" - Snoh Aalegra
"We Are" - Jon Batiste
"Gold-Diggers Sound" - Leon Bridges
"Back Of My Mind" - H.E.R.
"Heaux Tales" - Jazmine Sullivan

Best R&B Performance:

"Lost You" — Snoh Aalegra
"Peaches" — Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon
"Damage" — H.E.R.
"Leave The Door Open" — Silk Sonic
"Pick Up Your Feelings" — Jazmine Sullivan

Best R&B Song:

"Damage" - Anthony Clemons Jr., Jeff Gitelman, H.E.R., Carl McCormick & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
"Good Days" - Jacob Collier, Carter Lang, Carlos Munoz, Solána Rowe & Christopher Ruelas, songwriters (SZA)
"Heartbreak Anniversary" - Giveon Evans, Maneesh, Sevn Thomas & Varren Wade, songwriters (Giveon)
"Leave The Door Open" - Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic)
"Pick Up Your Feelings" - Denisia “Blue June” Andrews, Audra Mae Butts, Kyle Coleman, Brittany “Chi” Coney, Michael Holmes & Jazmine Sullivan, songwriters (Jazmine Sullivan)

Best Progressive R&B Album:

"New Light" — Eric Bellinger
"Something To Say" — Cory Henry
"Mood Valiant" — Hiatus Kaiyote
"Table For Two" — Lucky Daye
"Dinner Party: Dessert" — Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder & Kamasi Washington
"Studying Abroad: Extended Stay" — Masego

Best Country Album:

"Skeletons" Brothers Osborne
"Remember Her Name" - Mickey Guyton
"The Marfa Tapes" - Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall & Jack Ingram"
"The Ballad Of Dood & Juanita" - Sturgill Simpson
"Starting Over" - Chris Stapleton

Best Country Solo Performance:

"Forever After All" - Luke Combs
"Remember Her Name" - Mickey Guyton
"All I Do Is Drive" - Jason Isbell
"Camera Roll" - Kacey Musgraves
"You Should Probably Leave" - Chris Stapleton

Best Country Song:

"Better Than We Found It" — Jessie Jo Dillon, Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins & Laura Velz, songwriters (Maren Morris)
"Camera Roll" — Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves & Daniel Tashian, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
"Cold" — Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton)
"Country Again" — Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley & Thomas Rhett, songwriters (Thomas Rhett)
"Fancy Like" — Cameron Bartolini, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins & Shane Stevens, songwriters (Walker Hayes)
"Remember Her Name" — Mickey Guyton, Blake Hubbard, Jarrod Ingram &Parker Welling, songwriters (Mickey Guyton)

Best Americana Album:

"Downhill From Everywhere" - Jackson Browne
"Leftover Feelings" - John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band
"Native Sons" - Los Lobos
"Outside Child" - Allison Russell
"Stand For Myself" - Yola

Best American Roots Performance:

"Cry" - Jon Batiste
"Love And Regret" - Billy Strings
"I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" - The Blind Boys Of Alabama & Béla Fleck
"Same Devil" - Brandy Clark Featuring Brandi Carlile
"Nightflyer" - Allison Russell

Best Dance/Electronic Music Album:

"Subconsciously" - Black Coffee
"Fallen Embers" - ILLENIUM
"Music Is The Weapon (Reloaded)" - Major Lazer
"Shockwave" - Marshmello
"Free Love" - Sylvan Esso
"Judgement" - Ten City

Best Dance/Electronic Recording:

"Hero" — Afrojack & David Guetta
"Loom" — Ólafur Arnalds Featuring Bonobo
"Before" — James Blake
"Heartbreak" — Bonobo & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
"You Can Do It" — Caribou
"Alive" — Rüfüs Du Sol
"The Business" — Tiësto

Best Rock Album:

"Power Up" - AC/DC
"Capitol Cuts - Live From Studio A" - Black Pumas
"No One Sings Like You Anymore Vol. 1" - Chris Cornell
"Medicine At Midnight" - Foo Fighters
"McCartney III" - Paul McCartney

Best Rock Performance:

"Shot In The Dark" - AC/DC
"Know You Better (Live From Capitol Studio A)" - Black Pumas
"Nothing Compares 2 U" - Chris Cornell
"Ohms" - Deftones
"Making A Fire" - Foo Fighters

Best Alternative Music Album:

"Shore" — Fleet Foxes
"If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power?" — Halsey
"Jubilee" — Japanese Breakfast
"Collapsed In Sunbeams" — Arlo Parks
"Daddy‘s Home" — St. Vincent

Best Jazz Vocal Album:

"Generations" — The Baylor Project
"SuperBlue" — Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter
"Time Traveler" — Nnenna Freelon
"Flor" — Gretchen Parlato
"Songwrights Apothecary Lab" — Esperanza Spalding

Best Gospel Album:

"Changing Your Story" — Jekalyn Carr
"Royalty: Live At The Ryman" — Tasha Cobbs Leonard
"Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition" — Maverick City Music
"Jonny x Mali: Live In LA" — Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music
"Believe For It" — CeCe Winans

Best Latin Pop Album:

"Vértigo" — Pablo Alborán
"Mis Amores" — Paula Arenas
"Hecho A La Antigua" — Ricardo Arjona
"Mis Manos" — Camilo
"Mendó" — Alex Cuba
"Revelación" — Selena Gomez

Best Spoken Word Album (includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):

"Aftermath" — LeVar Burton
"Carry On: Reflections For A New Generation From John Lewis" — Don Cheadle
"Catching Dreams: Live At Fort Knox Chicago" — J. Ivy
"8:46" — Dave Chappelle & Amir Sulaiman
"A Promised Land" — Barack Obama

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media:

"Cruella" - Various Artists
"Dear Evan Hansen" - Various Artists
"In The Heights" - Various Artists
"One Night In Miami..." - Various Artists
"Respect" - Jennifer Hudson
"Schmigadoon! Episode 1" - Various Artists
"The United States Vs. Billie Holiday" - Andra Day

Best Music Film:

"Inside" — Bo Burnham
"David Byrne‘s American Utopia" — David Byrne
"Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter To Los Angeles" — Billie Eilish
"Music, Money, Madness. . .Jimi Hendrix In Maui" — Jimi Hendrix
"Summer Of Soul" — Various Artists

Best Music Video:

"Shot In The Dark" — AC/DC
"Freedom" — Jon Batiste
"I Get A Kick Out Of You" — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
"Peaches" — Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish
"Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" — Lil Nas X
"Good 4 U" — Olivia Rodrigo

Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical):

Jack Antonoff
Rogét Chahayed
Mike Elizondo
Hit-Boy
Ricky Reed

STILL OVER IT

The Atlanta born and raised, Summer Walker is one of the hottest artists in r&b at this moment. Her debut album, "Over It" in 2019 first brought her international attention with the help of the singles, "Playing Games", "Stretch You Out", "Come Thru" and a remix of "Girls Need Love" that featured Drake. The album found it's way on several Best Albums of the Year critic's lists, won Best Album at the 2020 Soul Train Music Awards, was the most streamed album by a female artist on Apple Music and would go on to sell over two million copies in the U.S.

Now the twenty-five year old singer has released a direct follow-up, "Still Over It", another solid collection of contemporary soul with touches of '90's hip-hop and trap running through her sound. The focus of this record is the end of her relationship with London on da Track, an artist and producer on her debut which happened not long after giving birth to their daughter. Through each song, Walker makes it clear that she's not one to mess with and unwilling to put up with any nonsense. There is an impressive line-up of performers (which includes Cardi B, JT of City Girls, SZA, Ari Lennox, Pharrell Williams, Omarion, and Ciara) and producers who have contributed to the album. And most impressively, "Still Over It" debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 Album chart. Here are a few of my favorite tracks from the reigning queen of r&b, Summer Walker:

NEW SOUNDS

BEYONCE

While we have been anxiously awaiting for the return of new music by Beyoncé, what we have received is a song for the soundtrack of "King Richard", an upcoming bio-pic on the story of how a determined Richard Williams (played by Will Smith) helped his daughters, Venus and Serena become two of the greatest players in tennis. After watching an early screening of the film, the singer was moved and inspired by their story, offering to contribute the song, "Be Alive" which she co-wrote and produced with Dixson. This power-ballad contains uplifting words of empowerment with a beautiful, emotional vocal that only Beyoncé can deliver. This is a wonderful treat until she decides to release a complete album.



MITSKI

It's been three years since Mitski broke out with her fifth studio album, "Be The Cowboy", a thrilling collection of art-pop that found it's way on several best albums of 2018 lists. Now the Japanese-American artist, born Mitsuki Laycock, has released a new single, "The Only Heartbreaker", a delicious slice of '80's inspired synth-pop that the performer has made sound simultaneously retro and fresh. This is the second song from her upcoming album, "Laurel Hell" (due out in February and once again produced by her longtime collaborator, Patrick Hyland) with most of the tracks written by Mitski not long after her last album release yet completed during the lockdown last year. Be sure to catch Mitski on the road as she plans for an extensive tour throughout North America and Europe to support the album shortly after it's release.



U2

And about three years have passed since we last heard from the Irish rock band, U2 however, there isn't an album arriving. It's a new song that's part of the soundtrack to the sequel of the 2016 animated film, "Sing" due out in theaters on Christmas day. And I'm sure you might be wondering why U2 is involved with this movie? It turns out that Bono, the lead vocalist of the band, will be lending his voice to a new character, Clay Calloway, a famous rock star lion who is now a recluse with the koala, Buster Moon (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) and his crew of singing animals trying to lure him out to help them with their quest to start a new show in a flashy theater. The song, "Your Song Saved My Life" is a moving ballad that I'm sure will play an important part of the story. Other classic U2 songs ("Where the Streets Have No Name", "I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For", "Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of") will find there way in to the movie, covered by the harmonizing critters in this CGI-animated jukebox musical.

TAKE TWO: LAURA NYRO

During her career, Laura Nyro released ten studio albums. These recordings have gone on to become greatly admired and widely inspirational to listeners and other musicians yet the singer/songwriter was unable to achieve wider recognition as a performer. But it was her songs, atmospheric works filled with alluring, poetic imagery, that have endured to bring her worldwide fame. Nyro used her life experiences, imagination and deep love for all genres of music to share her specific view of the world that many could find a connection.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Laura Nigro immersed herself into her own special world created through music when she was very young, using this largely as a way of coping through a challenging childhood. Finding inspiration through her father, Louis Nigro, a jazz musician and the classical records that her mother loved, she taught herself how to play the piano, wrote songs and poetry. As a teen, Nigro attended the High School of Music & Art and sang wherever she could; parties, street corners and subways.

After deciding to pursue a career in music, Nigro considered several stage names before settling on "Laura Nyro". Through her father's contacts, Nyro met Artie Mogull and Paul Barry who would become her first managers. They helped the twenty year old get signed to the Verve Forecast label and released her debut album, "More Than a New Discovery" in 1967. Nyro wrote all of the songs and while the album received some critical acclaim, it failed to generate much attention. But some of the songs, "And When I Die", "Wedding Bell Blues", "Blowin' Away" and "Stoney End" would go on to greater success for other artists a few years later.

After an appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, Nyro caught the attention of David Geffen. In short order, he became her new manager, helped get her out of her recording contract, got her signed to a major label, Columbia Records, purchased the publishing rights to her early music and started a publishing company with Nyro, receiving half of the royalties from future compositions. Now with more artistic control as a co-producer, Nyro released her follow-up album, "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession" in 1968 with her insisting that the lyric sheet in the album be perfumed (not a cheap endeavor, I'm sure). The album, with it's lush production, featured r&b inspired, pop songs that touched on her singular thoughts on love, death and drugs. And while it did help bring more attention to the young singer, the record still failed commercially although once again, some songs ("Sweet Blindness", "Eli's Comin'", "Stoned Soul Picnic") would gain popularity later through other artists.

While her follow-up, "New York Tendaberry" would be her highest charting release, reaching number thirty-two on the Billboard 200, and considered one of the greatest of Nyro's recordings, the album still wasn't able to deliver the performer to much of a wider audience. More songs from the record ("Save The Country", "Time and Love") would go on to be find success with versions by other performers. Nyro would continue to record (including an album featuring soul covers produced by Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff, a live album and a jazz-pop collection) without much commercial success but her ethereal songs made her very popular amongst other artists and hardcore fans. As time went on, she became more political with her music, writing songs involving feminism, animal rights and Native American rights.

Late in 1996, Nyro was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and sadly succumbed on April 8, 1997 at the age of forty-nine. The legacy of Laura Nyro has grown tremendously since her passing with a greater appreciation for not only her songs but her gift as a performer. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Here are two songs made famous by other artists (the 5th Dimension and Barbra Streisand, respectively) but listen to what Nyro brings to these songs, expressing the joy and pain in her own remarkably, heartfelt style.