Chance the Rapper at Made In America | Photo by Cameron Pollack for WXPN
Chance the Rapper, David Bowie top nomination list for 59th annual Grammy Awards
Nominations for the 59th annual Grammy Awards were announced this morning, ramping up excitement for the February 12th ceremony.
As expected Adele has received several nominations including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Hello,” while her third LP 25 is up for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album.
Chance the Rapper and Anderson.Paak will vie for Best New Artist, with the former appearing again on both the Best Rap Performance shortlist for “No Problem” and the Best Rap Album shortlist for Coloring Book, while the latter’s Malibu appears in the Best Urban Contemporary group against Firefly Music Festival stand out Gallant and his Ology.
Sturgill Simpson tosses his A Sailor’s Guide to Earth in the mix for Album of the Year and Best Country Album (against Loretta Lynn‘s Full Circle), while The Avett Brothers (“Ain’t No Man”), The Blind Boys of Alabama (“Mother’s Children Have a Hard Time”), Rhiannon Giddens (“Factory Girl”), Sarah Jarosz (“House of Mercy”), or Lori McKenna (“Wreck You”) will take home the Best American Roots Performance prize.
Cage the Elephant‘s Tell Me I’m Pretty or Weezer‘s Weezer (their “White Album”) could take home Best Rock Album, but it’s the Alternative Music Album category that looks like the tightest competition: Bon Iver‘s 22, a Million, David Bowie‘s Blackstar, PJ Harvey‘s The Hope Six Demolition Project, Iggy Pop‘s Post Pop Depression, and Radiohead‘s A Moon Shaped Pool fill out that group.
A few musicians found their way into the Best Spoken Word Album list, with Patti Smith (M Train), Elvis Costello (Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink), and John Doe (Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of L.A. Punk with Tom DeSavia) up against comedians Amy Schumer and Carol Burnett.
Alabama Shakes make an appearance in the Best Rock Performance category for “Joe (Live from Austin City Limits),” as do David Bowie (“Blackstar”) and Jack White (Beyonce‘s “Don’t Hurt Yourself”).
David Bowie has another chance to take home a posthumous Grammy for “Blackstar” in Best Rock Song, but he’s up against Radiohead‘s “Burn the Witch” in that group.
Moving into visual media, Peter Gabriel gets a nod for “The Veil” from the biopic Snowden, while music videos from Leon Bridges (“River”), Coldplay (“Up & Up”), and OK Go (“Upside Down & Inside Out”) are in the running against Beyonce and Jamie XX for the best visual accompaniment.
Philadelphia native Musiq Soulchild is no stranger to Grammy nominations, and he gets his 12th with a Best R&B Performance nod for “I Do.” Meanwhile, fellow Philadelphian Jill Scott has been recognized for “Can’t Wait” in Best Traditional R&B Performance.
NPR’s inaugural Tiny Desk Contest winner Fantastic Negrito is competing for Best Contemporary Blues Album with The Last Days of Oakland, as are The Record Company (Give It Back to You) and Joe Louis Walker (Everybody Wants a Piece).
Also of interest is Ravi Coltrane‘s Best Improvised Jazz Solo nomination for “In Movement” and Latin Roots Live! performer Carla Morrison‘s inclusion in the Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album group for Amore Supremo.
For the full list of Grammy Award Nominations, go here. The ceremony airs live on CBS on Sunday, February 12th.