Issue 33: The Grammys are near and I have feelings!
My opinions on the 2024 Grammy nominees—plus album recommendations!
Welcome back to Band Practice for a special Grammy issue! The 66th Annual Grammy Awards are coming up and, just like last year, I have BIG feelings about it. The ceremony airs on Sunday, February 4th live on CBS and Paramount+ at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT (see footnote)1. I’m sending this guide to the nominees now—with my picks and predictions—so that you have time to catch up by then (if you want to sit through a nearly four-hour ceremony (or if you just want some good music recs)).
Let’s be honest, the Grammys are kind of bullshit. They may seem irrelevant, overinflated, and out-of-touch—and that’s somewhat true—but there’s a lot of great music within the list of this year’s nominees that deserves to be celebrated, and I’m going to share the best of the best with you. While I’ll be focusing on the four main televised categories, I’ll also share two album recommendations highlighting (probably) untelevised categories that are worth a listen. If you want to peruse the full list of nominees, you can find it here.
The 2024 Grammy nominations cover music released between October 1, 2022, through September 15, 2023. I have listened to at least one album in most of the top 65 categories (out of 94)—before it gets into the children’s music and audiobooks and technical stuff. This was the first year that I listened to all of the songs and albums in the three major categories (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year) before the nominees were announced back in November. (Pat on the back to me!) You’ll recognize some of the songs and albums from my playlists and reviews.
Just like last year, I have included a customized ballot with my picks for the main categories (plus seven others) and spots for you to mark down your picks, if you’d like to play along. You can find the ballot at the link below.
If you want to share your Grammy-related feelings, feel free to light up the comments.
Grab some popcorn and let’s get to it!
The big four (guaranteed to be televised)
Record Of The Year
This is an award for the production and engineering of a song, not the songwriting itself (that’s Song Of The Year). I listed the artist who performs each song instead of listing all of the producers, mixers, and engineers who will win the award for simplicity's sake.
Worship — Jon Batiste
Not Strong Enough — boygenius
Flowers — Miley Cyrus
What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture "Barbie"] — Billie Eilish
On My Mama — Victoria Monét
Vampire — Olivia Rodrigo
Anti-Hero — Taylor Swift
Kill Bill — SZA
This category mostly consists of huge, chart-topping hits from the past year like “Flowers” and “Anti-Hero,” but it also has some curveballs like Recording Academy favorite John Batiste’s “Worship” and R&B artist Victoria Monét’s “On My Mama,” which got considerably less play. It also includes one of two songs from the Barbie movie to be nominated this year (the other is Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night”). I can’t complain about any of them being nominated (I mean, I could), and they all have strengths in their own right, but I’ll run through my favorites and who I think is and isn’t most likely to win.
There’s a contrast in this category between minimalism and maximalism, and “Not Strong Enough” falls into the minimalism bucket. It is simpler in production than the other nominees but crisp AF. The blend of vocals from artists Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus is perfectly balanced—not overpowered by the raucous guitars and drums behind them.2 If it doesn’t win here, it should certainly win Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.
“Anti-hero,” on the other hand, takes a maximalist approach. All of the different layers (Mellotron, deep synths, drum machines) contrasted with clean vocals stack together beautifully, pulling you into the song. Listening to it is like diving into a delicious, decadent cake (whatever kind of cake you like—even gluten-free) oozing with buttercream goodness. Though it was extremely hard to choose, it’s my pick for this category, but I would be entirely happy with either of my other two favorites winning.
“Kill Bill” creates a whole moood within a song. The lyrics are about murder(!) but the vibe is sultry and sing-songy—and that is the magic of production. It has a distinctive texture and feel that I haven’t heard before in an R&B song (I want more of it!). I could easily swap this with “Anti-hero” for the win, but I do (spoiler) give SZA credit where it is due.
The real wildcard here is “What Was I Made For.” It has beautiful, detailed production with perfect vocal takes from Billie Eilish. This video of Eilish and Finneas geeking out over the production of their own song is worth a watch. I wouldn’t be mad if it won (it’s definitely Oscar-worthy—sorry, not sorry Ken!) but I think a song from a soundtrack would be an odd choice.
Honorable mention goes to Olivia Rodrigo for “Vampire.” While I don’t think it’s a strong contender here, she should win Best Pop Solo Performance for the vocals alone.
If you want to listen along and judge for yourself, I made a playlist of all of the Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year nominees. You can find the Spotify and Apple Music versions linked below.
Apple Music link
Song Of The Year
This is an award for songwriting which encompasses lyrics and melody. Again, the performing artists are listed for simplicity’s sake but each of them had co-writers.
A&W — Lana Del Ray
Anti-Hero — Taylor Swift
Butterfly — Jon Batiste
Dance The Night (From Barbie The Album) — Dua Lipa
Flowers — Miley Cyrus
Kill Bill — SZA
Vampire — Olivia Rodrigo
What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture "Barbie"] — Billie Eilish
There is some strong pop songwriting in this category, and also some…not so strong. I’m going to give the boot to “Butterfly,” “Dance The Night” (fun song but absofuckinglutelynot), and “Flowers.” And a gentle boot to “Vampire,” because I don’t think its songwriting is as good as its production or performance.
“A&W,” which was surprisingly omitted from the Record Of The Year category, remains one of my favorite songs of 2023. The way it shifts from a soft, piano-lead ballad to trap is ingenious. But Del Rey’s lyrics and the way she extracts them into melody is what shines the most here. I would also be tickled if a song containing the lyrics “Jimmy Jimmy Cocoa Puff” won a Grammy.
“Anti-hero” is the kind of song that every pop singer wishes they had written. Its clever rhyme schemes (“I should not be left to my own devices, they come with prices and vices, I end up in crisis”) launches my head into space every time I listen to it. And its meme-able chorus (“It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me”) is so catchy and relatable that it haunts me regularly. Swift is a great songwriter, and this could be an easy win for her.
However, my vote goes to “Kill Bill.” Its kill-er, stick-to-your-ribs melody and hook kept it in the Billboard Top 10 for 17 weeks. The melody is deceptively simple, using melodic catharsis to move the listener through tension and release. Yes, it may be classified as an “R&B murder ballad,” but it’s more than that. It performs a difficult trick of putting us in the shoes of a villian and making us empathize with them.3 (Please don’t do murder!) It is gutsy songwriting. SZA took a risk, found the perfect way to package it, and succeeded. It deserves to be celebrated either in this category or in Record Of The Year—perhaps both!
“What Was I Made For?” is also a wildcard here! Who knows?!
Album Of The Year
(I linked any albums that I reviewed, if you’d like more description)
World Music Radio — Jon Batiste
Endless Summer Vacation — Miley Cyrus
Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd — Lana Del Rey
The Age Of Pleasure — Janelle Monáe
GUTS — Olivia Rodrigo
This category is the best of the best, and (in my mind) judging its nominees is a quest for flawlessness. There are three albums I’d eliminate right off the bat: World Music Radio, Endless Summer Vacation, and GUTS, as I just don’t think they stack up against the others. However, the Recording Academy loves John Batiste, and honored him with five Grammys in 2022, so they could surprise us again. They love Olivia Rodrigo, too! Age Of Pleasure was a very strong album, but it wasn’t as impactful in both my impression and the impression it had in popular music.
Though it pains me, I also have to eliminate Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know… and Taylor Swift’s Midnights. Did You Know… has stunning moments that are unmatched by any other album I’ve listened to this year (A&W, Let The Light In) but it is, admittedly, uneven and has some skippable tracks (I could go forever without hearing “Candy Necklace” again (which happens to be nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance)). And as much as I love Midnights, it’s not the most cohesive album, nor is it Swift’s best.4 It made no critic’s Best-of 2022 list (except my own); it’s an album for the fans. Harry Styles won for a very fan-propelled album last year, though, so that pattern could repeat.
The case for SOS: It would be nice to see an R&B album win this award, as the genre has been criminally underrepresented.5 Running just over an hour long, the album is slightly bloated but contains some of SZAs (and R&B’s) best songs. (“Good Days” is probably in my top 100 songs of all time.) Her bold songwriting and innovative arrangements cement it as a new R&B classic. She has real potential to sweep the big three, and I wouldn’t be mad if she did. But if she doesn’t take home Best Progressive R&B Album at the very least, I will riot.
The case for the record: What happens when you bring three brilliantly talented alternative rock goddesses together to make an album? You achieve near-perfection. There are no throwaways or lulls here—just a dozen well-crafted songs from three friends who happen to be at the top of their game. From the soft, acoustic numbers to electrified rock jamming—they do it all so well. And the harmonies…just give them the award for the harmonies alone. I hope their win stabs through the heart of every douchey indie rock bro who thinks they’re special just because they can play a few chords on a guitar. Sit down and humble thyself, my dudes. This is what excellence looks like.
Who is missing? If they were bigger names, I think Jessie Ware and Caroline Polachek’s albums would be here. If Midnights and GUTS can be nominated, either of those could be included. They contain far more cohesive and inventive pop. I also think Kali Uchis should have had a shot at Best Progressive R&B Album for Red Moon In Venus and Little Simz should have had a nom for NO THANK YOU under Best Rap Album. But, ya know, it’s all about the big names. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Who gets your vote for album of the year, or who do you think should have been nominated? Let me know in the comments.
Best New Artist
You may be wondering, as I was, who some of (or any of) these people are. I gotchu. Here’s a “Cliffs Notes” guide along with who I think should get the award.
Gracie Abrams — This pop singer recently opened for Taylor Swift on her “Eras” tour. She’s JJ Abrams’ daughter, so there’s a bit of a nepo baby thing going on here that may give her an advantage amongst the elites. I enjoyed her most recent album (though it was nothing groundbreaking) and featured her song, “I know it won’t work,” on my Winter playlist.
Fred again.. — Fred Gibson is a DJ and electronic/dance music producer whose Actual Life trilogy of albums documented life over three years of the pandemic, providing a beacon of hope to fans of dance music (the third album in the series is nominated for a Grammy). I wrote about his most recent album—a collaboration with Brian Eno—here. My heart picks Fred again.. for this award. I love the positive energy he puts into his projects. He has a unique point of view and oodles of talent. I’m glad he’s getting more recognition.
Ice Spice — Not a missing Spice Girl, Ice Spice is an up-and-coming female rapper whose collaboration with PinkPantheress “Boy’s a liar, Pt. 2” went viral last year. Her collaborations with artists like Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift have also helped propel her to fame. But is her talent worth the hype? Sure. You can listen to her critically acclaimed EP here. If I had to place my bet on who will actually get this award, it would be her.
Jelly Roll — The heavily-tattooed country singer/rapper Jason DeFord has been putting out albums under the moniker “Jelly Roll” for decades—mostly as a rapper. He has gained popularity as he has pivoted to full-time country singing, thanks to collaborations like his duet “Save Me” with Lainey Wilson. His most recent album, Whitsitt Chapel is a soulful and compelling rebirth for the artist. You can listen to it here and be as pleasantly surprised as I was.
Coco Jones — This actress/R&B singer made her claim to fame in a Disney Channel movie in 2012 that probably no one reading this has seen. Oh, you did see Let It Shine? Good for you, film buff! Her single, “ICU” recently topped Billboard’s R&B charts and her latest album is up for the Best R&B award. It’s…fine? I don’t know, I didn’t find anything special about it. She’s the Gracie Abrams of R&B, perhaps.
Noah Kahan — This Edward Cullen-looking fellow owes his rise to fame to TikTok which got bajillions of fans to love his album Stick Season along with its viral title track. To be fair, I fell in love with the album, too, and wrote a teeny tiny blurb about it in one of last year’s issues. The folk/pop crossover singer knows how to churn out strong melodies and vulnerable lyrics. I think he’s the second most likely to get the award.
Victoria Monét — This R&B singer/songwriter has been in the business for a while writing songs for artists like Ariana Grande, Chloe x Halle, and BLACKPINK and has been previously nominated for her work with some of them. Now her debut LP has earned her well-deserved nominations for Best R&B Album and Best New Artist—the former of which she certainly deserves to win.
The War And Treaty — Husband and wife country singin’ duo Tanya and Michael Trotter Jr. have several albums under their belt, but made their major label debut last year which…I guess makes them new? I don’t know how it works. They both have amazing, powerful voices that floored me upon listening. However, their recent album comes up short of a recommendation because it felt like it was one volume, which became overwhelming, but please run to listen to “Ain’t No Harmin’ Me.”
Two Grammy-nominated albums I highly recommend
Victoria Monét — Jaguar II
Best R&B Album
Victoria Monét’s songwriting has permeated popular music for the past decade. As she has pivoted to her own music, it is clear that she has found her voice. In JAGUAR II (a follow-up to her EP JAGUAR), she marries modern and classic R&B sounds anchored by smooth-as-butter production and tight songwriting. The flow is so masterful that you’ll hardly notice you’ve jumped from one song to another. Her songs are full of sensuality, confidence, and jungle cat ferocity. (Just put on “On My Mama” and try not to feel sexy.) No other album in this category stands a chance against her level of exceptionalism.
Tracks on repeat: Alright, On My Mama, Stop (Askin’ Me 4Shyt)
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
Laufey — Bewitched
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Icelandic singer, songwriter, and pianist Laufey (pronounced LAY-vay) may be the missing link between Billie Holiday and Billie Eilish. Her jazz-pop originals sound like they could have been written a century ago, but they feel entirely fresh. Lush orchestrations underscore a voice that possesses the grace of a Disney princess (the tone! the control!). Dreamy piano, wistful woodwinds, a bit of bossa nova, and the inclusion of the Garner standard “Misty” are brilliant choices that make the album so lovable. She’s up against some odd competition with Bruce Springsteen(?) and Sondheim Unplugged(??) (what even is this category?), so who knows how this will shake out. But I was wowed (bewitched even) by the album and would love to see this rising chanteuse win.
Tracks on repeat: Haunted, California and Me, From The Start
Available on Spotify, Apple Music
Coming up…
In the next issue, I’ll resume regular reviews with my first batch of 2024 favorites—and I’ve got some excellent ones to share. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.
I love hearing what you have to say! If you have feelings about this issue, questions for me, album recommendations, or any other thoughts, send them my way by leaving a comment or replying to this email. You can also reach me at bandpracticenewsletter@gmail.com
The ceremony will also be airing live and on-demand through Paramount+ if you have a SHOWTIME subscription. If you have a regular Paramount+ subscription, you can catch the ceremony on-demand starting the following day. And, hey, you can fast forward!
boygenius’ performance of “Not Strong Enough” on SNL (who is famously terrible at audio mixing) is a prime example of how not to mix their vocals.
“Anti-hero” also does this, in a tongue-in-cheek way. A theme!
This could be Taylor Swift’s fourth Album Of The Year—the most wins of any artist (she’s currently tied with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, and Paul Simon).
SZA would also be only the 12th Black artist to win AOTY (John Batiste most recently won in 2022 for We Are).