The 56th annual Grammys are upon us and even before the telecast portion kicked off, the winners were controversial. While Daft Punk was an obvious choice for best dance / electronic album -- after all, they're legends who crested the EDM wave with a record that doesn't sound very electronic, or even that dancey, which must appeal to the recording academy's older voters.
The rap categories, however, are bound to inspire a thousand thinkpieces, what with white rapper-producer duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis taking best rap song and best rap performance for "Thrift Shop" while "The Heist" took best album. Though the indie Seattle duo have experienced mammoth success in 2014, Macklemore himself said he felt Kendrick Lamar's "good kid, m.A.A.d city" deserved to win and word leaked over the weekend that the rap committee tried to boot the pair out and into the pop categories. (All told the due had seven nominations.)
Presumably, this was to prevent what would up happening from happening, which was that Macklemore and Lewis beat more purist choices like Jay Z, Kanye, Kendrick and Drake (who was up for five nominations total, including best album for "Nothing Was the Same" and best rap song and best rap performance for "Started From the Bottom" and the posse cut "Fucking Problems." Twitter did not react well to this at all.
And it didn't stop with the rap categories, either, as Macklemore and Lewis took Best New Artist, once again besting Kendrick Lamar. (That said, the obvious winner, Lorde, wasn't even nominated for best new artist though she did prove best new artistry with a minimalist, and gothy, take on her super smash "Royals."
Jay Z, who lead with nine nominations, could still pull a win, with his chances bolstered by his duet partner (and life partner) Beyonce and as well as former tourmate Justin Timberlake, who landed seven nominations and earlier picked up an R&B award for "Pusher Love Girl." At the very least he got to kick off the show with a performance with his wife on "Drunk in Love," what amounted to preview of next year's Grammys.
Over in the rock category, what we feared might happen came true when Led Zeppelin won their very first Grammy award for best rock album, unfortunately that award was doled out this year to "Celebration Day," a live album from their 2007 reunion concert in which they play their hits from the 1970s. Imagine Dragons, one of the few non-senior citizen nominees in the rock category won best rock performance for "Radioactive" while Ozzy Osbourne's return to Black Sabbath netted the band a best metal performance award for their new song "God Is Dead."
The Grammys air on CityTV and CBS starting at 8 p.m.
The pre-telecast winners are below the liveblog.
Grammys Winners:
Best Pop Instrumental Album: "Steppin' Out," Herb Alpert
Best Dance Recording: "Clarity," Zedd Featuring Foxes
Best Dance/Electronica Album: "Random Access Memories," Daft Punk
Best R&B Performance: "Something," Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway
Best Traditional R&B Performance: "Please Come Home," Gary Clark Jr.
Best R&B Song: "Pusher Love Girl," James Fauntleroy, Jerome Harmon, Timothy Mosley & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (Justin Timberlake)
Best Urban Contemporary Album: "Unapologetic," Rihanna
Best R&B Album: "Girl On Fire," Alicia Keys
Best Rap Performance: "Thrift Shop," Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz
Best Rap Song: "Thrift Shop," Ben Haggerty & Ryan Lewis, songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz)
Best Rap Album: "The Heist," Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "To Be Loved," Michael Buble
Best New Age Album: "Love's River," Laura Sullivan
Best Improvised Jazz Solo: "Orbits," Wayne Shorter, soloist
Best Jazz Vocal Album: "Liquid Spirit," Gregory Porter
Best Jazz Instrumental Album: "Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue," Terri Lyne Carrington
Best Large Jazz Ensemble: "Night In Calisia," Randy Brecker, Włodek Pawlik Trio & Kalisz Philharmonic
Best Latin Jazz Album: "Song For Maura," Paquito D'Rivera And Trio Corrente
Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance: "Break Every Chain [Live]," Tasha Cobbs
Best Gospel Song: "If He Did It Before... Same God [Live]," Tye Tribbett, songwriter (Tye Tribbett)
Best Contemporary Christian Music Song: "Overcomer," David Garcia, Ben Glover & Christopher Stevens, songwriters (Mandisa)
Best Gospel Album: "Greater Than [Live]," Tye Tribbett
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: "Overcomer," Mandisa
Best Latin Pop Album: "Vida," Draco Rosa
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album: "Treinta Días," La Santa Cecilia
Best Regional Mexican Music Album: "A Mi Manera," Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea
Best Tropical Latin Album: "Pacific Mambo Orchestra," Pacific Mambo Orchestra
Best American Roots Song: "Love Has Come For You," Edie Brickell & Steve Martin, songwriters (Steve Martin & Edie Brickell)
Best Americana Album: "Old Yellow Moon," Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Best Bluegrass Album: "The Streets Of Baltimore," Del McCoury Band
Best Folk Album: "My Favorite Picture Of You," Guy Clark
Best Regional Roots Music Album: "Dockside Sessions," Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience
Best Reggae Album: "Ziggy Marley In Concert," Ziggy Marley
Best Children's Album: "Throw A Penny In The Wishing Well," Jennifer Gasoi
Best Spoken-Word Album: "America Again: Re-becoming The Greatness We Never Weren't," Stephen Colbert
Best Comedy Album: "Calm Down Gurrl," Kathy Griffin
Best Musical Theater Album: "Kinky Boots"
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media: "Sound City: Real To Reel," Butch Vig, compilation producer
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media: "Skyfall," Thomas Newman, composer
Best Song Written For Visual Media: "Skyfall," Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)
Best Instrumental Composition: "Pensamientos For Solo Alto Saxophone And Chamber Orchestra," Clare Fischer, composer (The Clare Fischer Orchestra)
Best Instrumental Arrangement: "On Green Dolphin Street," Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band)
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "Swing Low," Gil Goldstein, arranger (Bobby McFerrin & Esperanza Spalding)
Best Recording Package: "Long Night Moon," Sarah Dodds & Shauna Dodds, art directors (Reckless Kelly)
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: "Wings Over America (Deluxe Edition)," Simon Earith & James Musgrave, art directors (Paul McCartney And Wings)
Best Album Notes: "Afro Blue Impressions (Remastered & Expanded)," Neil Tesser, album notes writer (John Coltrane)
Best Engineered Album: "Random Access Memories," Peter Franco, Mick Guzauski, Florian Lagatta & Daniel Lerner, engineers; Antoine "Chab" Chabert, Bob Ludwig, mastering engineers (Daft Punk)
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: "Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Remix)," Cedric Gervais, remixer (Lana Del Rey)
Best Surround Sound Album: "Live Kisses," Al Schmitt, surround mix engineer; Tommy LiPuma, surround producer (Paul McCartney)
Best Engineered Album, Classical: "Winter Morning Walks," David Frost, Brian Losch & Tim Martyn, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer (Dawn Upshaw, Maria Schneider, Australian Chamber Orchestra & St. Paul Chamber Orchestra)
Producer of the Year, Classical: David Frost
Best Orchestral Performance: "Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4," Osmo Vänskä, conductor (Minnesota Orchestra)
Best Opera Recording: "Adès: The Tempest," Thomas Adès, conductor; Simon Keenlyside, Isabel Leonard, Audrey Luna & Alan Oke; Jay David Saks, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
Best Choral Performance: "Pärt: Adam's Lament," Tõnu Kaljuste, conductor (Tui Hirv & Rainer Vilu; Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir; Sinfonietta Riga & Tallinn Chamber Orchestra; Latvian Radio Choir & Vox Clamantis)
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: "Roomful Of Teeth," Brad Wells & Roomful Of Teeth
Best Classical Instrumental Solo: "Corigliano: Conjurer - Concerto For Percussionist & String Orchestra," Evelyn Glennie; David Alan Miller, conductor (Albany Symphony)
Best Classical Vocal Solo: "Winter Morning Walks," Dawn Upshaw (Maria Schneider; Jay Anderson, Frank Kimbrough & Scott Robinson; Australian Chamber Orchestra & St. Paul Chamber Orchestra)
Best Classical Compendium: "Hindemith: Violinkonzert; Symphonic Metamorphosis; Konzertmusik," Christoph Eschenbach, conductor
Best Contemporary Classical Composition: "Schneider, Maria: Winter Morning Walks," Maria Schneider, composer (Dawn Upshaw, Jay Anderson, Frank Kimbrough, Scott Robinson & Australian Chamber Orchestra)
The rap categories, however, are bound to inspire a thousand thinkpieces, what with white rapper-producer duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis taking best rap song and best rap performance for "Thrift Shop" while "The Heist" took best album. Though the indie Seattle duo have experienced mammoth success in 2014, Macklemore himself said he felt Kendrick Lamar's "good kid, m.A.A.d city" deserved to win and word leaked over the weekend that the rap committee tried to boot the pair out and into the pop categories. (All told the due had seven nominations.)
Presumably, this was to prevent what would up happening from happening, which was that Macklemore and Lewis beat more purist choices like Jay Z, Kanye, Kendrick and Drake (who was up for five nominations total, including best album for "Nothing Was the Same" and best rap song and best rap performance for "Started From the Bottom" and the posse cut "Fucking Problems." Twitter did not react well to this at all.
And it didn't stop with the rap categories, either, as Macklemore and Lewis took Best New Artist, once again besting Kendrick Lamar. (That said, the obvious winner, Lorde, wasn't even nominated for best new artist though she did prove best new artistry with a minimalist, and gothy, take on her super smash "Royals."
Jay Z, who lead with nine nominations, could still pull a win, with his chances bolstered by his duet partner (and life partner) Beyonce and as well as former tourmate Justin Timberlake, who landed seven nominations and earlier picked up an R&B award for "Pusher Love Girl." At the very least he got to kick off the show with a performance with his wife on "Drunk in Love," what amounted to preview of next year's Grammys.
Over in the rock category, what we feared might happen came true when Led Zeppelin won their very first Grammy award for best rock album, unfortunately that award was doled out this year to "Celebration Day," a live album from their 2007 reunion concert in which they play their hits from the 1970s. Imagine Dragons, one of the few non-senior citizen nominees in the rock category won best rock performance for "Radioactive" while Ozzy Osbourne's return to Black Sabbath netted the band a best metal performance award for their new song "God Is Dead."
The Grammys air on CityTV and CBS starting at 8 p.m.
The pre-telecast winners are below the liveblog.
Grammys Winners:
Best Pop Instrumental Album: "Steppin' Out," Herb Alpert
Best Dance Recording: "Clarity," Zedd Featuring Foxes
Best Dance/Electronica Album: "Random Access Memories," Daft Punk
Best R&B Performance: "Something," Snarky Puppy With Lalah Hathaway
Best Traditional R&B Performance: "Please Come Home," Gary Clark Jr.
Best R&B Song: "Pusher Love Girl," James Fauntleroy, Jerome Harmon, Timothy Mosley & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (Justin Timberlake)
Best Urban Contemporary Album: "Unapologetic," Rihanna
Best R&B Album: "Girl On Fire," Alicia Keys
Best Rap Performance: "Thrift Shop," Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz
Best Rap Song: "Thrift Shop," Ben Haggerty & Ryan Lewis, songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz)
Best Rap Album: "The Heist," Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "To Be Loved," Michael Buble
Best New Age Album: "Love's River," Laura Sullivan
Best Improvised Jazz Solo: "Orbits," Wayne Shorter, soloist
Best Jazz Vocal Album: "Liquid Spirit," Gregory Porter
Best Jazz Instrumental Album: "Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue," Terri Lyne Carrington
Best Large Jazz Ensemble: "Night In Calisia," Randy Brecker, Włodek Pawlik Trio & Kalisz Philharmonic
Best Latin Jazz Album: "Song For Maura," Paquito D'Rivera And Trio Corrente
Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance: "Break Every Chain [Live]," Tasha Cobbs
Best Gospel Song: "If He Did It Before... Same God [Live]," Tye Tribbett, songwriter (Tye Tribbett)
Best Contemporary Christian Music Song: "Overcomer," David Garcia, Ben Glover & Christopher Stevens, songwriters (Mandisa)
Best Gospel Album: "Greater Than [Live]," Tye Tribbett
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: "Overcomer," Mandisa
Best Latin Pop Album: "Vida," Draco Rosa
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album: "Treinta Días," La Santa Cecilia
Best Regional Mexican Music Album: "A Mi Manera," Mariachi Divas De Cindy Shea
Best Tropical Latin Album: "Pacific Mambo Orchestra," Pacific Mambo Orchestra
Best American Roots Song: "Love Has Come For You," Edie Brickell & Steve Martin, songwriters (Steve Martin & Edie Brickell)
Best Americana Album: "Old Yellow Moon," Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Best Bluegrass Album: "The Streets Of Baltimore," Del McCoury Band
Best Folk Album: "My Favorite Picture Of You," Guy Clark
Best Regional Roots Music Album: "Dockside Sessions," Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience
Best Reggae Album: "Ziggy Marley In Concert," Ziggy Marley
Best Children's Album: "Throw A Penny In The Wishing Well," Jennifer Gasoi
Best Spoken-Word Album: "America Again: Re-becoming The Greatness We Never Weren't," Stephen Colbert
Best Comedy Album: "Calm Down Gurrl," Kathy Griffin
Best Musical Theater Album: "Kinky Boots"
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media: "Sound City: Real To Reel," Butch Vig, compilation producer
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media: "Skyfall," Thomas Newman, composer
Best Song Written For Visual Media: "Skyfall," Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)
Best Instrumental Composition: "Pensamientos For Solo Alto Saxophone And Chamber Orchestra," Clare Fischer, composer (The Clare Fischer Orchestra)
Best Instrumental Arrangement: "On Green Dolphin Street," Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band)
Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "Swing Low," Gil Goldstein, arranger (Bobby McFerrin & Esperanza Spalding)
Best Recording Package: "Long Night Moon," Sarah Dodds & Shauna Dodds, art directors (Reckless Kelly)
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: "Wings Over America (Deluxe Edition)," Simon Earith & James Musgrave, art directors (Paul McCartney And Wings)
Best Album Notes: "Afro Blue Impressions (Remastered & Expanded)," Neil Tesser, album notes writer (John Coltrane)
Best Engineered Album: "Random Access Memories," Peter Franco, Mick Guzauski, Florian Lagatta & Daniel Lerner, engineers; Antoine "Chab" Chabert, Bob Ludwig, mastering engineers (Daft Punk)
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: "Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Remix)," Cedric Gervais, remixer (Lana Del Rey)
Best Surround Sound Album: "Live Kisses," Al Schmitt, surround mix engineer; Tommy LiPuma, surround producer (Paul McCartney)
Best Engineered Album, Classical: "Winter Morning Walks," David Frost, Brian Losch & Tim Martyn, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer (Dawn Upshaw, Maria Schneider, Australian Chamber Orchestra & St. Paul Chamber Orchestra)
Producer of the Year, Classical: David Frost
Best Orchestral Performance: "Sibelius: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 4," Osmo Vänskä, conductor (Minnesota Orchestra)
Best Opera Recording: "Adès: The Tempest," Thomas Adès, conductor; Simon Keenlyside, Isabel Leonard, Audrey Luna & Alan Oke; Jay David Saks, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
Best Choral Performance: "Pärt: Adam's Lament," Tõnu Kaljuste, conductor (Tui Hirv & Rainer Vilu; Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir; Sinfonietta Riga & Tallinn Chamber Orchestra; Latvian Radio Choir & Vox Clamantis)
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: "Roomful Of Teeth," Brad Wells & Roomful Of Teeth
Best Classical Instrumental Solo: "Corigliano: Conjurer - Concerto For Percussionist & String Orchestra," Evelyn Glennie; David Alan Miller, conductor (Albany Symphony)
Best Classical Vocal Solo: "Winter Morning Walks," Dawn Upshaw (Maria Schneider; Jay Anderson, Frank Kimbrough & Scott Robinson; Australian Chamber Orchestra & St. Paul Chamber Orchestra)
Best Classical Compendium: "Hindemith: Violinkonzert; Symphonic Metamorphosis; Konzertmusik," Christoph Eschenbach, conductor
Best Contemporary Classical Composition: "Schneider, Maria: Winter Morning Walks," Maria Schneider, composer (Dawn Upshaw, Jay Anderson, Frank Kimbrough, Scott Robinson & Australian Chamber Orchestra)