Grammy Nominations 2014 - A Closer Look
So it’s Grammy season again and inevitably there are a few surprises and a few bores in terms of who’s nominated. But let’s forget about the Jay-Z’s and the Lordes of the world for a second and take a look at some of the lesser known acts to receive a nod.
Sara Bareilles
So not entirely unknown after her 2007 hit “Love Song” Sara Bareilles is nominated for a couple big awards of the night including best Album for “The Blessed Unrest” and Best Solo Pop Performance for “Brave”. Having seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth to those of us in the UK Sara has had another album since then and managed to tour extensively throughout the US. She returned this year with the anthemic ballad Brave- only to be surrounded by controversy after the release of the very similar Katy Perry single “Roar” which is also nominated in the Best Solo Pop Performance. Let the battle commence!
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Gary Clark Jr
After being extremely depressed that I didn’t make it to any proper festivals this year (Wireless does not count) my friends that did- added salt into the wounds by declaring their love for Rock/Blues/Jazz artist Gary Clark Jr. I was treated to tales of how “awesome” and “epic” his set was at Glastonbury and spent the rest of the season listening to his 2012 album “Blak and Blu” via the office stereo. Well, the hype was definitely deserved as the soul in this man runs deep! Check out the video for his Best Rock Song nominated track “Ain’t Messin’ Round”
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Neko Case
Now some of you may already be extremely familiar with Neko Case and her almost 20 year long career- but this indie queen is yet to really make her mark on the charts. After her most successful release to date “Middle Cyclone” in 2009 (debuted at number 3 on the Billboard charts) Neko returned in 2013 with release “The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You”. I first discovered her after Topshop used her recording of “Favourite” for their Kate Bosworth collaborative line promo. Clearly I had been missing out as her throw back vibe and laid back voice instantly caught the attention of my ears. Check out her latest single “Night Still Comes” below:
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Hiatus Kaiyote
I don’t know whether we’re late to the party or if the fact that Prince and Erykah Badu have been fans of the 4 piece for a minute means that we’re right on time! In their first nomination the Aussie collective, assisted by vetran Q-Tip pick up a nod for best R&B Performance. The soulful stirring of the “Nakamarra” references 70’s soul complimented beautifully by lead singer Nai Palm’s effortless tone and phrasing. The independent group are the first Australian act EVER to be nominated in the category- and I have a feeling this won’t be the last time we hear their name associated with the gongs. Who knew Australia had so much soul!
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Capital Cities
An often forgotten Grammy category is the award for Best Music Video. Obviously the big hitters like Jay- Z and Justin Timberlake have found themselves in the running, but relative newcomers Capital Cities are also in the mix. The fun visual takes us through a few decades using dance as the main point of reference. From 20’s shuffles to 70’s disco dancing the duo almost awkwardly lead us through- all set to the infectious dance recording “Safe and Sound”. The band haven’t received any nods in the musical categories but having only been together for 2 years it’s still early days! Check out the video below which already has over 51million views!