Grammy Nomination Picks 2014

Here we are! My fourth consecutive year posting my Grammy nomination predictions/considerations (my previous lists: 2013, 2012, and 2011). The official nominations will be announced December 6 -- some during The Grammy Nominations Concert Live - Countdown to Music's Biggest Night on CBS at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

In 10 of 18 categories I wrote out last year, I nominated the actual winner. Hopefully, this year proves good results for my list of 24 categories, as well. Honestly, I feel like there is a lot of competition this year -- a lot of incredible and classic numbers released. I'm intrigued to see where Grammy voters lean.

NOTE: I am not a member of the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and this list is in NO WAY official or reflective of their attitudes. Typically, there are five nominations spots in each category but I've left some blank. Nomination eligibility period was October 1, 2012 to September 30, 2013.



Album of the Year

Red , Taylor Swift

The Heist, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Unorthodox Jukebox, Bruno Mars

Yeezus, Kanye West


Record of the Year

"Thrift Shop," Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz; produced by Ryan Lewis

"Roar," Katy Perry; produced by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Cirkut

"Royals," Lorde; produced by Joel Little

"Blurred Lines," Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell; produced by Pharrell

"Get Lucky," Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams; produced by Daft Punk

"Suit & Tie," Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z; produced by Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon


Song of the Year

"Brave," Sara Barielles; Written by Sara Barielles and Jack Antonoff

"Wake Me Up," Avicii feat. Aloe Blacc; Written by Tim Bergling, Aloe Blacc, and Mike Einziger

"Same Love," Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert; Written by Ben Haggerty, Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert, and Curtis Mayfield

"Royals," Lorde; Written by Ella Yellich O'Connor and Joel Little


Best New Artist

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Lorde

Ariana Grande

Zedd

Florida Georgia Line


Best Solo Pop Performance

"Roar," Katy Perry

"Locked Out of Heaven," Bruno Mars

"Royals," Lorde

"Brave," Sara Barielles

"Try," Pink

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

"Blurred Lines," Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell

"Same Love," Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert

"Just Give Me a Reason," Pink feat. Nate Ruess

"Stay," Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko

"Everything Has Changed," Taylor Swift feat. Ed Sheeran



Best Pop Vocal Album

Blurred Lines, Robin Thicke

Unorthodox Jukebox, Bruno Mars

Yours Truly, Ariana Grande

The 20/20 Experience, Justin Timberlake

Unapologetic, Rihanna


Best Dance Recording

"Get Lucky," Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams

"Clarity," Zedd feat. Foxes

"Thinking About You," Calvin Harris feat. Ayah Marar

"Work Bitch," Britney Spears


Best Electronica/Dance Album

Clarity, Zedd

18 Months, Calvin Harris

Electric, Pet Shop Boys

Random Access Memories, Daft Punk


Best R&B Performance

"Body Party," Ciara

"Beautiful," Mariah Carey feat. Miguel

"Hold On, We're Going Home," Drake feat. Majid Jordan


Best R&B Song

"Beautiful," Mariah Carey feat. Miguel; Written by Mariah Carey, Miguel Pimentel, Nathan Perez, and Brook Davis

"Hold On, We're Going Home," Drake feat. Majid Jordan; Written by Aubrey Graham, Noah Shebib, Majid Al Maskati, and Jordan Ullman



Best Urban Contemporary Album

Ciara, Ciara





Best Rap Performance

"Started from the Bottom," Drake

"Black Skinhead," Kanye West

"Berzerk," Eminem


Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

"Can't Hold Us," Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Ray Dalton

"Holy Grail," Jay-Z feat. Justin Timberlake





Best Rap Song

"Thrift Shop," Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz; Written by Ben Haggerty and Ryan Lewis

"Black Skinhead," Kanye West; Written by Kanye West, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Thomas Bangalter, Malik Jones, Cydel Young, Elon Rutberg, Wasalu Jaco, Sakiya Sandifer, Mike Dean, and Derrick Watkins


Best Rap Album

The Heist, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

Magna Carter Holy Grail, Jay-Z

Nothing Was the Same, Drake

Yeezus, Kanye West


Best Country Solo Performance

"Red," Taylor Swift


Best Country Duo/Group Performance

"Cruise," Florida Georgia Line

"Everybody's Got Somebody But Me," Hunter Hayes feat. Jason Mraz

"We Were Us," Keith Urban feat. Miranda Lambert

"Highway Don't Care," Tim McGraw feat. Taylor Swift



Best Country Album

Crash My Party, Luke Bryan

Red, Taylor Swift

Here's to the Good Times, Florida Georgia Line

Two Lanes of Freedom, Tim McGraw



Best Alternative Album

The 1975, The 1975

Pure Heroine, Lorde

In a Tidal Wave of Mystery, Capital Cities

Tales of Us, Goldfrapp


Best Music Video

"Mirrors," Justin Timberlake

"Safe and Sound," Capital Cities



Best Compilation Album for Visual Media

Pitch Perfect, Various Artists


Best Song Written for Visual Media

"Skyfall," Adele; Written by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth for the film Skyfall

"Pi's Lullaby," Bombay Jayashri; Written by Bombay Jayashri and Mychael Danna for the film  Life of Pi

"Suddenly," Hugh Jackman; Written by Herbert Kretzmer, Alain Boublil, and Claude-Michel Schönberg for the film Les Misérables

Best Musical Theater Album

Kinky Boots

Matilda the Musical

A Christmas Story: The Musical


Producer of the Year, non-Classical

Zedd

Pharrell Williams

New Music Video: Lady Gaga's "Applause"

The music video for Lady Gaga's "Applause" dropped yesterday, premiering on Good Morning, America and posted to the star's VEVO channel. Gaga's vocals on the single have been compared to Gaga's influences Annie Lennox and David Bowie, and the vid certainly pulls from Gaga influences to make it a very Gaga-esque release. Obviously, with an album titled ARTPOP, she draws fashion from Andy Warhol and the New York art scene. The vid is shot in black-and-white and color and samples costume fashions that are very Gaga, featuring parts-covering leather gloves and a segment inspired from Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. Of the video Gaga tweeted, "Its inspired by the entertainers passion for shapeshifting. Would you do 'anything' for the Applause? Iconography in motion, as magic."

Indeed, every portion of the clip displays performative and theatrical icons, such as a large top hat and theatre-quality costumes, sets, and makeup (as opposed to refined, natural design for film), and Gaga parades a fashion and performance (even as a swan) reflective of how she will do anything for the 'applause' no matter how, in my opinion, dark and freak show-like the performance. The vid isn't full-out freak show, but its darkness recalls that sort of theme for me. Perhaps, art house is a better description.

Honestly, the music video does its job, enhancing the meaning of the music. When I first heard "Applause," I was concerned by its production and Gaga's Bowie-throwback style, but her vision comes together in full through the video, giving us another Gaga classic!

             

8/15 Chart Highlights: Robin Thicke's 10 Week Reign; The Civil Wars Debut #1

The first eleven notches in the Hot 100 hold their positions this week with no movement, giving Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" its tenth week at leading the chart. "Lines" is the first song to maintain a ten week #1 run since Rihanna's "We Found Love" in 2011/2012. The stale chart is expecting shifts next week after Lady Gaga's "Applause" and Katy Perry's "Roar" gain momentum and receive a full week's worth of chart reading, specifically from digital downloads, which chart ends Sunday. As far as the current download numbers, "Applause" is speculated to sell 200,000 to 250,000 copies, while "Roar" may reach a number as high as 450,000. "Roar" debuted this week at #85 thanks to airplay.

HOT 100 top 10
1. Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell     "Blurred Lines"
2. Miley Cyrus                                                             "We Can't Stop"
3. Imagine Dragons                                                   "Radioactive"
4. Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams           "Get Lucky"
5. Jay Z featuring Justin Timberlake                  "Holy Grail"

6. Anna Kendrick                                                        "Cups (Pitch Perfect's When I'm Gone)"
7. Bruno Mars                                                              "Treasure"
8. Zedd featuring Foxes                                           "Clarity"
9. Capital Cities                                                            "Safe and Sound"
10. Maroon 5                                                                 "Love Somebody"

The Civil Wars debuted their self-titled album this week atop the Billboard 200, giving the duo their first #1 on the chart. Other top ten debuts include Now 47, Asking Alexandria's From Death to Destiny, and Tye Tribbett's Greater Than. Imagine Dragons' Night Visions moves its way back into the top ten this week, after falling to #11 in the previous week.

BILLBOARD 200 top 10
1. The Civil Wars                           The Civil Wars
2. Various Artists                         Now 47
3. Robin Thicke                             Blurred Lines
4. Jay Z                                             Magna Carta...Holy Grail
5. Asking Alexandria                  From Death To Destiny
6. Soundtrack                                Teen Beach Movie
7. Imagine Dragons                     Night Visions
8. Five Finger Death Punch     The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The
                                                             Righteous Side Of Hell: Volume 1
9. Tye Tribbett                              Greater Than
10. Florida Georgia Line           Here's To The Good Times

Katy Perry and Lady Gaga "Roar" for the (Early) "Applause"

Lady Gaga pushed the release of new electropop single "Applause" forward six days than its originally scheduled Aug. 19 date, combating the Aug. 12 release of Katy Perry's single "Roar." Both songs served early releases due to internet leaks. Perry's "Roar" leaked Aug. 10, sending it to an immediate radio release, though maintaining its Aug. 12 download date, while Gaga's "Applause" received snippet leaks the same day as Perry's. Mother Monster tweeted Aug. 12, "DUE TO HACKERS AN ABUNDANCE OF LOW/HIGH QUALITY LEAKS...WE ISSUE THIS POP MUSIC EMERGENCY...MONSTERS SPREAD THE WORD." The song was available for download Aug. 13. A video for "Applause" is planned for its original Aug. 19 release. Hot 100 tallies for the ladies' singles this week will be revealed this evening when results from all charts will be grouped. Next week will give both singles a first full week of reading, though.

Perry's new album Prism is due out October 22, while Gaga's ARTPOP is slated for November 11, but who's to say that won't unfairly change?

8/1 Chart Highlights: One Direction Debuts Big; Selena Gomez Earns First #1 Album

Thanks to massive amounts of downloads and streaming, One Direction receives their highest peak on the Hot 100 with "Best Song Ever," debuting at #2 behind Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," which holds its crown atop the chart as the longest running #1 of the year at eight weeks from continued growth on radio airplay ranking in this week with the second highest audience since the Radio Songs chart's debut in December 1990. Mariah Carey's 2005 "We Belong Together" holds the record for most radio impressions in a single week. Miley Cyrus, Imagine Dragons, Daft Punk, and Bruno Mars fall one position to make room for the One Direction debut, while Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Florida Georgia Line each fall three, granting Anna Kendrick and Jay-Z one position gains. This is Imagine Dragons' 48th week on the chart with "Radioactive," and with such a high position this far in the game, their song can easily become a contender as one of the longest-running singles when it bows off the chart.

HOT 100 top 10
1. Robin Thick featuring T.I. and Pharrell                  "Blurred Lines"
2. One Direction                                                                    "Best Song Ever"
3. Miley Cyrus                                                                        "We Can't Stop"
4. Imagine Dragons                                                              "Radioactive"
5. Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams                      "Get Lucky"
6. Bruno Mars                                                                         "Treasure"
7. Jay-Z featuring Justin Timberlake                            "Holy Grail"
8. Anna Kendrick                                                                   "Cups (Pitch Perfect's When I'm Gone)"
9. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton "Can't Hold Us Down"
10. Florida Georgia Line featuring Nelly                      "Cruise"

Selena Gomez gains her first #1 on the Billboard 200 with the debut of her new album Stars Dance. She pushes Jay-Z's Magna Carta...Holy Grail to the chart's second position after its two-week reign on top. Marc Anthony's Spanish-language album 3.0, rock group We Came As Romans' Tracing Back Roots, and compilation Rich Gang also debut at #'s 5, 8, and 9, respectfully, while the works of Kidz Bop Kids, Florida Georgia Line, Imagine Dragons, and Justin Timberlake fall one position. The soundtrack of Disney Channel's Teen Beach Movie raises 8-3, due to its first full week of sales since its premiere on July 19. Rebroadcasts of the film and a quick turnaround DVD release on July 30 are expected to impact album sales in the near future.

BILLBOARD 200 top 10
1. Selena Gomez                 Stars Dance
2. Jay-Z                                 Magna Carta...Holy Grail
3. Soundtrack                     Teen Beach Movie
4. Kidz Bop Kids                 Kidz Bop 24
5. Marc Anthony               3.0
6. Florida Georgia Line   Here's To The Good Times
7. Imagine Dragons         Night Visions
8. We Came As Romans  Tracing Back Roots
9. Various Artists             Rich Gang
10. Justin Timberlake     The 20/20 Experience

Wednesday Review: "Electric" by Pet Shop Boys

Pet Shop Boys are known for their thoughtful lyrics set to dance music, and they don't disappoint with their twelfth album release Electric. In fact, the nine-track set is one of their finest!

The album marks a relatively quick turnaround release from their still recent Elysium, released near the end of last year, as the duo's first release not associated with Parlophone but with their own label x2. As such, Electric boasts tracks full of signature PSB sound and ideas with none other at the helm but producer Stuart Price, known for his associations with other dance acts as Madonna and Kylie Minogue. Electric sounds much like their first albums from the 80's, which early PSB fans will cherish, and the album's momentum never slows for a ballad or deeply reflective lyrics, a strength for the set.

While it is light on the pop hooks, except the chorus of "Bolshy," Electric makes up for this through its sheer brilliance in poetic lyrics and production. Actually, it is the production that catches you while being enlightened by the lyrics, especially in "Love is a Bourgeois Construct," "The Last to Die," and "Vocal." "Axis" works perfectly as an opening track with memorable and catchy production, despite it being an almost instrumental track. Its lack of lyrics prepares us to pay attention to the "electric energy" and clears our palate to listen to the intelligence of the lyrics yet to be heard. The sound of "Inside a Dream" lives up to its name and recalls a likeness to Darren Hayes' 2007 single "Step into the Light." "Thursday" features a rap performed by Example that welcomes a change in pace from what we've already heard.

Every track is definitive of the Pet Shop Boys but varies enough in their own personalities to make each one enduring. And though the Boys let most of their pop sensitivities go with this album, Electric recovers in its intelligent lyrics and production that is both original and signature.

Standout Tracks include opener and lead single, electric-city "Axis," middle-class reflection "Love is a Bourgeois Construct," and pop music insight "Vocal."

Would I recommend it? If you dug Pet Shop Boys' early work, your brain and heart will explode with this album! Others who may enjoy or appreciate this album even through at least one listen are those who markedly like thought and poetry behind musical lyrics and those looking for fresh electronic beats and journeys.

I give Electric 4 out of 5 stars.

Music Video Monday: "Slow Down" by Selena Gomez

The music video for Selena Gomez's latest promo single "Slow Down" from Stars Dance dropped a week and a half ago on July 19th. Shot in Paris, France, the video features Selena in the backseat of a classic Mercedes-Benz, on wet streets, and in a neon-lit club while wearing elegant, low-cut, and naval-revealing outfits, which, despite her album's signaled move to adulthood, recalls Britney Spears five years Selena's junior. The video calls on Selena's fun side, and in the second half, she breaks down with dancers to a choreographed segment.

The track is a smart choice for the follow-up single to the massive success of "Come and Get It," leading us with the opening line, "Now that I have captured your attention." It's a fine music video meant nothing more than to display the non-scandaled  Gomez in a classy pop light of having fun.

I have somewhat of a soapbox! In reaction to my own comparison to Miss Spears and other critics' remarks of Stars Dance and Selena's "supposed" move to being grown-up, I say that no one said grown-up meant raunched-up. (Or did they? "Grown-ups" are supposed to be raunchy? Why do we do this to pop stars?) It's true that mature social criticisms and mature life experiences in songs can help signify this adulthood move. But why can't (early) adulthood be fun, also, even without raunchiness? (Don't get me wrong. Stars Dance does have its flirts.) Adults have clean yet exciting fun, too. As it is, this video displays the baby-faced, now legal-to-drink Selena dancing in a club and sporting in a snazzy ride--sounds like an adult to me. It's modest compared to some of her counterparts, but please! Let the young woman grow up at her own rate. She's only twenty-one. Let her be twenty-one and find her way from there. She and other stars are not puppets on display whose lives are sprawled out just for us little people's entertainment. Let her be the real girl she is.

New Release Review: "Stars Dance" by Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez's first solo album Stars Dance pushes to establish the Disney star as a bona fide American dance diva without the backing of her band, The Scene (did anyone really consider them a band, though? I think we all saw through that engine for her). The only problem with her in full-force dance mode is that there is nothing original here. Nothing on this album is not reminiscent of another dance diva or screams individually to Selena.

It seems Selena has been watching her seniors and taking notes, especially from Britney Spears and Katy Perry, as every song sounds like a choice of Britney's and several are about her Katy-esque party habits, minus the kick-in-the-balls attitude. A few of the beginning tracks whisper Hilary Duff in Selena's vocals. "B.E.A.T." appears to be a universal dance track that any diva would be jealous of, echoing high influence from Britney and possibly even Lady Gaga. Selena attempts to enter the world dance ring like Rihanna with tracks "Like a Champion" and lead single "Come and Get It," which was originally pitched to RiRi. "Stars Dance" and "Write Your Name" make Selena sound like she's been listening to Ellie Goulding, while one of the hooks on bonus track "Nobody Does It Like You" almost (maybe unintentionally) samples Eiffel 65's "Blue (Da Bee Do)." However, the album's overall production is up to par and nothing to sneer at, though it is nothing innovative, mostly taking influence from generic dance-pop and dubstep.

Standout Tracks include the emotional breakup of "Forget Forever," party-grinding "B.E.A.T.," beat-slamming "Undercover," electropop hopper bonus track "Music Feels Better," and club-ready promo single "Slow Down."

Would I recommend it? The album is made to carry her tween/teen audience with her. If you're a deep fan of her other works, you may enjoy this album. Otherwise, choice cuts may be hit-or-miss. If you're looking for a brilliant, cutting-edge dance album, this is not the one for you.

I give it 3 out of 5 stars.