The searing rap of Kendrick Lamar, quirky R&B of the Weeknd and easily digestible pop of Taylor Swift led the nominations for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
Lamar, the visceral rapper from Compton, steered the pack with 11 nods, followed by the Weeknd and Swift with seven each.
While none of that trio is a particular surprise — all have been greatly lauded throughout the year and the late 2014 release of Swift’s “1989” album guaranteed she wouldn’t be eligible until the 2016 ceremony (much like Adele — we’ll see plenty of her in 2017) — a few unlikely names popped out.
Chris Stapleton continues to receive a deserved spotlight with his "Traveller" album, which will compete for album of the year along with Lamar's "To Pimp a Butterfly," Swift's "1989," the Weeknd's "Beauty Behind the Madness" and Alabama Shakes' "Sound & Color."
Stapleton also earned nods in the country categories of best country album, best country solo performance and best country song for the title track.
Country had another strong showing with the frequent presence of Little Big Town — a band with longtime Georgia ties — which scored a high-profile nomination for song of the year with “Girl Crush.” The band was also targeted for nominations for best country duo/group performance, best country song and best country album (“Pain Killer”).
Alabama Shakes made an impression with an album of the year nod for “Sound & Color,” as well as best rock performance and best rock song (“Don’t Wanna Fight”) and best alternative music album, among their nominations.
Many obvious pop names appeared as well: British darling Ed Sheeran for record of the year, song of the year and best pop solo performance with his elegant “Thinking Out Loud”; the “All About That Bass” phenom Meghan Trainor, who will vie for best new artist alongside Courtney Barnett, James Bay, Sam Hunt and Tori Kelly; Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars for record of the year with “Uptown Funk”; and the Wiz Khalifa/Charlie Puth collaboration, “See You Again,” from the Atlanta-filmed “Furious 7,” for song of the year and best pop duo/group performance.
Along with Little Big Town, whose Karen Fairchild is a graduate of Lassiter High School in Marietta and Kimberly Schlapman a native of Cornelia, several artists with local connections landed in the 83 categories — including former President Jimmy Carter, who received more good news with his nod for best spoken word album ("A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety").
Smooth soul singers Jidenna and Roman GianArthur, both part of the Wondaland collective spearheaded by Atlanta's Janelle Monae, received a nomination for "Classic Man" in the best rap/sung collaboration category.
Georgia-related artists own the best contemporary Christian music performance/song categories with showings by Atlanta's Third Day ("Soul on Fire") and Crowder ("Lift Your Head Weary Sinner [Chains]"); and Francesca Battistelli ("Holy Spirit"), who recently moved to Nashville, Tenn., from Canton, where her father, Billy Goodwin of Valdosta-based NewSong, lives.
In the best contemporary Christian music album category, Chris Tomlin, who co-founded Buckhead's Passion City Church, will compete with "Love Ran Red."
Tasha Cobbs, a native of Jesup, scored a nod for best gospel album (“One Place Live”), while Dahlonega’s Karen Peck and New River are among the nominees for best roots gospel album.
Lady Antebellum's Charles Kelley, whose roots are in Augusta, is readying a solo release for 2016, and his first single, "The Driver," with Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay, nabbed a slot in the best country duo/group performance category.
The categories of best historical album and best boxed or special limited edition package include some familiar Atlanta names: Steven Lance Ledbetter and Michael Graves are part of the former with “Parchman Farm: Photographs and Field Recordings, 1947–1959,” while Susan Archie landed in the latter with “The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records, Volume Two (1928-32).”
Nominations for the Grammy Awards are based on recordings released between Oct. 1, 2014, and Sept. 30, 2015.
The ceremony will air live from Los Angeles at 8 p.m. Feb. 15 on CBS.
Here are some highlighted nominees:
Album of the year:
“Sound & Color” — Alabama Shakes
“To Pimp a Butterfly” — Kendrick Lamar
“Traveller” — Chris Stapleton
“1989” — Taylor Swift
“Beauty Behind the Madness” — The Weeknd
Record of the year:
“Really Love” — D’Angelo and the Vanguard
“Uptown Funk” — Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars
“Thinking Out Loud” — Ed Sheeran
“Blank Space” — Taylor Swift
“Can’t Feel My Face” — The Weeknd
Song of the year:
“Alright” — Kendrick Duckworth, Mark Anthony Spears and Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
“Blank Space” — Max Martin, Shellback and Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
“Girl Crush” — Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose, songwriters (Little Big Town)
“See You Again” — Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth and Cameron Thomaz, songwriters (Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth)
“Thinking Out Loud” — Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge, songwriters (Ed Sheeran)
Best new artist:
Courtney Barnett
James Bay
Sam Hunt
Tori Kelly
Meghan Trainor
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