So, among the gazillion -- give or take a few -- Grammy Awards categories and nominees, how many have you heard of ... or heard, for that matter?
There are 83 categories this year, each with about five nominees, in areas ranging from Record of the Year to best liner notes. Winners will be presented at 7 p.m. today on CBS, along with an array of performances.
But amid all the nominations for Beyonce, Sia, Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, Sam Smith, Ariana Grande, et al, are some gems you may not have heard. Here are 10 Grammy nominated albums well worth your investigation:
• Alice Gerrard, Follow the Music (Tompkins Square). Nominated for Best Folk Album. Gerrard, 80, is an American treasure and folk song preservationist with a commanding voice. She is admired by the likes of Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch, along with lovers of folk, bluegrass and Americana.
• Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Give the People What They Want (Daptone). Nominated for Best R&B Album. This traditional soul music queen finally has a Grammy nomination. She's overdue. Lovers of gritty, powerful singing and great horn sections will love it.
• Royksopp & Robyn, Do It Again (Cherrytree). Nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album. The teaming of Swedish pop/dance diva Robyn with the electronics of Norway's Royksopp is spectacular. Hopefully, they will do it again.
• Brandy Clark, 12 Stories (Slate Creek). Nominated for Best Country Album. Clark, also nominated for Best New Artist, writes lived-in songs about contemporary life that are rooted in classic country themes -- temptation, love and a hangover or two.
• Lee Ann Womack, The Way I'm Livin' (Sugar Hill). Nominated for Best Country Album. Womack is one of country music's best singers; her label debut was heartfelt and gorgeously sung.
• Billy Childs and Various Artists, Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro (Sony Masterworks). Nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album. Pianist Childs invited a slew of guests (Yo-Yo Ma, Alison Krauss, Dianne Reeves, Renee Fleming and others) to reinterpret Nyro's tunes. Krauss and Jerry Douglas' rendering of "And When I Die" is breathtaking.
• Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer, Bass & Mandolin (Nonesuch). Nominated for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Thile, of Nickel Creek fame, and the great bassist Meyer's second collaboration is a stunner. It is music that demands the listener's involvement and pays a rich reward for doing so.
• Mike Farris, Shine for All the People (Compass). Nominated for Best Roots Gospel Album. Farris, who taps soul and R&B in his horn-powered, guitar-slinging approach, may bring tears to your eyes with his moving rendition of Mary Gauthier's "Mercy Now," which becomes a universal plea for forgiveness for us all.
• Ruthie Foster, Promise of a Brand New Day (Blue Corn). Nominated for Best Blues Album. Foster's soulful voice is enhanced by the work of producer/bassist Meshell Ndegeocello. Guests, including Doyle Bramhall, help make this Foster's most memorable album.
• Toumani Diabate and Sidiki Diabate, Toumani & Sidiki (World Circuit/Nonesuch). Nominated for Best World Music Album. These Mali musicians play unaccompanied duets on the kora, which can have a quiet and delicate sound. Here, the men bring a bit of swing, a bit of attack, astonishing intimacy and graceful musicianship on this traditional, yet modern music. A kora is a 21-string, long-necked West African harp lute.
Style on 02/08/2015