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60th GRAMMYs Best Americana Album

(L-R) Jason Isbell, Sam Beam (Iron & Wine), Gregg Allman, Brent Cobb, Raul Malo (Mavericks)
Photos: Wireimage.com

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Who's Nominated For Best Americana Album? 2018-grammy-nominations-best-americana-album-roundup

2018 GRAMMY Nominations: Best Americana Album Roundup

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Ranging from genre pioneers to storytelling titans and modern troubadours, take an in-depth look at the 60th GRAMMY nominees up for Best Americana Album
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 16, 2018 - 6:52 pm

While Americana is one of the younger genre categories to be recognized at the 60th GRAMMY Awards — the award was implemented for 2009 — the music itself is deeply rooted in our country's musical culture. Whether incorporating the crafty twang of country, wielding the attitude and grit of rock, summoning the spirit of soul, or harkening back to the storytelling origins of folk, Americana at its best tends to pick just the right mix of flowers and weeds from the garden of musical tradition to create a bouquet that is familiar yet fresh, beautiful yet prickly and reverent yet honest.

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This year's crop of GRAMMY nominees in the Best Americana Album category covers a vast swath of the genre's influencers and tastemakers. Nominees range from the legendary late Gregg Allman, who helped invent the genre with the Allman Brothers Band, to newcomer Brent Cobb, who represents the contour of a more modern Nashville, Tenn., skyline with deep roots and country crossover ability.

The category also includes alt-country pioneers the Mavericks, who blend "Cuban grooves and Bakersfield-inspired twang," indie-folk sweetheart Iron & Wine, who brought the genre to a new audience, and Americana powerhouse Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit, who have re-drawn the genre's boundaries of success and influence.

Let's take a closer look at the five GRAMMY nominees making the cut in this dynamic Best Americana Album category.

Gregg Allman, Southern Blood

The final studio album from one of rock and roll's true legends, Southern Blood delivered an intimate look at GRAMMY winner Allman. For his last act, Allman compiled a collection of one original song — the leadoff track, "My Only Friend" — plus a mixture of cover songs from the likes of Bob Dylan, Lowell George, Jackson Browne, Willie Dixon, and more.

Released three months following Allman's death, the album was recorded at the historic Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala., and was produced by GRAMMY winner Don Was. Despite the sense that Allman's health was worsening — the singer died on May 27, 2017, due to complications from liver cancer — Was explained that the album came from a more uplifting place of introspection.

"It's not an album about dying," said Was. "Gregg was explaining his life and making sense of it, both for the fans who stood with him for decades, and for himself."

Brent Cobb, Shine On Rainy Day

Originally from a small town in rural Georgia, singer/songwriter Cobb has managed to carve out his own groove while landing big-time cuts with marquee Nashville names such as Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney and Luke Bryan. But country star-power aside, Cobb's soulful debut album, Shine On Rainy Day, evokes the vibe of his hometown of Ellaville, Ga.

"It just is Georgia," said Cobb. "It's just that rural, easy-going way it feels down there on a nice spring evening when the wind's blowing warm and you smell wisteria, you know?"

While Cobb hopes to win his first GRAMMY, it wouldn't be the first GRAMMY in his family. His cousin, Americana super producer Dave Cobb, took home two trophies at the 58th GRAMMY Awards: Best Country Album for Chris Stapleton's Traveller and Best Americana Album — the same category for which his cousin is now vying — for Jason Isbell's Something More Than Free.

Iron & Wine, Beast Epic

Critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Sam Beam returned in 2017 with his sixth LP, and first in four years, under the stage moniker Iron & Wine. Earning Beam his first career nomination, Beast Epic showcases the direct connection his songs draw to the soul, while giving his audience a new, more vulnerable view inside his world.

"I feel like [vulnerability is] important for what I like to write songs about," Beam told Under The Radar. "That's appropriate for this group for sure. There's a brokenness to them but I also don't think they're just sad. They're just honest songs about our frailties and our strengths."

Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit, The Nashville Sound

Coming off his time in alt-country rock ramblers Drive-By Truckers, Isbell has enjoyed a wildly successful solo career in recent years, highlighted by 2013's Southeastern and his 2015 GRAMMY-winning album, Something More Than Free, which took home two awards at the 58th GRAMMY Awards, one for Best Americana Album and another for Best American Roots Song for "24 Frames."

His latest effort, The Nashville Sound, re-enlists his backing band, the 400 Unit, and establishes Isbell as one of today's finest songwriters. His band includes his talented wife, Amanda Shires, on violin — a successful singer/songwriter in her own right. The couple's romantic and musical compatibility is on full display in the painful and stunning "If We Were Vampires," which also earned Isbell a GRAMMY nomination this year for Best American Roots Song.

The Mavericks, Brand New Day

Unique in their design and execution of Americana music, pulling in Latin flavor with retro rockabilly elements, the Mavericks formed more than 25 years ago. Led by singer/songwriter and co-producer Raul Malo, the Mavericks returned in 2017 with Brand New Day, their third album in five years following a nine-year hiatus.

Rolling Stone lauded the title track's "throwback, symphonic sweep," adding it "recalls the wall of sound arrangements of the 1960s. Malo pulls double duty as frontman and Phil Spector-ish producer, stacking the song high with bells, horns, harmonies, and plenty of four-on-the-floor stomp."

The Mavericks are hoping to land their second career GRAMMY win. The band's "Here Comes The Rain" won Best Country Performance at the 38th GRAMMY Awards for 1995.

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Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit Win Best Americana Album | 2018 GRAMMYs

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The group takes home Best Americana Album for "The Nashville Sound" at the 60th GRAMMY Awards
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 28, 2018 - 5:42 pm

Just as he did at the 58th GRAMMY Awards two years earlier with his album Something More Than Free, Jason Isbell won both Best Americana Album and Best American Roots Song at the 60th GRAMMY Awards. The former award also went to his band, The 400 Unit,  for their efforts on their critically-acclaimed album, The Nashville Sound.

Watch: Jason Isbell Wins Best Americana Album

Coming off his time in alt-country rock ramblers Drive-By Truckers, Isbell's latest GRAMMY wins beef up his already wildly successful solo career. His breakout 2013 album Southeastern showed his chops as a true songwriter's songwriter, and he followed it up with the aforementioned 2015 GRAMMY-winning album, Something More Than Free, which also won Best Americana Album as well as Best American Roots Song for "24 Frames."

The Nashville Sound not only solidified Isbell as one of today's finest songwriters, but name checked and showcased his remarkable band, which includes his talented wife, Amanda Shires, on violin — a successful singer/songwriter in her own right. The couple's romantic and musical compatibility is on full display in the painful and stunning "If We Were Vampires," which also earned Isbell a GRAMMY as a songwriter for Best American Roots Song. All in all, a very big night for Isbell, his band, and the genre he so succinctly represents.

The road to the top was extra daunting this year, considering the other nominees in the category were Gregg Allman's Southern Blood, Brent Cobb's Shine On Rainy Day, Iron & Wine's Beast Epic, and the Mavericks' Brand New Day. The quality and diversity of this crop of nominees is a testiment to what Americana music can represent, include, and accomplish at its finest through authentic, crafty songwriting, and a sound with one foot in the American roots tradition and one foot stepping forward. 

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Avenged Sevenfold

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Photo: Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images

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Avenged Sevenfold's "Craziest Record" Earns GRAMMY Nomination

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Guitarist Synyster Gates on how the band's 'craziest' record of their entire career earned them a GRAMMY nomination
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 27, 2018 - 10:15 am

After nearly 20 years, seven albums, numerous awards, painful tragedy, and multiple musical evolutions, the members of Avenged Sevenfold have earned their first GRAMMY nomination for Best Rock Song for "The Stage."

Meet The Nominees: Avenged Sevenfold | 60th GRAMMY

Progressive, sprawling and epic, "The Stage" is the opening and title track on A7X's seventh studio album, which saw a surprise release on Oct. 28, 2016, and launched the quintet's sound in a bold new direction.

"This was definitely a really crazy record to write," says guitarist Synyster Gates. "'The Stage' in particular is a super-long, thematic, building, progressive opening track that excites you as an artist and it excites you to introduce it to your fans, but you don't think GRAMMYs or radio."

Gates continues, "The irony of this, our last record, Hail To The King — I wouldn't say we were trying to make a sell-out record, but we were trying to make a super-concise, one vibe a song, because we'd never done that before, and so it's got tons of these three-four-minute bangers that seem maybe a little bit more radio palatable, and nothing for that one. But we write the craziest record of our entire career and that's when we get the GRAMMY nomination."

For The Stage, the band enlisted GRAMMY-nominated producer/engineer Joe Barresi (Melvins, Queens Of The Stone Age, Monster Magnet, Tool) for the first time. True to the LP's title, Barresi pushed the band to get the feel of their exhilarating stage show.

"Joe Barresi brought a lot of new things to the table," lead singer M. Shadows revealed on Full Metal Jackie (as told by Blabbermouth). "And one thing that I had never done was to do full-song vocal takes, where you sing from the very first lyric all the way to the end of the song, and as your voice starts straining, and as it gets a little more tough on the vocals, you get that live feel."

Exploring uncharted territory in the studio can be exhausting and time consuming. But in a world where many successful bands feel pressured to restart the album cycle with regularity, taking the time to craft the new album was a conscious decision.

"We kind of reached this point in life where we don't really want to put out anything just to put something out," Shadows told Rolling Stone. "We really don't want it to be like, 'Two years are up. You've had your break; now do another record and get it out there.' We needed to wait until something really inspired us, and that's why the record took a long time to get done."

Definitely worth the wait, "The Stage" gives Avenged Sevenfold their first crack at a GRAMMY win the 60th GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 28. A7X are currently on tour in the U.S., headed for Europe this summer, and they continue to push themselves musically, recently releasing their first acoustic recording, Live At The GRAMMY Museum.

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Alicia Keys, Swizz Beatz Honored At New York's Iconic Rainbow Room

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The Recording Academy's P&E Wing recognized two of the industry's most undeniable forces at its annual GRAMMY Week Celebration
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 25, 2018 - 9:36 pm

The Recording Academy Producers & Engineers Wing's 11th annual celebration on Jan. 25 took on a New York state of mind this year, following the 60th GRAMMY Awards to the Big Apple and honoring GRAMMY winners Alicia Keys and Kasseem Dean, aka Swizz Beatz.

Inside The 2018 P&E Wing Celebration

Held at the iconic Rainbow Room, perched 65 floors above the landmark Rockefeller Center, the exclusive, invite-only event brought together the community of recording studio professionals in a new way this year. The room was filled with industry titans, such as GRAMMY winners Peter Asher, Ed Cherney, Tony Visconti, and Chick Corea, and current GRAMMY nominees Morgan Heritage and Lisa Loeb — all of whom came out to celebrate their craft and honor Keys and Dean.

Upon arrival, the couple was greeted on the red carpet with the first of several spontaneous group singings of "Happy Birthday," meant for Keys, who coincidentally received this honor on her birthday. And the excitement of the evening was two-fold for the birthday girl in light of being honored side-by-side with her husband.

"The coolest thing, I think, for [The Producers & Engineers Wing] to honor both of us is that we do very different music," said Keys. "There is no limit to the music, and how it can be created and how it touches people, and to celebrate … our different styles, that's what I love the most because music doesn't just happen in one way. Everyone in that room does music differently, and we're all dope for it."

A 15-time GRAMMY winner, Keys exemplifies versatility, making her mark in the music world as a singer/songwriter and producer, as well as an actress, author, activist, and philanthropist. Since the 2001 release of her debut album, Songs In A Minor, Keys has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.

However, her impact on music and culture reaches far beyond sales tallies. The New York native's message of female empowerment and her authentic songwriting process have made her an inspiration for women and aspiring creatives worldwide.

"There's a ton of things I'm passionate about," said Keys, "and to continue to share our experience and go deeper into how we can collectively create powerful change is definitely a focus for me.

Swizz Beatz has helmed countless big records dating all the way back to 1998 when he produced his first hit, DMX's "Ruff Ryders' Anthem." In his career spanning more than two decades, he's worked in multiple genres with artists such as Jay-Z, Madonna, Kanye West, and Metallica.

"He helped paint the picture for hip-hop as it is today," said GRAMMY-winning producer and current GRAMMY nominee Jimmy Douglass.

His deep influence on modern hip-hop aside, Swizz Beatz went on to graduate from Harvard Business School's Owner/President program and has built a legacy and a body of work that cannot be contained by the recording studio walls. He entered into a joint venture with Clive Davis at age 23. He's since gone on to launch successful ventures into fashion design, fine art, and philanthropy on his way to becoming a renowned cultural ambassador and natural born modern-day Renaissance man.

Now Keys and Dean can add a new award to their collection, joining previous P&E Wing honorees such as Quincy Jones, Neil Young, Rick Rubin, and Jack White.

Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz Accept 2018 P&E Honors

"This is a major honor, this is a blessing to see so many creative people in one room," Swizz Beatz said as the couple took the stage. "I never would have expected to be on this stage, especially next to this shining bright star. It shows you that hard work doesn't go unnoticed.

"To all the creatives in the building," Keys said, addressing the crowd, "May we all continue to be inspired, may we all continue to be brave, may we all continue to be unafraid of being our brightest best selves. … There is no limit to what we can do and how far we can go."

Dean added, "The sky is not the limit, it's just the view," and the room whipped into a frenzy.

Following the couple's acceptance speech, a special guest was called to the stage to pay tribute to the honorees: GRAMMY-winning jazz-fusion pioneer Chick Corea. 

"Everyone in that room does music differently, and we're all dope for it." — Alicia Keys

"Swizz and Alicia are living works of art, so this is dedicated to them," Corea announced before leading the room in a sing-a-long rendition of "Spain," as requested by Keys herself.

Then the jam ensued. Corea called Keys and Dean back to the stage to play, sans rehearsal. They broke into an impromptu version of "Summertime," with Keys trading soulful vocal runs with Corea's mind-bending piano licks, followed by an improvised jam that featured Swizz on beatbox, Corea weaving the keys through his rhythms, and Keys leading an audience down-home call-and-response.

Neil Portnow with P&E Wing honorees Alicia Keys, Swizz Beats
2018 P&E Wing Celebration

It's safe to say this night was special, not only for the stars of the show but for the community of hard-working producers and engineers the Recording Academy — and the P&E Wing — support and represent.

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Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett

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Thomas Rhett: Meet The Nominee | 60th GRAMMYs thomas-rhetts-many-life-changes-led-2018-grammy-nomination

Thomas Rhett's Many 'Life Changes' Led To 2018 GRAMMY Nomination

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Get to know the country star behind the hits and hear his reaction to his latest GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 25, 2018 - 3:36 pm

The title of Thomas Rhett's GRAMMY-nominated album, Life Changes, is both universally relatable, and yet deeply personal for the artist himself. Since landing his first hit in 2013 with "It Goes Like This," Rhett has become a husband and a father, while still finding time to record and release eight chart-topping singles and push the boundaries of modern country music.

Meet The Nominees: Thomas Rhett | 60th GRAMMYs

"I named the album Life Changes because my life has never changed this much in a short span of time," said Rhett. "From seeing the success of a song like 'Die a Happy Man' to putting out my third album to going on my first headlining tour to having two children, both under two years old … I thought the title of the album was a good representation of what is happening in my life right now."

Up for Best Country Album, Life Change became the first country album of 2017 to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 back in Sept. Now, Rhett is celebrating his second career GRAMMY nomination, his first nod coming for the 59th GRAMMY Awards for his smash single "Die A Happy Man," written about his wife, Lauren, who was once his grade-school crush. The couple now has two young children, both under age two. It's safe to say, as a songwriter, an artist and a family man, Rhett's success reached new levels.

Rhett has always been unafraid of breaking genre barriers, and Life Changes is no exception, incorporating country sensibilities, pop melodies, R&B grooves, EDM pulses, doo-wop croons, and more to paint the new picture of modern country music. He also had help with this lofty task, enlisting a host of collaborators including familiar Nashville names such as GRAMMY nominees Dave Barnes and Dan Huff.

But one guest on the album stands out above the rest. Rhett's father, country music legend Rhett Akins, contributes guest vocals to a song he wrote, "Drink A Little Beer," keeping the musical love in the family.

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