Votes have been cast, the red carpet has been strutted, and the results have been revealed: the 2016 Grammy Award winners are here! You may be familiar with many of the awardees, but there are other names that perhaps are still to be discovered. Here’s a short list of the best of the best; we have a carousel of even more winners currently in the EPL collection on our catalog site. If you don’t see a title you’re looking for in our catalog, check back because we’ve made some additional purchases (though some titles are not available because they are only out as digital releases). Place your holds now! Many are checked out, but amazingly some are currently in.
Angélique Kidjo – Sings (SLC LLC) – World-renowned Beninese-born vocalist Angélique Kidjo returns to the Grammy stage once again for her third award in the World Music category (she’s been nominated several times). We loved her bold, dreamy, festive, and orchestral sound when the album debuted at the EPL in April. Hopefully many new listeners will discover it due to its latest success.
Kendrick Lamar – To Pimp a Butterfly (Aftermath Entertainment) – Hip-hop MC Kendrick Lamar was the biggest winner of the night, taking home five awards though missing the coveted Album of the Year and song of the year titles (hard to believe after earning 11 nominations!). Not a surprising result for an album that has so much to offer. It’s definitely not one to be missed. More about To Pimp a Butterfly can also be found in our April picks post.
Mavis Staples – Your Good Fortune (Anti) – This album was the product of a collaboration between two generations of Anti artists: the legendary Mavis Staples and rapidly-rising star, Son Little. Hard work and unbridled creativity paid off because one of the resulting tracks, “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean,” was declared the Best American Roots Performance. The rest of the album provides an equally-gratifying listen.
D’Angelo – Black Messiah (RCA Records) – Clearly his 14-year recording hiatus was fruitful, because veteran R&B singer D’Angelo used the time to write some amazing material. Track “Really Love” received a nomination for record of the year, and won the Grammy for Best R&B Song. Black Messiah as a whole won the award for Best R&B Album.
Cecile McLorin Salvant – For One to Love (Mack Avenue Records) – Salvant’s third release and second Grammy nomination netted her the award for the Best Jazz Vocal Album. On a far smaller stage, this album was recently featured on our February new music arrivals blog. It’s a delightful listen.
Hamilton: original Broadway cast recording (Atlantic Recording Corporation) – Even if you’re not into musical theater, you’d be hard-pressed to have not heard all the buzz about Hamilton at this point. Ticket sales have been through the roof, and album sales have followed. It’s no surprise that the original cast recording took home this year’s award for Best Musical Theater Album. The production goes on tour in 2017, so hopefully we’ll all have the chance to see Hamilton live in the near(ish) future; in the meantime you can at least enjoy this CD.
Alabama Shakes – Sound &Color (ATO Records) – I’m not going to lie, this one is another personal favorite of mine. I knew when I wound up in the double-digits in the EPL holds queue to get my first listen that it was going to be something special. I wasn’t disappointed, and Sound &Color has remained in heavy rotation in my car ever since. Apparently the powers that be agreed, and Alabama Shakes got to take home Grammys for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Alternative Music Album.
All of these and more can be found at epls.org – happy listening!
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