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Main as much as the Grammy nominations on Nov. 8, Rolling Stone is breaking down 13 totally different classes. For every, we’re predicting the nominees, in addition to who will (and who ought to) win on Grammy night time.
With a lot of Americana’s largest current Grammy winners (Jason Isbell, Rhiannon Giddens) absent from this yr’s proceedings, the Finest Americana Album nominations are anybody’s guess — particularly since this yr’s releases might conceivably be nominated in different classes (People, Rock, Nation, and Various, amongst them). Says Margi Cheske, president of Fantasy Data, who’ve launched LPs by Allison Russell and Nathaniel Rateliff: “This yr is extra huge open for surprises than in previous years.”
Finest Americana Album — Our Predictions
The Avett Brothers, The Avett Brothers
Sierra Ferrell, Path of Flowers
Sarah Jarosz, Polaroid Lovers
The Pink Clay Strays, Made by These Moments
Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood
Who Will Win?
Sarah Jarosz, Polaroid Lovers
If there’s one roots artist who appears like a lock for recognition this yr, it is Jarosz, who has 10 earlier Grammy nominations (break up between the People and Americana classes). Her final three data all acquired nods, and she or he’s already gained on this class with 2020’s World on the Floor. On high of that, her newest LP, Polaroid Lovers, is essentially the most accessible of her profession. “She’s type of like the brand new Alison Krauss,” says Cheske. “Her new document is unbelievable and positively deserving of a nomination.”
Who Ought to Win?
Sierra Ferrell, Path of Flowers
The Recording Academy may be famously gradual to acknowledge up-and-coming skills, even once they’re as pink sizzling as Sierra Ferrell. However the West Virginia singer-songwriter has had such a star-making yr — main competition slots, rave critiques, options with two of the only hottest artists within the nation (Zach Bryan, Publish Malone) — that it is onerous to think about Ferrell being ignored altogether. “She’s so extremely distinctive and gifted that, once more, I am unable to think about she would not get nominated,” says Cheske. “However you by no means know.”
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Forecasting the Subject
The Americana subject is historically a welcome house for hard-to-categorize acts. This yr, that would imply roots-rock band the Pink Clay Strays and indie-country artist Waxahatchee. Search for the Avett Brothers too, whose reunion LP with Rick Rubin (and first launch by way of Americana powerhouse Thirty Tigers in 17 years) alone makes a powerful case for the band to earn a nomination for Finest Americana Album. “They’re so grounded within the Americana group that it might be shocking in the event that they did not get nominated,” Cheske says. Do not rule out the Mavericks, a pillar of the Americana format and this Grammy class, both. Different surprises might embody long-last Recording Academy recognition for hard-working acts like Charley Crockett, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Lake Avenue Dive, none of whom have ever acquired Grammy nominations however have grown their cult followings into arena-levels of success prior to now few years. One other risk: The Hanseroth Twins, the backing band of Grammy darling Brandi Carlile, who launched their solo debut this yr.
Grammys 2025 Predictions: Finest Americana Album Nominees
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