Your Guide to the Grammy's

With the many trials and tribulations 2016 threw at us, it’s safe to say that music wasn’t one of them. 2016 brought a slew of new music by top artists of various genres. With the recent 59th annual Grammy Awards just behind us, a review of the year’s top albums only seems necessary. This year’s Grammy award nominees for Album of the Year included Adele, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Drake, and Sturgill Simpson. While their music was certainly excellent, it was the artists’ boldness to delve into their personal experiences, which made for such a dynamic selection of nominees.

I think many can agree that the appeal that sets Adele apart from many other pop vocal artists is her sense of authenticity. Within this album, Adele maintains mainly acoustic instrumentals over the soft yet powerful tone of her voice. 25 brought along the Record of the Year nominee “Hello,” an unarguable hit among fans and musicians alike. “Hello” is the perfect choice to start off the album as it sets the ground work of what’s to come. Throughout “Hello” and the rest of the album, Adele’s vocal strength is mirrored by relatable and powerful lyrics. This incredible combination of lyrics, vocals, and acoustic instruments allows listeners to feel the emotion Adele portrays in each song.

For the fourth time in her career, the one and only “Queen B” found herself upon the list of nominees for Album of the Year. Inspired by the controversial roller coaster of 2016, Lemonade is Beyoncé’s most political album yet. Lemonade may be the most controversial album of all the nominees, due to Beyoncé’s fearlessness to speak about several social issues, including feminism, embracing racial differences, and infidelity. “Formation” serves as the backbone and the rally cry of the album. This album was politically and socially driven to speak on the issues of the time from a black female perspective, one which is often silenced.

Justin Bieber expanded abroad his primarily teenage audience and explored a deeper range in his music. For the first time, on Purpose, Bieber reveals his inner thoughts and feelings through his lyrics, particularly the process of coming to terms with himself. This album clearly marks a transitional point in both Bieber’s life and his musical stylings. Grammy-nominated song of the year “Love Yourself” is featured on Purpose. While it’s still ambiguous if the song is about his renowned past relationship, it is the most intimate song regarding heartbreak we have heard from him to date. Bieber expands his musical expressions to discuss his stance on religion in his song “Purpose.” Religion is always a contentious subject, especially on a platform such as his; nonetheless, Bieber beautifully expresses his faith through lyrics relevant to everyone, spiritually and inspirationally.

Just when it seemed like Drake reached the pinnacle of his career in 2015, receiving five Grammy nominations, he swooped in and brought us Views. Drake was the face of the rap scene last year and he doesn’t show signs of giving up that title anytime soon. Views introduced a new Torontonian sound of rap to the forefront of hip hop. It seemed like so long ago that “Hotline Bling” was the song of the summer. Subsequently, “One Dance,” “Controlla,” and “Too Good” all released off the album using the same formula: hypnotizing dancehall rhythms, light vibes, and his trademark rapping technique.

This combination became dubbed the Toronto sound. The exposure Drake provides by featuring homegrown artists such as PARTYNEX- TDOOR and dvsn to the music industry makes this album a cornerstone in Canadian hip hop.

Sturgill Simpson, on only his third studio album, hit this one out of the park. Simpson changes his entire perspective and thematic tone in A Sailor’s Guide to Earth. Simpson strays away from the traditional country feel to develop a truly authentic sound. Within A Sailor’s Guide, Simpson reflects on lessons learned and expresses thoughtful emotions to his audience, specifically his family. It is clear that much of this album is dedicated to those he loves, as he addresses his wife Sarah and newborn son, both explicitly and ambiguously in songs such as “Oh Sarah” and “All Around You.” Simpson draws from his experience in the Navy to produce a sound consisting of appreciation for life and perceptivity. Notably, this is also Simpson’s first album on a major label, which complements his endearing intimacy with a professional level of production.

All the albums nominated this year seemed to share a common theme of personal expression. Whether about family, growth as an individual, or finding one’s place in society, all the nominees explored an important part of their lives in an effort to bring their experiences and personality to their art.

By Jared E. Hines