Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell "Back When We Were Beautiful"

Usually, when we're putting together the Top 25 list for MVY, the very top spots are left intact, straight from the voting.  But when you get down to the last 5 or so slots, only a vote or 3 can separate #20 from #40.  With so many albums so close, some shuffling around will happen, and the last few albums are usually decided not by votes, but by gut.

We take into account how important the album was to the MVY playlist, how well it was critically received, how well it sold, and how much longevity it feels like the record may have.

Admittedly, these characteristics are somewhat subjective.

With only 5 slots left, and 15 to 20 records that are legitimate contenders, there is some hashing out to be done.

Barbara was pretty adamant that "Old Yellow Moon" from Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell make the list.

I wasn't so sure.

I thought it was a good record, and it was certainly well received by the critics.  But we didn't play it a ton, didn't get a ton of requests for it, and there was no second single to keep it alive on the air throughout 2013, so it had faded into memory a bit.

But she argued so passionately for it, talking about the beauty and the craft, and saying that it was the kind of record that touched the hearts of people who really listened.  She said, decisively, that it HAD to be on the list.

I was smart enough to trust her gut.

Guess who won Best Americana Album at The Grammys last night?


Hear the song on Youtube.

Gary Clark Jr. "Please Come Home"

While the Grammy nomination list is low on MVY artists, there is ONE artist who hit a pretty big milestone.

Gary Clark Jr has the distinction of being the only artist in Grammy history to be nominated for songs in the“Best Traditional R&B Performance” and “Best Rock Song” categories for the same album.

It speaks well of both his genre-stretching abilities, and MVY's acceptance of eclectic, uncategorizable artists.


Hear the song on Youtube.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Regina Spektor "You've Got Time"

This Grammy category used to be called "Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television" but in this modern technology day and age, the category is now known as "Best Song Written for Visual Media."

Because this song isn't really in a movie or on television.

This is the theme song to the Netflix original series "Orange Is The New Black."

It seems like a bit of a long shot, since it's up again "Skyfall" and "Atlas" and other big movie themes.

But the fact that it's considered, is a victory unto itself.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Lorde "Royals"

The Grammys are this weekend.

One of the many, many (many!) little things I do at MVY, is to copy the whole nomination list, and then go over it with a fine tooth comb, highlighting all of the MVY artists who got nominated.  I print it out and leave it in the studio for the DJs.

Though this year's document is 20 pages long, the list---for MVY listeners---is pretty weak.

No MVY acts for Album Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year or Best New Artist.

Oh, some of our favorites show up in places you'd expect, like Americana or Alternative.

But this list this year is decidedly Pop heavy.

That's not entirely a bad thing.

Even though they aren't likely to be played on our station, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Bruno Mars, and Daft Punk are all credible artists who made great songs in the genre where they live.

I'd even venture that though this was not a tune we'd play on MVY, Lorde's "Royals" IS one of the best songs of the year, without a doubt.

I'll post about some other interesting Grammy nods throughout the week . . .


Hear the song on Youtube.