If you’ve been counting down the days until Taylor Swift, Elton John, and Rick Ross are in the same room, your dreadful wait is almost over. Almost. Now that the Beyoncé Super Bowl has come and gone–taking much of New Orleans’ electricity along with it–it is time for us music nerds to prognosticate on which of our favorite acts will take home something big and shiny at the 2013 Grammy Awards this weekend… and who will be adding trophies to their bookshelf.
While many of this year’s races are extremely close and surprisingly on par with our personal playlists, the field of Best New Artist is one we have the toughest time figuring out. Will it be the cute and super talented country star, who can play just about any instrument AND has received invites to high school prom as a result? Or how about the guys who inspired us all to enjoy our nights out a little bit more? Here’s a short but sweet argument for each of the five nominees, in case you need a little help deciding who to root for, as well as a poll for YOU to weigh in with your vote as to who should be this year’s Best New Artist.
“Cool” doesn’t even begin to describe it. The Southern slow-burn of these Alabama-bred rockers gets taken up a notch, thanks to the incredible lead vocals and guitar of Brittany Howard (a woman we want to be when we grow up). Her voice adds an explosive ferocity to an sprawling, casual sound, punctuated by an audible twang our best attempts at a passable “y’all” will never create. There’s little sense of urgency; instead, the band invites you to kick back and stay awhile as music washes over you.