Today (November 20), the list of nominations for the 2020 Grammy Awards was released. Among the Louisiana musicians nominated, Tank and the Bangas nabbed a huge nom: the New Orleans band is in the running in the Best New Artist category.
“We’re used to hearing detailed discussions of cheddar from hip-hop groups—making money, keeping money, spending money—but Tank and the Bangas take it to a whole new level on their sophomore effort,” Robert Fontenot wrote in his review of Tank and the Bangas’ 2019 album Green Balloon. Fronted by Tarriona “Tank” Ball, the group shot to national acclaim after winning NPR’s coveted Tiny Desk Concert competition. The group’s “well-established formula” of “Fender Rhodes, slap bass, and a jazz shuffle recalibrated just enough to reclaim the street” and the inimitable vocal stylings of Tank, wrote Fontenot, sets Tank and the Bangas well apart from the other nominees in the Best New Artist category: Black Pumas, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Lizzo, Maggie Rogers, Rosalía and Yola.
Other Louisiana musicians nominated this year are Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (Ancestral Recall); PJ Morton, for Best R&B Album (PAUL), Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Built For Love” featuring Jazmine Sullivan) and Best R&B Song (“Say So” featuring JoJo); Lucky Daye, for Best R&B Performance (“Roll Some Mo”); Branford Marsalis, for Best Improvised Jazz Solo (“The Windup”); the Branford Marsalis Quartet, for Best Jazz Instrumental Album (The Secret Between The Shadow And The Soul); Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra With Wynton Marsalis & Rubén Blades, for Best Latin Jazz Album (Una Noche Con Rubén Blades); Wynton Marsalis, for Best Classical Instrumental Solo (“Marsalis: Violin Concerto; Fiddle Dance Suite”); Rebirth Brass Band for Best Regional Roots Music Album (Recorded Live At The 2019 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival) and more (including Ellen Degeneres, Bobby Rush [Best Traditional Blues Album], Randy Newman [Best Song Written for Visual Media] and others)
For a full list of nominees, click here. The Grammy Awards take place on January 26 and will be hosted by Alicia Keys.
