Grammy Omission of Isbell's 'Southeastern' Bad Sign for Music Awards

by Julian Spivey
The Grammy Awards are considered to be the highest honor in the recording industry and for many years have proven to be a bastion for the true best of the best in music.
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However, for many years people have bitched and moaned about the Grammy’s lack of interest and honors of popular music. The nominations released on Friday night for the 2014 Grammys seem to suggest that the Grammys have taken heed of these complaints and have begun to award popularity obvious sometimes obvious higher quality. You don’t have to look any further than this year’s Song of the Year category, featuring five pop songs, to see the switch.

There are numerous complaints that can and should be made in regards to this change in identity. In fact, the Grammys have been going somewhat downhill since they decided to completely revamp their awards a few years ago and in the process eliminated over 25 award categories.

The most egregious omission, in my opinion, from the Grammy nominations this year is Jason Isbell’s “Southeastern” album, which was idiotically snubbed in the category of Best Americana Album. Isbell’s powerful and emotional album is not just the best Americana album of the year, but easily one of the greatest Americana albums ever recorded. It’s a better piece of music than any of the five nominees in the category, but Isbell doesn’t have the name recognition of Steve Martin or Emmylou Harris or Mavis Staples.  

It makes you wonder if the Grammy voters are even paying that much attention to some of these categories and genres when they completely omit the hands down best Americana album of the year, and the best album overall of 2013, according to American Songwriter.  

When people like Robin Thicke are receiving multiple nominations and true artists and genius songwriters like Isbell are going unnoticed it really makes you start believing that the Grammys, the highest of honors in the music industry, have become a complete joke. Just listen to Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and Isbell’s “Cover Me Up” or “Elephant” or “Yvette” back-to-back and tell me which one is truly deserving of a Grammy. It’s really a no brainer, except, of course, to the people in charge of Grammy nominations.

When Isbell’s “Southeastern” can’t even garner one single Grammy nomination in its own genre you have to seriously begin to think that the Grammy system and perhaps the music industry as a whole is irrevocably broken. You have to begin to think that awards and honors don’t mean much of nothing at all. That a Grammy is just “a little gold plated paperweight,” as Isbell’s former band the Drive-By Truckers sang in their superb “Carl Perkins’ Cadillac.”

Isbell doesn’t seem to mind all that much mockingly tweeting about his Grammy omission: “Don't worry guys, I'll get plenty of noms. There's a Chipotle right across the street from the hotel!” and tweeting that his own mother responded with "So what? Biggie never won a Grammy! Pac never won a Grammy!"

Isbell’s fan know full well his album is a modern day classic and something that Americana fans will be talking about for many years to come. Here are some of the best responses from fans on the Grammy’s horrible omission:

Doesn't matter who takes home the trophy, everyone should know @JasonIsbell 's Elephant is the real Song of the Year. - Martha Prewitt Levy

The lack of @JasonIsbell in the Americana Grammy category is... disturbing. - NelsonWDVX

Cannot believe @JasonIsbell didn't garner a @TheGRAMMYs nomination for 'Southeastern.' A complete and utter travesty. #speechless - Brett Auten

So the #GRAMMYnoms are out and there's no sign of @JasonIsbell and his album Southeastern? The Grammy people can go cram it with walnuts. - Survey1215

Jason Isbell not nominated for #Grammy is highway robbery. Southeastern one of the best albums of the yr, period. – Robert Clement

How does @JasonIsbell get nominated for 0 @TheGRAMMYs? Best album of the year. Certainly better than anything @SaraBareilles has ever done. – Benjamin Short

How far did the Grammy folks have to bend over to get their heads so far up their asses to not have Jason Isbell as Americana album nom? – Teresa Bolton

When @JasonIsbell gets snubbed, it makes me feel like no one is actually listening. Sour grapes perhaps but I can't shake the anger I feel. Not to go all Kanye, but @JasonIsbell made one the best Americana albums of all time. 15 weeks at #1 and @AmerSongwriter best album of 2013. – David Macias

Bummed the Grammys ignored Jason Isbell. Great singer/songwriter. "Southeastern": gritty, moving, wise. Feels like classic short fiction. – Larry Rogowin
Overlooking Southeastern just goes to prove the Grammys reward huge sales over true artistry. – Silas House