Being considered underrated while at the same time being nominated for a major award is a little ironic. But just because a musical artist is nominated for a Grammy Award does not mean that artist is getting all the love they deserve. In fact, this could be an example of how the awards show knows a bit more than the listening public and that is a shame.
Good music is good music, right? The philosopher Huey Lewis (of the firm The News) once said, "There are only two types of music: Good and bad." He was correct, of course.
All the artists below are excellent. They deserve more love from the general public, however. Not from the band General Public, but that would be cool, too.
Three underrated musical artists nominated for a Grammy Award in 2024
Underrated No. 1 - Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys have carved out their niche somewhat in rock, but the band has never reached the kind of mainstream success they deserved. This might partly be due to the band not really caring so much about that. Frontman Alex Turner has always zigged when others would have zagged and an English band that began as dangerous alternative has evolved over nearly two decades to incorporate blues and heavy rock.
But make no mistake that the songs the band produces are driven by incredible and infectious melodies. The band could strip every track down to a single acoustic guitar and the structure would hold. This is the secret to all great music, though, right? Even the darkest of black metal has some semblance of a great melody, but few people write consistently well as Turner and his friends.
Most of the band's seven studio albums have been critically lauded, but only two have sold at least one million units in the United States. Thankfully, and rightfully, the group's native UK appreciates them more. Perhaps one thing that holds the band back from being more popular in the US, if the band even sees it that way, is that they have only produced four studio albums since 2009.
Arctic Monkeys are nominated for three Grammy Awards in 2024. These include Alternative Music Album (The Car), Rock Performance ("Sculptures Of Anything Goes"), and Alternative Music Performance ("Body Paint").
Underrated No. 2 - The Blind Boys of Alabama
You may have heard Blind Boys of Alabama songs for years and not realized it. The original group began in 1939 and was nominated for a Grammy for the first time in 1972. The group was formed in Talladega, Alabama, and has changed its roster over time. All the members either are or were visually impaired.
In 2024, the group is nominated for three Grammy Awards. These include Best Roots Gospel Album (Echoes of the South), Best Americana Performance ("Friendship"), and Best American Roots Performance ("Heaven Help Us All"). The group has been nominated 15 total times and has five wins. The last of those victories came in 2009 for Best Traditional Gospel Album for Down in New Orleans.
While the group is normally associated with gospel music, that is not all they do. They have performed live and/or recorded with musical artists such as Prince, Bon Iver, Peter Gabriel, and Bonnie Raitt. If you have watched the excellent police drama, The Wire, the Blind Boys of Alabama perform the theme song, "Way Down in a Hole," which is a cover of a Tom Waits song.
Few groups have ever consistently produced the beautiful harmonies of the Blind Boys of Alabama while mixing blues, jazz, and gospel with ease. The group has produced many albums, all of which are worth checking out.
Underrated No. 3 - Old Crow Medicine Show
Old Crow Medicine Show was Mumford and Sons before there was a Mumford and Sons. The difference is that while Mumford uses a lot of English influences to their sound, Old Crow Medicine Show mixes folk, Americana, and bluegrass to create their brilliance. The band's first album, Trans mission, was released in 1998 but on cassette only. The first real record label record was 2004's O.C.M.S. which had the band's best-known song.
That song is "Wagon Wheel" which Bob Dylan has a co-writing credit for. Ketch Secor came across a bootleg of Dylan while visiting London in the 1990s, but the song was crude and not completely formed. Over the years, Secor turned the track into what became known as "Wagon Wheel" but because the bootleg was Dylan's, Secor and Dylan signed a co-writing agreement and to a 50-50 split of authorship.
Old Crow Medicine Show is much more than "Wagon Wheel," however. Since 2004's O.C.M.S., the group has gone through a few member changes and produced seven more studio albums. Songs such as "Take 'Em Away," "James River Blues," and "Alabama HighTest" are just as good as "Wagon Wheel" and worth listening to multiple times.
Old Crow Medicine Show has been nominated for three Grammy Awards total, and has won twice. This includes winning for their album Remedy for Best Folk Album in 2015, and for Best Long Form Music Video for Big Easy Express in 2013. The group is nominated in 2024 for Best Folk Album for their album Jubilee.