2024 Americana Honors and Awards: Who will win Album and Song of the Year?
The 2024 Americana Music Honors and Awards nominations were announced on May 7, with big stars like Jason Isbell, Tyler Childers and Sierra Ferrell all present. The show is slated for September 18, but it’s never too early to discuss who will win. Let’s break down the races for this year’s Album of the Year and Song of the Year awards.
Album of the Year
Brandy Clark – “Brandy Clark”
Tyler Childers – “Rustin’ in the Rain”
Hurray for the Riff Raff – “The Past Is Still Alive”
Sierra Ferrell – “Trail of Flowers”
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – “Weathervanes”
This is a stacked category, as most of these are highly acclaimed records. Isbell won the Grammy equivalent of this award (Best Americana Album), but there are a few other factors to take into consideration. While Isbell did beat Clark there, he did not beat the rest of these nominees. Childers was competing in Best Country Album, and Ferrell and Hurray for the Riff Raff’s albums were not eligible for Grammys yet (they’ll be contenders for 2025). That said, there’s still good reason to think “Weathervanes” will take this award. Isbell is an awards favorite, the record was acclaimed (82 on Metacritic), and the Grammy wins show that the industry still loves his work. Childers will likely not win, as he won just last year for his previous album and voters might not want to give him two in a row. “The Past is Still Alive” is highly acclaimed, earning an 87 on Metacritic, so that could garner a lot of support, but the band’s lack of nominations elsewhere suggests there isn’t that much passion for the album.
Isbell’s main competitor here is probably “Trail of Flowers.” Ferrell is a previous AMHA winner, taking home Emerging Act a few years ago, and this new album got a lot of love at these awards, getting in pretty much anywhere it could. Plus, since Isbell has won so much in the past, voters might want to switch it up and go for the fresher artist.
Song of the Year
“American Dreaming” (Sierra Ferrell)
“Dear Insecurity” (Brandy Clark feat. Brandi Carlile)
“In Your Love” (Tyler Childers)
“Jealous Moon” (Sarah Jarosz)
“Right Back to It” (Waxahatchee feat. MJ Lenderman)
While all of these nominees are exquisite, the race here is likely between Brandy Clark and Tyler Childers. Childers’s “In Your Love” was a phenomenon, easily the biggest hit here commercially. The song received a lot of attention for its LGBTQ-themed video, and garnered Childers three Grammy nominations. It didn’t win there, but it could win here, especially as Chris Stapleton (who beat Childers at the Grammys) isn’t nominated at these Americana kudos. That said, Clark has a lot of hype in the industry, and her self-titled album is her first full foray into Americana. “Dear Insecurity” won the Grammy for Best Americana Performance, and Brandi Carlile being credited will also likely help since award show voters love her. Still, I’m giving “In Your Love” the edge, especially since it is likely the best known.
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