NAACP Image Awards – 2012 Winners and Recap

Here are the results of this year’s NAACP Image Awards for Recordings.  Jennifer Hudson was the big winner this year.  We agree with most of the winners, but feel Ledisi is still being overlooked for her incredible gift and her great new album.  Cee-lo also deserved to win more awards in our opinion.  This brother has been making serious waves for years and continues to be a breakout star.

Outstanding New Artist

Committed

Epic

Diggy Simmons

Atlantic Records

Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr.

Columbia Records

Mindless Behavior

Streamline/Conjunction/Interscope Records

Wynter Gordon

Big Beat/Atlantic Records

Our take:  Diggy has the pedigree to pretty much do anything he wants in the music business.  What is surprising is that despite this leg up, this kid seems like he’s here to stay because of his talent.

Outstanding Male Artist

Anthony Hamilton

RCA Records

Bruno Mars

Elektra Records

Cee Lo Green

Elektra Records

Chris Brown

Jive Records

Common

Warner Bros. Records

Our take:  We love this pick.  Since leaving Goodie Mob and moving onto Gnarles Barkley, this brother has been killing it.  He is single-handedly transforming the music industry with flare and power.  We love and support his music and his message.

Outstanding Female Artist

Beyoncé

Columbia Records

Jennifer Hudson

Arista Records

Jill Scott

Warner Bros. Records

Ledisi

Verve Forecast

Mary J. Blige

Geffen

Our take:  We absolutely love Jill Scott but really believe her album was not as good as Ledisi’s Peaces of Me or even Beyonce’s album, which features one of last year’s best songs, Love on Top.  We believe either of these artists would be a better representation of this past year’s performance.

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration

Boyz II Men

Benchmark Entertainment/MSM Music Group

Cee Lo Green feat. Melanie Fiona

Elektra Records

Mary J. Blige feat. Drake

Geffen

Sounds of Blackness

Malaco Music Group

The Roots

Island Def Jam Music Group

Our Take:  We love Mary J. and Drake, but the winner in this category has to be Cee-Lo and Melanie Fiona, who clearly owned the airways with “Fool For You”, one of the best songs of last year.

Outstanding Jazz Album

Chano y Dizzy

Terence Blanchard and Poncho Sanchez

Concord Music Group, Inc.

Friends

Stanley Jordan

Mack Avenue Records

Guitar Man

George Benson

Concord Jazz

Legacy

Gerald Wilson

Mack Avenue Records

Road Show Vol. 2

Sonny Rollins

Emarcy

Our Take:  We love GB and he deserved this.  His guitar work enchants.

Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary)

Becoming

Yolanda Adams

N House Music Group

Church on the Moon

Deitrick Haddon

Verity Gospel Music Group

Hello Fear

Kirk Franklin

Verity Gospel Music Group

Something Big

Mary Mary

Columbia Records

The Journey

Andraé Crouch

RiverPhlo Entertainment

Our Take:  We could not get away from this record this year. It was everywhere, particular on the Steve Harvey Morning Show, which still plays it nearly everyday.  This brother has not always been our favoriate but we are warming to his uplifting message.

Outstanding World Music Album

Afrodiaspora

Susana Baca

Luaka Bop

Carnival Fever

Brother B

King Chero Records

Live at 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Boukman Eksperyans

MunckMix, Inc.

Sounds of Blackness

Sounds of Blackness

Malaco Music Group

The First Grader

Alex Heffes

Varese Sarabande

Our Take:  We’ve loved Sounds of Blackness since their chart topping debut “Optimistic,” which still makes us misty when we hear it.

Outstanding Music Video

25/8

Mary J. Blige

Geffen

Hear My Call

Jill Scott

Warner Bros. Records

I Was Here

Beyoncé

Columbia Records

Someone Like You

Adele

Columbia Records

Where You At

Jennifer Hudson

Arista Records

Our Take:  We would have actually given the award to Adele given the power in this song and video.  However, given the show is an NAACP show, we’re not sure this would have really happened.

Outstanding Song

Best Thing I Never Had

Beyoncé

Columbia Records

Fool for You feat. Melanie Fiona

Cee Lo Green

Elektra Records

I Smile

Kirk Franklin

Verity Gospel Music Group

So In Love feat. Anthony Hamilton

Jill Scott

Warner Bros. Records

Someone Like You

Adele

Columbia Records

Our Take:  We’re sorry Kirk Franklin, but Beyonce or Adele clearly deserved this more in our opinion.

Outstanding Album

4

Beyoncé

Columbia Records

F.A.M.E.

Chris Brown

Jive Records

I Remember Me

Jennifer Hudson

Arista Records

Lasers

Lupe Fiasco

1st & 15th/Atlantic Records

The Light of the Sun

Jill Scott

Warner Bros. Records

Our Take:  We are not mad at this one and we can live with it, but it had to be tough to look past Beyonce’s daring “4” album which, despite being initially critically panned, was actually one of B’s best efforts.

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