Music Monday: Four Grammy-nominated albums you should own

The Grammys have come and gone once again. I don't ever watch them, to be honest, because I've heard enough bad live performances from Taylor Swift to last a lifetime. (Yes, she is a talented songwriter, but she is not as great without auto-tune and sound mastering.)

However, I am always interested to see which albums win awards and which artists finally get some love -- because winning a Grammy basically assures you even more album sales and publicity. And I was happy to see that a few of my favorite albums and artists were nominated this year.

So here are four Grammy-nominated albums (and a few winners) you should definitely think about adding to your collection:

• Uncaged by Zac Brown Band: If you only buy one album, make sure it's this one. I actually talked about my favorite songs in this post, but there isn't a song on this album that I don't like. It's fun, it's uplifting and it's country without being over-the-top twangy or too pop. I love all things ZBB.
• El Camino by The Black Keys: I will be totally honest and say that I'd never heard of The Black Keys until last year, let alone listened to any of their music. But after I heard "Little Black Submarines" on the radio and was intrigued by the acoustic intro and the rocking chorus, I knew I had to check them out. And it didn't hurt that the mp3 album was under $5 at Amazon. It's one of those recordings that you want to listen to over and over on a road trip. Make sure to at least listen to "Little Black Submarines" even if The Black Keys aren't your cup of tea. It's fantastic.
• Hunter Hayes by Hunter Hayes: So it's obviously not the most imaginatively titled album, but give Hunter Hayes a try anyway. I talked about his fantastic single "Storm Warning" in the same post I mentioned above, but he was actually nominated for the song "Wanted," too -- which is just as great. And the music video is so sweet. He has an amazing voice, especially for being so young!
• The Lumineers by The Lumineers: Clearly naming albums isn't this band's strong point either, but don't hold that against them. You've probably heard "Ho Hey" all over the radio and in TV shows, but I really like "Dead Sea" from this album as well. It's folksy and similar to The Avett Brothers, but the lyrics are unique and it's a good listen in the car, too (or, for me, while editing stuff at work).

Those are my picks! What are your favorite Grammy nominees/winners? Were you disappointed or surprised by the winners? I have to say that I didn't expect "We Are Young" to win Song of the Year, since I think it's way overplayed and too repetitive. Just my two cents.