Singers don't often get the kind of sure-fire hit Rucker has with his new single Wagon Wheel. After Old Crow Medicine Show's Kyle Secor fleshed out a 1970s Bob Dylan demo to create this song, the group sold a million copies over eight years, while staying just outside the mainstream. Rucker polishes up Old Crow's string-band arrangement and brings in Lady Antebellum to sing harmonies, but he doesn't sacrifice a bit of the song's sing-along charm. - Brian Mansfield
THE PLAYLIST
USA TODAY music critic Steve Jones highlights 10 tracks from projects nominated for Grammy Awards.
Thank You, Estelle
R&B performance nominee from All of Me finds the Brit singer discovering a silver lining after her man leaves her for another woman.
Wrong Side of a Love Song, Melanie Fiona
Gritty old-school torch song from The MF Life earned the sultry singer a traditional R&B performance nod.
Pray for Me, Anthony Hamilton
Hamilton painfully laments cheating on a lover and asks a higher power to bring her back on this R&B song candidate.
Gonna Be Alright, Robert Glasper Experiment
Glasper's reworking of his F.T.B. for Black Radio, with Ledisi's passionate vocals, is up for R&B performance.
Refill, Elle Varner
The singer/songwriter contemplates how far to go with a new guy on this R&B song nominee from her debut album Perfectly Imperfect.
Lotus Flower Bomb, Wale featuring Miguel
This mellow track from Wale's sophomore album Ambition is rife with sexual innuendo and up for rap song.
Real Good Hands, Gregory Porter
Porter turns an old-fashioned notion - asking a woman's parents for her hand in marriage - into a fine traditional R&B performance.
Daughters, Nas
Nas reflects on the growth of his daughter and his parenting skills in this rap song and rap performance nominee from Life Is Good.
I Want You, Luke James
The newcomer's soulful tenor soars over hip-hop-inflected beats on this moving R&B performance-nominated ballad.
No Church in the Wild, Jay-Z/Kanye West
The rap titans are joined by Frank Ocean and The-Dream on this powerful Watch the Throne anthem up for rap/sung collaboration.
