For the first time in many years the Grammys have thrown us a real curveball.
Nominees for the 50th annual edition of the awards honoring the best in music were announced yesterday, and the list of album of the year contenders is one of the most diverse - and quite frankly puzzling - in recent memory.
Five genres are represented: rapper Kanye West's "Graduation"; "Back to Black" by British retro-soul songbird Amy Winehouse; jazz pianist Herbie Hancock's all-star tribute to Joni Mitchell, "River: The Joni Letters"; the four-disc masterwork of country star Vince Gill, "These Days"; and the seventh studio release from veteran alt-rockers Foo Fighters, "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace."
These are all strong records - and it's especially refreshing to see Gill and Hancock in contention - but they are surprising given that jazz, hard rock, and country artists tend to be relegated to the Grammy categories for their genres, victim to the more widely known releases. But perhaps this is further proof that widely known is becoming a disappearing species in the highly fragmented music landscape.
Or maybe Grammy voters, and the quality-control committee that was instituted a few years ago, are sick of being bashed for endlessly nominating the usual suspects. Hence, a new crop of usual suspects with impeccable pedigrees that feel like left-field choices but don't represent true risk.
The show should be highly entertaining, however, given that the leading nominees are awards-show loose cannon West, who received eight nods, and garden-variety loose cannon Winehouse who earned six, including best new artist. His performances onstage are usually electric and his complaints backstage highly quotable. And if she can get her act together, a sober, spectacular Grammy performance would be an excellent vehicle for reminding people why anyone other than gossip bloggers cared about her in the first place.
Certainly none of the other album of the year nominees offered such riveting stories in 2007.
West dominated radio, record sales, and watercooler discussion thanks to a much-ballyhooed showdown with friendly rival 50 Cent, whom he trounced on the charts in September. The success of hit singles "Stronger" and "Good Life" from "Graduation" made it clear that his skills as a rapper and songwriter were intact. The year took a dark turn last month when West's mother and confidante Donda West died suddenly. But as the leading nominee, as he was in 2005, perhaps this is the year that West will walk away with one of the top trophies. (He has lost album of the year twice before.)
The heartfelt "Back to Black" and its defiant single "Rehab" were examples of Winehouse's sublime soul music, and both were heartily recognized by Grammy nominations. Winehouse, in fact, was the only artist to be named in all four of the major categories.
Surprise omissions in the top categories included Grammy favorites Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen, neither of whom was recognized for album of the year, an award Springsteen has never won. "American Idol"-spawned best-seller Daughtry was overlooked in the best new artist category. All three were recognized in other categories, however.
Instead of Daughtry, Grammy voters gave surprising nods to unsung soul singer Ledisi and youthful pop rock quartet Paramore. The other new-artist nominees - Winehouse, indie-gone-mainstream darling Feist, and wide-eyed country teen Taylor Swift - were shoo-ins.
Record of the year nominations were dominated by such ubiquitous hits as Rihanna's "Umbrella," Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable," and Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around . . . Comes Around," not to mention Winehouse's "Rehab." The oddity in the bunch? "The Pretender," by Foo Fighters, which never broke beyond rock radio.
If hook-worthiness calls the shot in this category, then Rihanna (". . . ella, ella") or Beyoncé (". . . to the left, to the left") are the favorites.
Besides the aforementioned nods, Foo Fighters were recognized in three of the rock categories for "Echoes," making five nominations in total. It is a welcome pat on the back for the well-liked group, which grew out of the ashes of Nirvana and was not given long odds at its inception.
Also earning five nominations: T-Pain, Jay-Z, Timberlake, and Timbaland. T-Pain split his between R&B and rap categories. In addition to guest appearances on other records, including "Umbrella," Jay-Z also received a best rap album nomination for his "comeback" album "Kingdom Come." "Future Sex/Love Sounds" is the album that keeps on giving for Timberlake. Last year it competed for album of the year and this year both "LoveStoned/I Think She Knows" and "What Goes Around" garnered nods in the pop and dance fields. Timberlake's partner in crime, songwriter-producer Timbaland, received five nods for both his solo work and his collaborations with Timberlake and Nelly Furtado.
Several local artists were recognized yesterday, too. Among them were favorite son James Taylor, nominated for best traditional pop vocal album for "James Taylor at Christmas."
On his way to London yesterday, Taylor actually got the good news from the Globe.
"I'm surprised and it's all the more delightful for being a surprise," said Taylor, who was unsure that his seasonal release met the eligibility requirements. A five-time winner, Taylor said he felt divorced from the awards derby when he first began winning in the '70s. "But as time has gone by I appreciate the attention, and I'm much more grateful," he said.
Springfield heavyweights Shadows Fall grabbed a best metal performance nod for the song "Redemption." Seekonk resident Bill Harley received his fourth nomination in a children's-album category for "I Wanna Play." Comic Steven Wright tickled enough funny bones to merit a comedy-album nod for "I Still Have a Pony." And the Boston Early Music Festival Chorus and Orchestra were recognized in the opera recording category for "Lully: Thésée."
The Grammys will be handed out at 8 p.m. on Feb. 10 in Los Angeles and will air live on Channel 4.
Grammy nominees
The nominees announced yesterday in top categories for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards:
Record of the year: "Irreplaceable," Beyoncé; "The Pretender," Foo Fighters; "Umbrella," Rihanna featuring Jay-Z; "What Goes Around . . . Comes Around," Justin Timberlake; "Rehab," Amy Winehouse.
Album of the year: "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace," Foo Fighters; "These Days," Vince Gill; "River: The Joni Letters," Herbie Hancock; "Graduation," Kanye West; "Back to Black," Amy Winehouse.
Song of the year: "Before He Cheats," Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins (Carrie Underwood); "Hey There Delilah," Tom Higgenson (Plain White T's); "Like a Star," Corinne Bailey Rae (Corinne Bailey Rae); "Rehab," Amy Winehouse (Amy Winehouse); "Umbrella," Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius "Dream" Nash & Christopher Stewart (Rihanna featuring Jay-Z).
New artist: Feist; Ledisi; Paramore; Taylor Swift; Amy Winehouse.
Pop vocal album: "Lost Highway," Bon Jovi; "The Reminder," Feist; "It Won't Be Soon Before Long," Maroon 5; "Memory Almost Full," Paul McCartney; "Back to Black," Amy Winehouse.
Rock album: "Daughtry," Daughtry; "Revival," John Fogerty; "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace," Foo Fighters; "Magic," Bruce Springsteen; "Sky Blue Sky," Wilco.
R&B album: "Funk This," Chaka Khan; "Lost & Found," Ledisi; "Luvanmusiq," Musiq Soulchild; "The Real Thing," Jill Scott; "Sex, Love & Pain," Tank.
Rap album: "Finding Forever," Common; "Kingdom Come," Jay-Z, "Hip Hop Is Dead," Nas; "T.I. vs T.I.P.," T.I.; "Graduation," Kanye West.
Country album: "Long Trip Alone," Dierks Bentley; "These Days," Vince Gill; "Let It Go," Tim McGraw; "5th Gear," Brad Paisley; "It Just Comes Natural," George Strait.
Contemporary jazz album: "Party Hats," Will Bernard; "Downright Upright," Brian Bromberg; "Re-imagination," Eldar; "River: The Joni Letters," Herbie Hancock; "He Had a Hat," Jeff Lorber.
Latin pop album: "Papito," Miguel Bosé & Varios Artistas; "12 Segundos De Oscuridad," Jorge Drexler; "Navidades Luis Miguel," Luis Miguel; "Dicen Que El Tiempo," Jennifer Peña; "El Tren De Los Momentos," Alejandro Sanz.
Classical album: "Cherubini: Missa Solemnis in E," Riccardo Muti, conductor, Wilhelm Meister, producer (Ildar Abdrazakov, Herbert Lippert, Marianna Pizzolato & Ruth Ziesak; Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks); "Grechaninov: Passion Week," Charles Bruffy, conductor, Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Kansas City Chorale & Phoenix Bach Choir); "Homage: The Age of the Diva," Renée Fleming, David Frost, producer (Valery Gergiev, Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre); "Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Sings Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs," Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Dirk Sobotka, producer (James Levine; Boston Symphony Orchestra); "Tower: Made in America," Leonard Slatkin, conductor, Tim Handley, producer (Nashville Symphony).
A complete list of nominees is available at grammy.com.
