Grammy Noms

There aren't many award shows that I get excited about as I tend to feel that the greatest music being made today is so often overlooked in favor of over produced pop tunes that anyone with the right equipment and marketing can create. However, the Grammy's are pretty much the gold standard in American music so I'm generally faithful to them each year. I don't always agree with the nominations but I like to play "If I Were Voting" anyway with the choices offered so since the nominees were announced today, that's what we're gonna do.

Some of the categories were difficult this year which is unusual since I typically have a clear favorite but overall, I think this is Kanye's year to really shine and something tells me that the dearly departed Dr. West will be looking down with great pride on Grammy night. I also think The Boss is back in a big, big way thanks to his phenomenal work on Magic. Keep in mind that this list isn't indicative of who I think will win as that would look entirely different. This list reflects who I would vote for and who I hope heads home with a golden gramophone on Grammy night. Tune to CBS on February 10th to catch all the presentations, acceptance speeches and performances...it's always a pretty great show.

So without further adieu, this year's nominees (that I've actually listened to and would be inclined to choose from) are:

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, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)
      
• Hey There Delilah
   Tom Higgenson, songwriter (Plain White T's)
      
• Like A Star
      Corinne Bailey Rae, songwriter (Corinne Bailey Rae)
      
• Rehab
      Amy Winehouse, songwriter (Amy Winehouse)
      
• Umbrella
      Shawn Carter, Kuk Harrell, Terius "Dream" Nash & Christopher Stewart,
      songwriters (Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z)

Best New Artist

• Feist

• Ledisi

• Paramore

• Taylor Swift

• Amy Winehouse

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

• Candyman
Christina Aguilera

• 1234
Feist

• Big Girls Don't Cry
Fergie

• Say It Right
Nelly Furtado

• Rehab
 Amy Winehouse

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

• Everything
Michael Bublé

• Belief
John Mayer

• Dance Tonight
Paul McCartney

• Amazing
Seal

• What Goes Around...Comes Around
Justin Timberlake

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

• (You Want To) Make A Memory
Bon Jovi

• Home 
Daughtry

• Makes Me Wonder
Maroon 5

• Hey There Delilah
Plain White T's

• Window In The Skies
U2

Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals

• Steppin' Out
Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera

• Beautiful Liar
Beyoncé & Shakira

• Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

• The Sweet Escape
Gwen Stefani & Akon

• Give It To Me
Timbaland Featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake

Best Pop Instrumental Performance

• Off The Grid
Beastie Boys

• Paris Sunrise #7
    Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals

• Over The Rainbow
Dave Koz

• One Week Last Summer
Joni Mitchell

• Simple Pleasures
Spyro Gyra

Best Pop Instrumental Album

• The Mix-Up
Beastie Boys

• Italia
Chris Botti

• At The Movies
Dave Koz

• Good To Go-Go
Spyro Gyra

• Roundtrip
Kirk Whalum

Best 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

Best Dance Recording

• Do It Again
The Chemical Brothers

• D.A.N.C.E.
Justice

• Love Today
Mika

• Don't Stop The Music
Rihanna

• LoveStoned/I Think She Knows
Justin Timberlake

Best Electronic/Dance Album

• We Are The Night
  The Chemical Brothers

• †
  Justice

• Sound Of Silver
  LCD Soundsystem

• We Are Pilots
     Shiny Toy Guns

• Elements Of Life
  Tiësto

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

• Call Me Irresponsible
Michael Bublé

• Cool Yule
Bette Midler

• Trav'lin' Light
Queen Latifah

• Live In Concert 2006
Barbra Streisand

• James Taylor At Christmas
James Taylor

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance

• Timebomb
  Beck

• Only Mama Knows
  Paul McCartney

• Our Country
  John Mellencamp

• Radio Nowhere
    Bruce Springsteen

• Come On
  Lucinda Williams

Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

• It's Not Over
Daughtry

• Working Class Hero
Green Day

• If Everyone Cared
Nickelback

• Instant Karma
U2

• Icky Thump
The White Stripes

Best Hard Rock Performance

• Sweet Sacrifice
  Evanescence

• The Pretender
     Foo Fighters

• I Don't Wanna Stop
  Ozzy Osbourne

• Sick, Sick, Sick
  Queens Of The Stone Age

• The Pot
  Tool

Best Rock Instrumental Performance

• The Ecstasy Of Gold
Metallica

• Malignant Narcissism
Rush

• Always With Me, Always With You
Joe Satriani

• Once Upon A Time In The West
Bruce Springsteen

• The Attitude Song
Steve Vai

Best Rock Song

• Come On
  Lucinda Williams, songwriter (Lucinda Williams)

• Icky Thump
  Jack White, songwriter (The White Stripes)

• It's Not Over
  Chris Daughtry, Gregg Wattenberg, Mark Wilkerson & Brett Young, songwriters
  (Daughtry)

• The Pretender
  Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel & Chris Shiflett, songwriters (Foo
  Fighters)

• Radio Nowhere
     Bruce Springsteen, songwriter (Bruce Springsteen)

Best Rock Album

• Daughtry
Daughtry

• Revival
John Fogerty

• Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace
Foo Fighters

• Magic
Bruce Springsteen

• Sky Blue Sky
Wilco

Best Alternative Music Album

• Alright, Still...
  Lily Allen

• Neon Bible
     Arcade Fire

• Volta
  Bjork

• Wincing The Night Away
  The Shins

• Icky Thump
  The White Stripes

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance

• Just Fine
Mary J. Blige

• When I See You
Fantasia

• No One
Alicia Keys

• If I Have My Way
Chrisette Michele

• Hate On Me
Jill Scott

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

• Woman
  Raheem DeVaughn

• B.U.D.D.Y.
  Musiq Soulchild

• Because Of You
     Ne-Yo

• Future Baby Mama
  Prince

• Please Don't Go
 Tank

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

• Same Girl
R. Kelly Featuring Usher

• Disrespectful
Chaka Khan Featuring Mary J. Blige

• Hate That I Love You
Rihanna Featuring Ne-Yo

• Baby
Angie Stone Featuring Betty Wright

• Bartender
T-Pain Featuring Akon

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

• Walk A Mile In My Shoes
  Otis Clay

• All Night Long
  Randy Crawford & Joe Sample

• In My Songs
  Gerald Levert

• I Apologize
  Ann Nesby

• I Am Your Man
     Ryan Shaw

Best R&B Song

• Beautiful Flower
India.Arie & Joyce Simpson, songwriters (India.Arie)

• Hate That I Love You
M.S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen & Shaffer Smith, songwriters (Rihanna Featuring
Ne-Yo)

• No One
Dirty Harry, Kerry Brothers & Alicia Keys, songwriters (Alicia Keys)

• Teachme
Ivan Barias, Adam W. Blackstone, Randall C. Bowland, Carvin Haggins, Johnnie
Smith II & Corey Latif Williams, songwriters (Musiq Soulchild)

• When I See U
Louis Biancaniello, Waynne Nugent, Erika Nuri, Kevin Risto, Janet Sewel & Sam
Watters, songwriters (Fantasia)

Best Rap Solo Performance

• The People
  Common

• I Get Money
  50 Cent

• Show Me What You Got
  Jay-Z

• Big Things Poppin' (Do It)
  T.I.

• Stronger
     Kanye West

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group

• Southside
Common Featuring Kanye West

• Make It Rain
Fat Joe Featuring Lil Wayne

• Party Like A Rockstar
Shop Boyz

• Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)
UGK Featuring OutKast

• Better Than I've Ever Been
Kanye West, Nas & KRS-One

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

• I Wanna Love You
  Akon Featuring Snoop Dogg

• Kiss, Kiss
  Chris Brown & T-Pain

• Let It Go
  Keyshia Cole Featuring Missy Elliott & Lil' Kim

• Umbrella
  Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z

• Good Life
     Kanye West Featuring T-Pain

Best Rap Song

• Ayo Technology
Nate (Danja) Hills, Curtis Jackson, Timothy Mosley & Justin Timberlake,
songwriters (50 Cent Featuring Justin Timberlake & Timbaland)

• Big Things Poppin' (Do It)
Clifford Harris & Byron Thomas, songwriters (T.I.)

• Can't Tell Me Nothing
A. Davis & Kanye West, songwriters (Kanye West)

• Crank That (Soulja Boy)
Soulja Boy Tell'Em, songwriter (Soulja Boy Tell'Em)

• Good Life
A. Davis, F. Najm & K. West, songwriters (J. Ingram & Q. Jones, songwriters)
(Kanye West Featuring T-Pain)

Best 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

Best Female Country Vocal Performance

• Simple Love
Alison Krauss

• Famous In A Small Town
Miranda Lambert

• Nothin' Better To Do
LeAnn Rimes

• Before He Cheats
Carrie Underwood

• Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love
Trisha Yearwood

Best Male Country Vocal Performance

• Long Trip Alone
  Dierks Bentley

• A Woman's Love
  Alan Jackson

• If You're Reading This
  Tim McGraw

• Give It Away
  George Strait

• Stupid Boy
     Keith Urban

Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

• Proud Of The House We Built
Brooks & Dunn

• How Long
Eagles

• Moments
Emerson Drive

• Lucky Man
Montgomery Gentry

• Sweet Memories
The Time Jumpers

Best Country Collaboration With Vocals

• Days Aren't Long Enough
  Steve Earle & Allison Moorer

• Because Of You
  Reba McEntire & Kelly Clarkson

• I Need You
  Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

• Lost Highway
  Willie Nelson & Ray Price

• Oh Love
  Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood

Best Country Song

• Before He Cheats
Josh Kear & Chris Tompkins, songwriters (Carrie Underwood)

• Give It Away
Bill Anderson, Buddy Cannon & Jamey Johnson, songwriters (George Strait)

• I Need You
Tony Lane & David Lee, songwriters (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill)

• If You're Reading This
Tim McGraw, Brad Warren & Brett Warren, songwriters (Tim McGraw)

• Long Trip Alone
Brett Beavers, Dierks Bentley & Steve Bogard, songwriters (Dierks Bentley)

Best 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

Best Traditional Blues Album

• Pinetop Perkins On The 88's - Live In Chicago
Pinetop Perkins

• Live...And In Concert From San Francisco
Otis Rush

• 10 Days Out: Blues From The Backroads
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Featuring Various Artists

• Old School
Koko Taylor

• Last Of The Great Mississippi Delta Bluesmen: Live In Dallas
Henry James Townsend, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins, Robert Lockwood, Jr.

Best Contemporary Blues Album

• Into The Blues
  Joan Armatrading

• Is It News
  Doyle Bramhall

• The Road To Escondido
     JJ Cale & Eric Clapton

• Truth
 Robben Ford

• The Scene Of The Crime
 Bettye LaVette

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)

• The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream
Barack Obama

• Celebrations
Maya Angelou

• Giving: How Each Of Us Can Change The World
Bill Clinton

• Sunday Mornings In Plains: Bringing Peace To A Changing World
Jimmy Carter

• Things I Overheard While Talking To Myself
Alan Alda

Best Comedy Album

• America's Mexican
  George Lopez

• Dirty Girl
     Lisa Lampanelli

• The Distant Future
  Flight Of The Conchords

• I Still Have A Pony.
  Steven Wright

• Songs Pointed & Pointless
  Harry Shearer

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media


• Across The Universe
Various Artists

• Dreamgirls
Various Artists

• Hairspray
Various Artists

• Love
(The Beatles)

• Once
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media


• Falling Slowly (From Once)
     Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, songwriters (Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova)

• Guaranteed (From Into The Wild)
Eddie Vedder, songwriter (Eddie Vedder)

• Love You I Do (From Dreamgirls)
Siedah Garrett & Henry Krieger, songwriters (Jennifer Hudson)

• The Song Of The Heart (From Happy Feet)
Prince Rogers Nelson, songwriter (Prince)

• You Know My Name (From Casino Royale)
David Arnold & Chris Cornell, songwriters (Chris Cornell)

Best Short Form Music Video


• God's Gonna Cut You Down
Johnny Cash

• 1234
Feist



• Gone Daddy Gone
Gnarls Barkley

• D.A.N.C.E.
Justice

• Typical
Mute Math