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Similarly, while not as big a shock, there were plenty of choruses of "WTF"
when Alicia Keys' "As I Am," was locked out
of the Album of the Year category. In very short order, she has become a
Grammy darling, the kind we expect to get nominated simply for putting an
album out (among the others who fall into this category are Sheryl Crow, John Mayer and Sting).
Also, we just bet the Eagles, who released "Long Road Out of
Eden," their first album of new material in 27 years, were expecting a nod in
the Album of the Year category. Projects that have gone directly through one
retailer without a major label (as the Eagles did with Wal-Mart) have yet to
receive substantial Grammy love, which may indicate that politicking does still
heavily influence the decision process.
A few other artists who broke through this year and seemed deserving got the
big goose egg, primarily alternative rock acts Fleet Foxes and Vampire Weekend. Neither was expected
to land a Best New Artist nod, but they certainly should have been under
consideration for some alternative awards.
We know that people love Alison Krauss (she has won more
Grammys than any other female) and they feel guilty for not treating Robert Plant better when he was in Led Zeppelin, so we understand why
their collaboration, "Raising Sand," was nominated for Album of the Year. Plus,
the Grammy voters telegraphed their love for this one last year when the album
track "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" won for Best Pop Collaboration With
Vocals.
But we think they went a little overboard here. Quick! -- raise your
hand if you can hum "Please Read the Letter" from Krauss and Plant. We can't
either. Nonetheless, it's nominated for Record of the Year. Krauss/Plant also
got nods in Best Pop Collaboration ("Rich Woman"), Best Country Collaboration
("Killing the Blues"), and Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album. If they could
have gotten away with it, the Grammy voters would have nominated "Raising Sand"
for Best Polka Album.
Rule, Britannia
When the nominations came out, I had to make sure it wasn't for the Brit
Awards instead of the Grammys, given some categories' Anglo-centric tilt.
All five of the Record of the Year nominees are British or include a Brit
(Krauss keeps it from being a complete British sweep).
For Album of the Year, three of the five contenders are British (the first
time that has happened in 15 years), three of the Song of the Year nods
went to British acts, and both Adele and Duffy, two British women, are up for
Best New Artist.
Why is this happening? It wasn't so long ago that British acts couldn't get
arrested on the U.S. charts, but their fortunes have changed tremendously over
the past few years. Sales-wise, British artists still don't account for a large
chunk (and yes, we do know that Coldplay's album was one of the top
selling albums of 2008), but they are making lots of noise here again and there
are a few reasons why. One reason is the general diversity and quality of the
artists coming from the United Kingdom. Another reason is that when times are
flush for U.S. artists and the pop scene is strong, there generally isn't that
much room for repertoire from other quarters. However, U.S. success for the past
few years has been dominated by rap and urban-leaning R&B, leaving a
truck-sized hole for international pop acts to drive through. That's why we saw
Amy Winehouse's dominance last year.
So what does it all mean for Feb. 8 when the awards are passed out? We're not
sure, but we're preparing for a British landslide. Stay tuned.
More Grammy coverage: Photos | Video | More
Melinda Newman is a freelance journalist who covers music and
entertainment for The Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, the Washington
Post, the Hollywood Reporter, Performing Songwriter and a number of other
outlets. She is a former talent editor and West Coast bureau chief for Billboard
magazine. |
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