Selected Grammy nominations that relate to folk and roots, and a few oddities related to former folk radio stations that are playing some of the nominated pop artists, thrown in for good measure.
My comments, in red, are inter spaced.
Category 1
Record Of The Year
(Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s), if other than the artist.)
- Chasing Pavements
Adele
Eg White, producer; Tom Elmhirst & Steve Price, engineers/mixers
Track from: 19
[XL Recordings/Columbia] - Viva La Vida
Coldplay
Markus Dravs, Brian Eno & Rik Simpson, producers; Michael Brauer & Rik Simpson, engineers/mixers
Track from: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends
[Capitol Records] - Bleeding Love
Leona Lewis
SimonCowell, Clive Davis & Ryan "Alias" Tedder, producers; CraigDurrance, Phil Tan & Ryan "Alias" Tedder, engineers/mixers
[J Records/SYCO Music] - Paper Planes
M.I.A
Diplo, producer; Switch, engineer/mixer
Track from: Kala
[Interscope] - Please Read The Letter
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
T Bone Burnett, producer; Mike Piersante, engineer/mixer
Track from: Raising Sand
[Rounder]
Well,I guess Led Zeppelin will be looking for and touring with a new leadvocalist as Mr. Plant and Ms. Kraus return to the studio to recordagain before heading out on tour. The upside is this will free Jerry Douglas to do more work on his own.
Category 6
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
(For a solo vocal performance. Singles or Tracks only.)
- All Summer Long
Kid Rock
Track from: Rock N Roll Jesus
[Atlantic] - Say
John Mayer
Track from: Continuum
[Columbia] - That Was Me
Paul McCartney
Track from: Amoeba's Secret
[Hear Music/MPL Communications Ltd.] - I'm Yours
Jason Mraz
Track from: We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
[Atlantic] - Closer
Ne-Yo
Track from: Year Of The Gentleman
[Def Jam/Compound Entertainment] - Wichita Lineman
James Taylor
Track from: Covers
[Hear Music]
Listen to Paul McCartney's new album "As The Fireman" in its entirety that is being hyped by NPR. I did, and lasted no more than 5-10 minutes. And "pop" is the right category for Mr. Taylor.s effort.
Category 11
Best Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)
- Detours
Sheryl Crow
[A&M Records] - Rockferry
Duffy
[Mercury] - Long Road Out Of Eden
Eagles
[Eagles Recording Company II] - Spirit
Leona Lewis
[J Records/SYCO Music] - Covers
James Taylor
[Hear Music]
Another James Taylor pop nomination, and second or third for the Eagles. Now that they have been nominated, how long it will be before WFUV, WUMB and other former folk stations,"inspired" by NPR's consultants and money, play these AAA hits, and can Cheryl Crow be far behind?
Field 3 — Traditional Pop
Category 14
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
(For albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks.)
- Still Unforgettable
Natalie Cole
[DMI Records] - The Sinatra Project
Michael Feinstein
[Concord Music Group] - Noël
Josh Groban
[143/Reprise] - In The Swing Of Christmas
Barry Manilow
[Hallmark/Arista] - Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall
Rufus Wainwright
[Geffen]
"Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall" sounds more like a, well, kids may read this, I'll say no more.
Category 40
Best Country Instrumental Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, without vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)
- Sumatra
Cherryholmes
Track from: Cherryholmes III: Don't Believe
[Skaggs Family Records] - Two Small Cars In Rome
Jerry Douglas & Lloyd Green
Track from: Glide
[Koch] - Sleigh Ride
Béla Fleck & The Flecktones
Track from: Jingle All The Way
[Rounder] - Is This America? (Katrina 2005)
Charlie Haden, Pat Metheny, Jerry Douglas & Bruce Hornsby
Track from: Family & Friends — Rambling Boy
[Decca Records] - Cluster Pluck
Brad Paisley, James Burton, Vince Gill, John Jorgenson, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert & Steve Wariner
[Arista Nashville]
Category 43
Best Bluegrass Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
- Cherryholmes III: Don't Believe
Cherryholmes
[Skaggs Family Records] - Del McCoury Band — Live At The 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Del McCoury Band
[MunckMix] - The Ultimate Collection / Live At The Ryman
Earl Scruggs With Family & Friends
[Rounder Records] - Honoring The Fathers Of Bluegrass: Tribute To 1946 And 1947
Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
[Skaggs Family Records] - Wheels
Dan Tyminski
[Rounder]
Category 66
Best Traditional Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
- The Blues Rolls On
Elvin Bishop
[Delta Groove Music, Inc.] - Skin Deep
Buddy Guy
[Silvertone Records] - All Odds Against Me
John Lee Hooker Jr.
[Steppin' Stone Records/CC Entertainment] - One Kind Favor
B.B. King
[Geffen Records] - Pinetop Perkins & Friends
Pinetop Perkins & Friends
[Stoneagle Music/Telarc]
Category 67
Best Contemporary Blues Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
- Peace, Love & BBQ
Marcia Ball
[Alligator Records] - Like A Fire
Solomon Burke
[Shout! Factory] - City That Care Forgot
Dr. John And The Lower 911
[429 Records] - Maestro
Taj Mahal
[Heads Up International] - Simply Grand
Irma Thomas
[Rounder Records]
Category 68
Best Traditional Folk Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
- Coal
Kathy Mattea
[Captain Potato Records] - Comedians & Angels
Tom Paxton
[Appleseed Recordings] - Bring Me Home
Peggy Seeger
[Appleseed Recordings] - At 89
Pete Seeger
[Appleseed Recordings] - Strangers In Another Country
Rosalie Sorrels
[Red House Records]
Category 69
Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
- Day After Tomorrow
Joan Baez
[Bobolink/Razor & Tie] - I, Flathead
Ry Cooder
[Nonesuch Records] - Sex & Gasoline
Rodney Crowell
[Work Song/Yep Roc Records] - All I Intended To Be
Emmylou Harris
[Nonesuch Records] - Raising Sand
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
[Rounder Records]
Category 70
Best Native American Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
- Songs From The Black Hills
Bryan Akipa
[SOAR Corporation] - Spo'Mo'Kin'Nan
Black Lodge
[Canyon Records] - Red Rock
Northern Cree
[Canyon Records] - Come To Me Great Mystery — Native American Healing Songs
(Various Artists)
Tom Wasinger, producer
[Silver Wave Records] - Faith
Kevin Yazzie
[Canyon Records]
Category 72
Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
- Live At The 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
BeauSoleil & Michael Doucet
[MunckMix] - From Now On
Michael Doucet
[Smithsonian Folkways Recordings] - Homage Au Passé
Pine Leaf Boys
[Lionsgate] - Live At The 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys
[MunckMix] - Cedric Watson
Cedric Watson
[Valcour Records]
Field 16 — World Music
Category 74
Best Traditional World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
- Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide Guitar Odyssey
Debashish Bhattacharya
[Riverboat Records/World Music Network] - The Mandé Variations
Toumani Diabaté
[Nonesuch Records] - Ilembe: Honoring Shaka Zulu
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
[Heads Up International] - Dancing In The Light
Lakshmi Shankar
[World Village]
Category 75
Best Contemporary World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)
- Shake Away
Lila Downs
[Manhattan Records/Blue Note] - Banda Larga Cordel
Gilberto Gil
[Warner Music Latina] - Global Drum Project
Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju & Giovanni Hidalgo
[Shout! Factory] - Rokku Mi Rokka (Give And Take)
Youssou N'Dour
[Nonesuch Records] - Live At The Nelson Mandela Theater
Soweto Gospel Choir
[Shanachie Entertainment]
Field 26 — Historical
Category 91
Best Historical Album
- Art Of Field Recording Volume I: Fifty Years Of Traditional American Music Documented By Art Rosenbaum
Steven Lance Ledbetter & Art Rosenbaum, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Various Artists)
[Dust-To-Digital] - Classic Columbia, OKeh And Vocalion Lester Young With Count Basie (1936-1940)
ScottWenzel, compilation producer; Malcolm Addey, Michael Brooks, MattCavaluzzo, Andreas Meyer & Mark Wilder, mastering engineers (LesterYoung With Count Basie)
[Mosaic Records] - Debate '08: Taft And Bryan Campaign On The Edison Phonograph
DavidGiovannoni, Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilationproducers; Richard Martin, mastering engineer (William Jennings Bryan& William Howard Taft)
[Archeophone Records] - Polk Miller & His Old South Quartette
KenFlaherty, Jr., compilation producer; Marcos Sueiro Bal, Ken Flaherty,Jr., Kurt Nauck & Glenn Sage, mastering engineers (Polk Miller& His Old South Quartette)
[Tompkins Square] - To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story
Richard Seidel, compilation producer; Mark G. Wilder, mastering engineer (Nina Simone)
[RCA/Legacy Recordings]
