The GRAMMY Nominations Are In

The nominations for the 50th Annual GRAMMY Awards were just announced, and I actually heard about them through looking at my blog stats -- a few people have ended up here via some GRAMMY-related searches.  So, why not give you something semi-relevant?  I used to work for the Recording Academy about 8 years ago, so clearly I'm a well-qualified expert to sound off on such things.   Right?

OK I'm not an expert and I'm not affiliated with the Recording Academy anymore, but I do find the GRAMMY Awards interesting.  I respect them and what they can do for an artist's prestige and record sales, but I also understand their inherent bias.  Last time I checked (several years ago), they're voted on by an academy of members who must have attained a minimum number of documented recording credits and paid up on their yearly dues.   The voting members roughly equate to people who have spent actual time in a recording studio, twisting knobs or performing on a minimum of one full album's worth of songs that was released with sizable distribution (there are a few exceptions to this).  It rules out a mass of people who really care about excellence in music and the industry, including: musicians who have released albums in relatively small distribution, qualified people who didn't realize they could join and vote/don't have the money/don't care, most industry types (writers, DJs, music execs, bookers), fans, et al.  It looks like the Recording Academy is expanding the voting membership to include those who release music digitally, which is a step in the right direction.   Understanding how the process works makes for a more balanced perception of the prestige.  If you were really savvy and well-connected, could you figure out a way to lobby for nominations and votes?  Hmm...

On to my thoughts on this year's nominees.  You can see the full list of nominees on the GRAMMY website. 
 

Good news and bad news:
Huge congratulations to Ms. Feist on her four nominations.  I've been rooting for her for going on three years now, and I'm glad that she's getting the kind of recognition in the U.S. that she's already used to in Canada.  It seems like with the release of The Reminder, a whole lot more people are discovering that she is the real deal.

And the bad news: who did Daughtry save from a burning building in order to earn five nominations?  With all due respect to Daughtry -- who I agree is talented and clearly makes popular music -- is this the kind of music we're going to remember in five, ten or twenty years? 

Pleasant surprises:
It's great to see Rihanna's "Umbrella", my summertime obsession as well as just about everyone else's, was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.  Although I'd prefer Feist to win Best New Artist, I really like Paramore as well (on a totally different level) and I'm glad they're nominated.  For Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Feist looks like the interloper amongst pop powerhouses Christina, Amy, Nelly and Fergie.  And it's appropriately hilarious that Flight of the Conchords are nominated for Best Comedy Album.

I totally called this:

I predicted back in August (scroll to the end of this post for my prediction) that Glen and Marketa (a.k.a. The Swell Season) would soon be GRAMMY-nominated, and now it's true:

• Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media
  Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova for Once
• Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media "Falling Slowly" from Once by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

Both the film and the soundtrack for Once are phenomenal.

Buy "Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova from Amazon.

Congratulations to my friends:

• Best New Age Album: Ottmar Liebert
  OK so I only hung out with him one time but I'm still sending him huge congratulations.

• Best Recording Package:  Cassadaga - Zack Nipper, art director (Bright Eyes) [Saddle Creek]
  I'm always happy to see my friends at Saddle Creek do well.

 

If I were allowed to vote in one category:

I'd wield my power to award Best Recording Package to Craig Thompson, art director, for Menomena's Friend and Foe [Barsuk Records]. The art is truly incredible, I think I talked about it on a radio show I did earlier this year.  Anyone who only downloaded this album and didn't buy a physical copy is seriously missing out.

Biggest headscratcher:
R. Kelly's Trapped in the Closet Chapters 13-22's nomination for Best Long Form Music Video. Really?