The 51st Grammy Award Nominees

The 51st Grammy Award nominations were announced tonight, first in a CBS television special and the balance on the Grammy website.

The special was a bit of an oddity. The nominations for seven of the awards were announced although, oddly, Song of the Year (one of the big four) was not part of the broadcast. Performances were sprinkled through out of songs in the Grammy Hall of Fame but, inexplicably, not by the original artists. Taylor Swift took on Brenda Lee's I'm Sorry, Celine Dion did Janis Ian's At Seventeen, Mariah Carey performed Darlene Love's Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) and the Foo Fighters rocked Carly Simon's You're So Vain. The two standout performances on the night were B.B. King and John Mayer on Louis Jordan's Let the Good Times Roll and an eloquent reading of George Gershwin's I Loves You Porgy by Christina Aguilera.

As far as the nominations, Lil Wayne leads the way with eight, Coldplay has seven and Jay-Z, Ne-Yo and Kanye West each have six.

Veteran performer did do very well this year, garnering at least one nomination or more in over half the non-clasical categories. Robert Plant (with partner Alison Krauss) leads the way with five (including Record and Album of the Year) while the Eagles and George Strait each received four.

Veterans swept all five nominations in three categories, Contemporary Blues Album, Traditional Folk Album and Contemporary Folk/Americana Album and just missed a sweep in Traditional Blues Album, taking four of the five, with the last, ironically, going to the son of John Lee Hooker who didn't start recording until 2004.

There were a few oddities. Peter Gabriel received two nominations, on for songwriting and one for arranging and both coming from the soundtrack to the movie Wall-E. Both Peggy and Pete Seeger are up for Traditional Folk Album while traditional country's Charlie Louvin is up in one of the Gospel categories.

"The Grammy Awards process once again has yielded a comprehensive, diverse and eclectic group of excellent nominees across multiple genres," said Neil Portnow, President/CEO of The Recording Academy. "This year's nominations are truly reflective of the talented community of artists and creators who represent some of the highest levels of musical excellence. Coupled with our first-ever prime-time nominations special, featuring stellar performances by past Grammy winners and nominees, we're off to an incredible start on the road to Music's Biggest Night and the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in February."


The following are the nominees for the top four awards along with all other categories that includes a veteran artist:

Record of the Year

• Chasing Pavements - Adele
• Viva La Vida - Coldplay
• Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
• Paper Planes - M.I.A.
• Please Read the Letter - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Album of the Year

• Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends - Coldplay
• The Carter III - Lil Wayne
• Year of the Gentleman - Ne-Yo
• Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
• In Rainbows - Radiohead

Song of the Year (Songwriter's Award)

• American Boy - William Adams, Keith Harris, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, John Stephens, Estelle Swaray & Kanye West
• Chasing Pavements - Adele Adkins & Eg White
• I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
• Love Song - Sara Bareilles
• Viva La Vida - Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin

New Artist

• Adelle
• Duffy
• Jonas Brothers
• Lady Antebellum
• Jazmine Sullivan

Male Pop Vocal Performance

• All Summer Long - Kid Rock
• Say - John Mayer
• That Was Me - Paul McCartney
• I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
• Closer - Ne-Yo
• Wichita Lineman - James Taylor

Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

• Viva La Vida - Coldplay
• Waiting in the Weeds - Eagles
• Going On - Gnarls Barkley
• Won't Go Home Without You - Maroon 5
• Apologize - OneRepbulic

Pop Collaboration With Vocals

• Lessons Learned - Alicia Keys & John Mayer
• 4 Minutes - Madonna, Justin Timberlake & Timbaland
• Rich Woman - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
• If I Never See Your Face Again - Rihanna & Maroon 5
• No Air - Jordan Sparks & Chris Brown

Pop Instrumental Performance

• Love Apetite - Steve Cropper & Felix Cavaliere
• I Dreamed There Was No War - Eagles
• Fortune Teller - Fourplay
• Steppin' Out - Stanley Jordan
• Blast! - Marcus Miller

Pop Instrumental Album

• Sax for Stax - Gerald Albright
• Greatest Hits Rerecorded, Volume 1 - Larry Carlton
• Jingle All the Way - Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
• The Spice of Life - Earl Klugh
• A Night Before Christmas - Spyro Gyra

Pop Vocal Album

• Detours - Sheryl Crow
• Rockferry - Duffy
• Long Road Out of Eden - Eagles
• Spirit - Leona Lewis
• Covers - James Taylor

Dance Recording

• Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Punk
• Ready for the Floor - Hot Chip
• Just Dance - Lady Gaga & Colby O'Danis
• Give it to Me - Madonna
• Disturbia - Rhianna
• Black & Gold - Sam Sparro

Electronic/Dance Album

• New York City - Brazillian Girls
• Alive 2007 - Daft Punk
• Bring Ya To The Brink - Cyndi Lauper
• X - Kylie Minogue
• Last Night - Moby
• Robyn - Robyn

Traditional Pop Vocal Album

• Still Unforgetable - Natalie Cole
• The Sinatra Project - Michael Fierstein
• Noel - Josh Grobin
• In the Swing Of Christmas - Barry Manilow
• Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall - Rufus Wainwright

Solo Rock Vocal Performance

• Gravity - John Mayer
• I Saw Her Standing There - Paul McCartney
• Girls In Their Summer Clothes - Bruce Springsteen
• Rise - Eddie Vedder
• No Hiding Path - Neil Young

Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

• Rock N Roll Train - AC/DC
• Violet Hill - Coldplay
• Long Road Out of Eden - Eagles
• Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon
• House of Cards - Radiohead

Hard Rock Performance

• Inside the Fire - Disturbed
• Visions - Judas Priest
• Wax Simulacra - Mars Volta
• Saints of Los Angeles - Motley Crue
• Lords of Salem - Rob Zombie

Metal Performance

• Heroes of Our Time - DragonForce
• Nostradamus - Judas Priest
• My Apocalypse - Metallica
• Under My Thumb - Ministry
• Psychosocial - Slipknot

Rock Instrumental Performance

• Castleorizon - David Gilmour
• Suicide & Redemption - Metallica
• 34 Ghosts I-IV - Nine Inch Nails
• Hope (Live for the Art of Peace) - Rush
• Peaches En Regalia - Zappa Plays Zappa

Rock Song

• Girls in Their Summer Clothes - Bruce Springsteen
• House of Cards - Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Philip Selway & Thom Yorke
• I Will Possess Your Heart - Benjamin Gibbard, Nicholas Harmer, Jason McGerr & Christopher Walla
• Sex on Fire - Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill
• Violet Hill - Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin

Rock Album

• Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends - Coldplay
• Rock N Roll Jesus - Kid Rock
• Only By the Night - Kings of Leon
• Death Magnetic - Metallica
• Consolers of the Lonely - Raconteurs

R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

• Ribbon in the Sky - Boyz II Men
• Words - Anthony David Featuring India.Arie
• Stay With Me (By the Sea) - Al Green Featuring John Legend
• I'm His Only Woman - Jennifer Hudson Featuring Fantasia
• Never Give You Up - Raphael Saadiq Featuring Stevie Wonder & CJ Hilton

Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

• A Change Is Gonna Come - Wayne Brady
• You've Got the Love I Need - Al Green Featuring Anthony Hamilton
• Baby I Know - (Linda Jones) With Helen Bruner & Terry Jones
• Love That Girl - Raphael Saadiq
• I'm In Love With Another Man - Jazmine Sullivan

R&B Album

• Love & Life - Eric Benet
• Motown: A Journey Through the Ages - Boys II Men
• Lay It Down - Al Green
• Jennifer Hudson - Jennifer Hudson
• The Way I See It - Raphael Saadiq

Male Country Vocal Performance

• You're Gonna Miss This - Trace Adkins
• In Color - Jamey Johnson
• Just Got Started Lovin' You - James Otto
• Letter to Me - Brad Paisley
• Troubadour - George Strait

Country Collaboration With Vocals

• Shiftwork - Kenny Chesney & George Strait
• Killing the Blues - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
• House of Cash - George Strait & Patty Loveless
• Life in a Northern Town - Sugarland, Jake Owen & Little Big Town
• Let the Wind Chase You - Trisha Yearwood & Keith Urban

Country Instrumental Performance

• Sumatra - Cherryholmes
• Two Small Cars in Rome - Jerry Douglas & Lloyd Green
• Sleigh Ride - Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
• Is This America (Katrina 2005) - Charlie Haden, Pat Metheny, Jerry Douglas & Bruce Hornsby
• Cluster Pluck - Brad Paisley, James Burton, Vince Gill, John Jorgenson, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert & Steve Wariner

Country Album

• That Lonesome Song - Jamey Johnson
• Sleepless Nights - Patty Loveless
• Troubadour - George Strait
• Around the Bend - Randy Travis
• Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love - Trisha Yearwood

Bluegrass Album

• Cherryholmes III: Don't Believe - Cherryholmes
• Live at the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - Del McCoury Band
• The Ultimate Collection/Live at the Ryman - Earl Scruggs with Family & Friends
• Honoring the Father of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947 - Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• Wheels - Dan Tyminski

Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album

• Room for More - Booth Brothers
• Lovin' Life - Gaither Vocal Band
• Steps to Heaven - Charlie Louvin
• Hymned Again - Bart Millard
• Ephesians One - Karen Peck & New River

Traditional Gospel Album

• Down in New Orleans - Blind Boys of Alabama
• I'll Say Yes - Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
• Take It Back - Dorinda Clark-Cole
• Deitrick Haddon Presents . . . Together In Worship - Voices Of Unity
• Bishop Charles E. Blake Presents... No Limit - The West Angeles COGIC Mass Choir

Tropical Latin Album

• Cuba: Un Viaje Musical — A Musical Journey - Albita, Rey Ruíz & Donato Poveda
• Renacer - DLG
• Senor Bachata - Jose Feliciano
• Frutero Moderno - Gonzalo Grau y La Clave Secreta
• Back On The Streets... Taste Of Spanish Harlem Vol. 2 - New Swing Sextet

Traditional Blues Album

• The Blues Rolls On - Elvin Bishop
• Skin Deep - Buddy Guy
• All Odds Against Me - John Lee Hooker, Jr.
• One Kind Favor - B.B. King
• Pinetop Perkins & Friends - Pinetop Perkins & Friends

Contemporary Blues Album

• Peace, Love & BBQ - Marcia Ball
• Like a Fire - Solomon Burke
• City That Care Forgot - Dr. John and the Lower 911
• Maestro - Taj Mahal
• Simply Grand - Irma Thomas

Traditional Folk Album

• Coal - Kathy Mattea
• Comedians & Angels - Tom Paxton
• Bring Me Home - Peggy Seeger
• At 89 - Pete Seeger
• Strangers In Another Country - Rosalie Sorrels

Contemporary Folk/Americana Album

• Day After Tomorrow - Joan Baez
• I, Flathead - Ry Cooder
• Sex & Gasoline - Rodney Crowell
• All I Intend to Be - Emmylou Harris
• Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Reggae Album

• Jah is Real - Burning Spear
• Let's Get Physical - Elephant Man
• Vibes - Heavy D
• Repentance - Lee "Scratch" Perry
• Intoxication - Shaggy
• Amazing - Sly & Robbie

Contemporary World Music Album

• Shake Away - Lila Downs
• Banda Larga Cordel - Gilberto Gil
• Global Drum Project - Mickey Hart, Zakir Hussain, Sikiru Adepoju & Giovanni Hidalgo
• Rokku Mi Rokka (Give And Take) - Youssou N'Dour
• Live At The Nelson Mandela Theater - Soweto Gospel Choir

Polka Album

• El Maestro Del Acordeón Y Sus Polkas - Paulino Bernal
• Speechless - LynnMarie & Charlie Kelley As The Boxhounds
• Back To Back Hall Of Fame Polkas - Walter Ostanek & His Band, Jerry Darlak & The Touch And Bob Kravos & His Band
• Hungry For More - Polka Family Band
• Let The Whole World Sing - Jimmy Sturr And His Orchestra

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

• American Gangster
• August Rush
• Juno
• Mamma Mia!
• Sweeny Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media

• Down to Earth (from Wall-E) - Peter Gabriel & Thomas Newman
• Ever Ever After (From Enchanted) - Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz
• Say (From The Bucket List) - John Mayer
• That's How You Know (From Enchanted) - Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz
• Walk Hard (From Walk Hard — The Dewey Cox Story) - Judd Apatow, Marshall Crenshaw, Jake Kasdan & John C. Reilly

Instrumental Arrangement

• Define Dancing (From Wall-E) - Peter Gabriel & Thomas Newman
• Down In The Valley - Frank Macchia
• Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love - Michael Abene
• St. Louis Blues - Bob Brookmeyer
• Yesterdays - Gordon Goodwin

Album Notes

• Art Of Field Recording Volume I: Fifty Years Of Traditional American Music Documented By Art Rosenbaum - Art Rosenbaum, album notes writer (Various Artists)
• Debate '08: Taft And Bryan Campaign On The Edison Phonograph - Patrick Feaster & David Giovannoni, album notes writers (William Jennings Bryan & William Howard Taft)
• Kind Of Blue: 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition - Francis Davis, album notes writer (Miles Davis)
• Rare & Unreleased Recordings From The Golden Reign Of The Queen Of Soul - David Ritz & Jerry Wexler, album notes writers (Aretha Franklin)
• The Unsung Father Of Country Music: 1925-1934 - Henry "Hank" Sapoznik, album notes writer (Ernest V. Stoneman)

Historical Album

• Art Of Field Recording Volume I: Fifty Years Of Traditional American Music Documented By Art Rosenbaum - Various Artists
  
• Classic Columbia, OKeh And Vocalion Lester Young With Count Basie (1936-1940) - Lester Young With Count Basie
• Debate '08: Taft And Bryan Campaign On The Edison Phonograph - William Jennings Bryan & William Howard Taft
• Polk Miller & His Old South Quartette - Polk Miller & His Old South Quartette
• To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story - Nina Simone

Engineered Album, Non-Classical

• Consolers of the Lonely - Raconteurs (Joe Chiccarelli, Vance Powell & Jack White III, engineers)
• Just a Little Lovin' - Shelby Lynn (Al Schmitt, engineer)
• Lay It Down - Al Green (Jimmy Douglass, Russell "The Dragon" Elevado & John Smeltz, engineers)
• Still Unforgetable - Natalie Cole (Al Schmitt, engineer)
• We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things - Jason Mraz (Al Schmitt, engineer)

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical

• Danger Mouse (for albums by Black Keys, Beck, Gnarls Barkley)
• Nigel Goodrich (for album by Radiohead)
• Johnny Karkazis (Johnny K) (for albums by Plain White T's, Staind, Black Tide, 3 Doors Down)
• Rick Rubin (for albums by Metallica, Neil Diamond, Ours, Jacob Dylan, Weezer)
• will.i.am (for albums by Estelle, Sergio Mendes, Flo Rida, Fergie, Chris Brown, Usher)

Remixed Recording, Non-Classical

• Closer (StoneBridge Radio Edit) - Ne-Yo
• Electric Feel (Justice Remix) - MGMT
• 4 Minutes (Junkie XL Remix) - Madonna Featuring Justin Timberlake
• Just Fine (Moto Blanco Remix) - Mary J. Blige
• The Longest Road (Deadmau5 Remix) - Morgan Page Featuring Lissie

Surround Sound Album

• Divertimenti - Øyvind Gimse & TrondheimSolistene
• Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition; Night On Bald Mountain; Prelude To Khovanshchina - Paavo Järvi & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
• Rheinberger: Sacred Choral Works - Charles Bruffy, Phoenix Bach Choir & Kansas City Chorale
• Ringo 5.1 The Surround Sound Collection - Ringo Starr
• Sensurround + B-Sides - Cornelius

Long Form Music Video

• Where The Light Is — Live In Los Angeles - John Mayer
• Runnin' Down A Dream - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
• Good Girl Gone Bad Live - Rihanna
• Respect Yourself — The Stax Records Story - Various Artists
• Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who - Who

The full list of nominees in all 110 categories can be found on the Grammy website.