Grammy love

Americana albums have always gotten a little love from the Grammys, because there's only so much musical goodness that can be ignored -- even by the Grammys. But this year the love has been formalized with the addition of a category called American Roots.

Nominees in all categories were announced tonight, with the awards scheduled to air Jan. 31 on CBS. Here's a look (after the jump) at the key categories we care about (you can safely assume most all other categories were sewn up by either Beyonce or Taylor Swift):

Best Americana Album
Together Through Life -- Bob Dylan
Electric Dirt -- Levon Helm
Willie And The Wheel -- Willie Nelson & Asleep At The Wheel
Wilco (The Album) -- Wilco
Little Honey -- Lucinda Williams

Best Bluegrass Album (Vocal or Instrumental)
Could We Get Any Closer? -- Jim Lauderdale
The Crow / New Songs For The Five-String Banjo -- Steve Martin
Buckaroo Blue Grass -- Michael Martin Murphey
Almost Live -- Bryan Sutton And Friends
Destination Life -- Rhonda Vincent

Best Traditional Folk Album
Cutting Loose -- David Holt And Josh Goforth
Naked With Friends -- Maura O'Connell
Polka Cola: Music That Refreshes -- Jimmy Sturr And His Orchestra
Singing Through The Hard Times: A Tribute To Utah Phillips -- Various artists; Jacqui Morse, Kendall Morse & Dan Schatz, producers
High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project -- Loudon Wainwright III

Best Contemporary Folk Album
Middle Cyclone -- Neko Case
Our Bright Future -- Tracy Chapman
Live -- Shawn Colvin
Secret, Profane & Sugarcane -- Elvis Costello
Townes -- Steve Earle