December 2, 2009
Grammy love
Posted by Stacy Chandler at December 2, 2009 10:13 PMAmericana 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
Blah.......Not exactly inspirational picks (Dylan-now that's a surprise!), mostly very safe bets with a few exceptions.... but after all they are the Grammys and how can they top the American music awards where that dude kissed Adam's Lambert?
Posted by: Hal at December 3, 2009 11:07 AMWill the Americana award be one that is handed out at an earlier ceremony? I believe Bob Dylan could spit on a CD and get this nomination. I would have liked a nod to Justin Townes Earle in this category as his album was really good. Plus, when was the last time a father and son were nominated in the same year for different projects?
Posted by: JamesG at December 3, 2009 11:57 AMGrammy time again? (((YAAAAAAAWWWWNNNN...)) Time to roll over and go back to sleep.
Posted by: Jim Pipkin at December 3, 2009 1:33 PMIt's odd that the awards for best "contemporary" folk album include Shawn Colvin reworking her olders stuff for a live audience and Steve Earle doing his spin on decades-old Townes Van Zandt songs. Not terribly "contemporary." What about this year's Flatlanders album? How about the wonderful disc by former Jayhawks Mark Olson and Gary Louris? The new work by Dave Rawlings Machine? I love Earle and Lucinda and Bobby as much as the next person but there's a broader array of stuff out there....
Posted by: Brian at December 7, 2009 1:51 PMCorrect me if I'm wrong, but the Grammys seem to be more about the investors than the artists over the past several years.
Posted by: Jim Pipkin at December 7, 2009 2:33 PM
