Bah humbug

Just a heads up about how the Grammys are different than the CMA’s. The artist chooses what is submitted for consideration at the Grammys, so NARAS only picks from what’s submitted, unlike the CMA’s, where the members propose all nominees. I find it annoying sometimes to see what songs are nominated by artists I like, but I remind myself that’s what they chose to put up. Emmys are the only other award show that does the same thing, with the wanna-be nominees picking which episodes to submit for consideration.

Given the number of veterans who’ve been nominated in this category of late, I was surprised that all five of this year’s nominees were at least modest radio or video hits, leaving eligible cuts from Johnny Cash, Bobby Bare, Solomon Burke, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott out.

Though the bigger surprise is that Willie Nelson can get nominated for covering “Good Ol’ Boys” for the unwatchable _Dukes of Hazzard_ movie but not for “You Don’t Know Me,” though I think there was likely some vote-splitting between that, “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other,” and the material from _Songbird_.

I’m not a fan of George Strait’s in general, but at least I can tell “Seashores of Old Mexico” apart from every other song he’s recorded in the last twenty years. But it’s hard to think of *that* as the performance or song that will finally earn him a Grammy win, especially given the competition. I don’t even see him siphoning off too many of Gill’s older-skewing votes. I like Dierks Bentley and the song he’s nominated for, but there are people who see the word “Vocal” in the category name and assume they’re rewarding the best “singing” (even though it’s technically only in the category name as a hold-over from the days when fully half of the Grammys were awarded to “Instrumental” performances, though any semantics point that keeps Kenny Chesney from getting a Grammy nomination is A-okay in my book). Dierks just isn’t a particularly strong singer.

Which leaves three nominees– (1) Gill, a proven Grammy favorite, with one of his bigger radio hits in recent memory, from an ambitious project that’s among the year’s best-reviewed country albums, (2) Urban, the reigning champ and the genre’s biggest *male* crossover star in quite some time, and (3) Turner, the first nominee in ages who has the critical and commercial heft to justify being labeled as a true potential spoiler. I wouldn’t be surprised were any of the three to win. My guess is that Urban and Turner split the “current hitmakers” votes, allowing Gill to win again.

And, this year, I actually would’ve voted for him, too.

This is some fantastic blogging. Keep up the good work.

My picks (where I don’t agree with the actual winner)

1965 Bobby Bare “Four Strong Winds” – excellent rendition of an Ian Tyson classic
1970 Charley Pride “All I Have To Offer You Is Me”
1972 Charley Pride “Kiss An Angel Good Morning”
1973 Waylon Jennings “Good Hearted Woman”. The Charley Pride album was awarded to correct the prior year blunder but the album was the weakest album Charley had issued up to that oint and one of the two or three weakest of his entire career
1976 The Academy picked the right winner but Gene Watson’s “Love In The Hot Afternoon” should have been nominated instead ofthe Glen Campbell pice of bombast
1977 The outstanding vocal of the year was Kenny Dale’s “Bluest Heartach of The Year” . Naturally, it did not get nominated> Gene Watson’s “Paper Rosie” also warranted a nod
1982 John Anderson “I’m Just an Old Chunk of Coal”
1986 Mel McDaniel “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On” – a weak set of nominees – where is “!982″ or “On The Other Handy” ? One of these two Randy Travis classics should have won, and Steve Earle’s “Guitar Town” also should have been nominated
1990 Clint Black “Killin’ Time” – I love Keith Whitley but this was the song for the year
1995 David Ball “Thinkin’ Problem” – easily the best song of those nominated
1998 George Strait “Carrying Your Love With Me” – there would have been a certain poetic justice if Willie had won with a Jimmie Rodgers song
1999 Steve Wariner “Holes in the Floor of Heaven” – I am not sure that I understand the infatuation with Vince Gill. Vince is very talented but as a singles artist he’s hugely overrated. The strength of Vince Gill is in the overall quality of the albums – his individual songs rarely get above the “very good” level. SOme of the songs for which he received a Grammy were fodder
2004 Joe Nichols “Brokenheartsville” or Randy Travis “Three Wooden Crosses” – flip a coin – if it lands on Vince Gill you’ve got a defective coin
2007 Dierks Bentley “Every Mile a Memory” – not sure why but this strikes me as a weak bunch of nominees