Regardless of the “meaning” of the Grammys, or lack thereof, the show is interesting from a performance, sociological, and mass culture standpoint. I will be on The Weekend News on Radio 5 Live on the BBC today at about 3:55pm eastern talking previewing the Grammys. Check it out here if …

Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey, the companion CD package to the PBS film series, is nominated for Best Historical Album. The list winds on like the mighty Mississippi to include many of the greatest popular musicians and songwriters of the 20th century: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, B.B …

Ghazal’s profound The Rain is nominated for the Best Traditional World Music Album award. Profoundly oceanic, stunningly accomplished, subtle and moving, the new Ghazal live CD The Rain continues the duo’s groundbreaking fusion of the Indian and Persian musical traditions. Kayhan Kalhor on the droning Persian bowed string instrument the …

Eddy Clearwater and Los Straitjackets Rock ‘n’ Roll City is nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album, which is kind of funny because, like the title says, it’s rock ‘n’ roll. Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater, 69, is a longtime Chicago electric bluesman and roots rocker with an affinity for wearing a …

Metallica is nominated for Best Metal Performance for the title track of St. Anger. Metallica – the most successful musical metallurgists of all time with over 90 million albums sold in a 20-year career – are back after an eventful six year absence from recording, still very angry, even naming …

Warren Zevon, who has never won a Grammy before, is nominated for Song of the Year (a writer’s award) and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Keep Me In Your Heart,” the devastatingly affecting song from his final album, The Wind, which is itself nominated for Best Contemporary Folk Album, …

Livin’, Lovin’ Losin’: Songs of the Louvin Brothers is an exemplary traditional country, bluegrass and gospel album in tribute to one of the purist country duos ever to sing high and lonesome. The brothers, Charlie and Ira, recorded in the ’50s and early ’60s before Ira died at only 41 …

Faith Hill’s Cry is nominated for Country Album of the Year – it’s good but there is nothing “country” about it, baby. The comely Faith Hill’s Cry also treads far from the beaten path of traditional country, but in the somewhat daring direction of R&B. The title track is a …

Shania Twain’s Up! is nominated for Country Album of the Year. What can one say about five-time Grammy winning country-pop exemplar Shania Twain? In the obsessive hands of her producer, husband and co-songwriter Mutt Lange — who had previously molded the likes of AC/DC, Bryan Adams, the Cars, Def Leppard, …

Lyle Lovett, who has won four Grammys, is in many ways a younger Willie Nelson: a unique Texas singer/songwriter who combines country, folk, Western swing, blues, and Tin Pan Alley popular music into a seamless, personal whole. His latest, My Baby Don’t Tolerate, is a very good, but not great …