EVENT PREVIEW
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Jan. 26. The ceremony will be televised live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. 8 p.m. CBS
In keeping with the trend of recent years, the nominees for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards showcase a diverse array of pop and rap (rock seems to be the forgotten stepsister of late).
Perennial kingpin Jay-Z led the nominations with nine, followed by Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Justin Timberlake and Pharrell Williams with seven and Drake with five.
This year’s nominations include several artists with Georgia ties.
Macon native Jason Aldean landed some notice for his “Night Train” release, which will compete with Tim McGraw’s “Two Lanes of Freedom,” Blake Shelton’s “Based on a True Story,” Musgraves’ “Same Trailer, Different Park” and Taylor Swift’s “Red.”
Atlanta-based Christian singer-songwriter Chris Tomlin received two nods. “Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)” is up for Best Contemporary Christian Music Song and his No. 1 album, “Burning Lights,” for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album.
Cee Lo Green’s group of origin, Goodie Mob, didn’t see any Grammy love, but the Atlanta native landed in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category with “Cee Lo’s Magic Moment.” He’ll battle Tony Bennett, Gloria Estefan, Michael Buble and Dionne Warwick for the win.
Other Georgia nominees: Little Big Town with "Your Side of the Bed" for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
Tamar Braxton who lived in Atlanta for many years, is a triple threat. She earned nominations for her album, “Love and War” (Best Urban Contemporary Album) and the title track (Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song).
Rapper 2 Chainz will also represent Atlanta with “F***in’ Problems” in the Best Rap Song category.
This year's lineup for the prestigious Album of the Year category held two semi-surprises in Kendrick Lamar's "Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City" and Sara Bareilles' "The Blessed Unrest" (much has been made about the similarities between her "Brave" – released first – and Katy Perry's "Roar"). Other names with the possibility to win album honors on Grammy night are Daft Punk with "Random Access Memories," Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' "The Heist" and Taylor Swift's genre-spanning "Red."
Song of the Year nods went to Pink (featuring fun. singer Nate Ruess) for "Just Give Me a Reason," Bruno Mars' "Locked Out of Heaven," Macklemore & Ryan Lewis' affirmation of equal rights, "Same Love," Perry's optimistic anthem, "Roar," and 17-year-old New Zealander Lorde, with her quirky "Royals."
Lorde didn’t score a Best New Artist nomination, but fellow nominees Macklemore & Ryan Lewis did, as well as Lamar, acclaimed country newcomer Kacey Musgraves, British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and fellow countryman James Blake.
Robin Thicke, with Atlanta pal T.I. and Virginia's Williams, scored a nod for Best Pop Duo/Group for "Blurred Lines" (the song also is up for Record of the Year) along with Daft Punk's "Get Lucky (also with Williams), Pink's "Just Give Me A Reason" with Ruess, and Timberlake's "Suit and Tie" with Jay-Z.
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, Jan. 26 (a bit early this year because of the Olympics) live at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Associated Press contributed to this article.
