48TH GRAMMY NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

Nominations for the 48th Annual Grammy Awards were announced today, reflecting multiple genres represented in top categories and numerous collaborations. Newer up-and-comers were nominated alongside more established, legendary artists.

Topping the nominations, Mariah Carey, John Legend and Kanye West each earned eight. 50 Cent, Beyoncé Knowles and Stevie Wonder garnered six a piece. Missy Elliott, Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen, Gwen Stefani and U2 received five nods each, while Common, Destiny’s Child, Foo Fighters, Gorillaz, Neptunes, Brad Paisley, Phil Tan, and Gretchen Wilson each earned four.

Nominees for Album Of The Year are The Emancipation Of Mimi by Mariah Carey; Chaos And Creation In The Backyard by Paul McCartney; Love. Angel. Music. Baby. by Gwen Stefani; How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb by U2; and Late Registration by Kanye West.

Nominees for Record Of The Year are “We Belong Together” (Mariah Carey), “Feel Good Inc.” (Gorillaz featuring De La Soul), “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams” (Green Day), “Hollaback Girl” (Gwen Stefani), and “Gold Digger” (Kanye West).

The Best New Artist nominees are R&B singer Ciara, rockers Fall Out Boy, Brit popsters Keane, soul singer John Legend, and country artist SugarLand.

This year’s Song Of The Year nominees represent a wide cross section of genres from pop to R&B to country and rock. Nominated songwriters include: Bruce Springsteen for “Devils & Dust”; William Adams (Will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas) & J. Stephens (John Legend) for “Ordinary People” (performed by John Legend); U2 for “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own”; and J. Austin, Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, and Manuel Seal for “We Belong Together” (performed by Mariah Carey).

In the Pop Field, an eclectic array of artists, across genres and generations, is represented. In the Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals category the nominees are: The Black Eyed Peas & Jack Johnson for “Gone Going”; Foo Fighters featuring Norah Jones for “Virginia Moon”; Gorillaz featuring De La Soul for “Feel Good Inc.”; Herbie Hancock featuring Christina Aguilera for “A Song For You”; and Stevie Wonder featuring India.Arie for “A Time To Love.”

The Best Male Pop Vocal Performance category features Jack Johnson (“Sitting, Waiting, Wishing”), Paul McCartney (“Fine Line”), Seal (“Walk On By”), Rob Thomas (“Lonely No More”), and Stevie Wonder (“From The Bottom Of My Heart”).

And Best Pop Vocal Album nominations are Extraordinary Machine (Fiona Apple), Breakaway (Kelly Clarkson), Wildflower (Sheryl Crow), Chaos And Creation In The Backyard (Paul McCartney), and Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (Gwen Stefani).

Best Dance Recording nods were claimed by the Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip for “Galvanize”; Deep Dish for “Say Hello”; Fatboy Slim & Lateef for “Wonderful Night”; LCD Soundsystem for “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House”; Kylie Minogue for “I Believe In You”; and New Order for “Guilt Is A Useless Emotion.” For Best Electronic/Dance Album, the nominations are Push The Button (the Chemical Brothers), Human After All (Daft Punk), Palookaville (Fatboy Slim), Minimum-Maximum (Kraftwerk), and LCD Soundsystem (LCD Soundsystem).

Coldplay, Foo Fighters and U2 earned top nominations in the Rock Field. All three are vying for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal with “Speed Of Sound,” “Best Of You” and “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own,” respectively (alongside Franz Ferdinand’s “Do You Want To” and the Killers’ “All These Things That I’ve Done”). Best Rock Song nominees are Coldplay’s “Speed Of Sound,” Foo Fighters’ “Best Of You,” U2’s “City Of Blinding Lights,” Rivers Cuomo’s “Beverly Hills” (Weezer) and Bruce Springsteen’s “Devils & Dust.” And Best Rock Album nominees are X&Y (Coldplay), In Your Honor (Foo Fighters), How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (U2), A Bigger Bang (the Rolling Stones) and Prairie Wind (Neil Young).

Half of Mariah Carey’s eight nominations, six of John Legend’s eight nods and all of Alicia Keys’ five noms are in the R&B Field. Best R&B Album nominations are Illumination (Earth, Wind & Fire), Free Yourself (Fantasia), Unplugged (Alicia Keys), Get Lifted (John Legend), and A Time To Love (Stevie Wonder). Carey and Keys also share nods in Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (for “We Belong Together” and “Unbreakable,” respectively), along with Amerie (“1 Thing”), Beyoncé (“Wishing On A Star”), and Fantasia (“Free Yourself”).

The 48th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006, at the StaplesCenter in Los Angeles.