Kanye West, Amy Winehouse and the Foo Fighters were among the leading Grammy contenders announced today.
West received a leading eight nominations. Winehouse received six, including for best new artist, record and song of the year for her hit “Rehab,” and album of the year for “Back to Black.” Record of year candidates included Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable,” the Foo Fighters’ “The Pretender,” Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” “What Goes Around Comes Around” by Justin Timberlake and Winehouse’s “Rehab.” The album of the year category also featured the Foo Fighters, for “Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace,” as well as Winehouse’s album. Vince Gill’s four-disc set “These Days” was also cited, along with Herbie Hancock’s tribute to Joni Mitchell, “River: The Joni Letters,” and West’s “Graduation.” Besides Winehouse, other best new artist nominees were Feist, Paramour, Taylor Swift and Ledesi.
Colorado dominates the Best New Age Album category in multiple ways. Artist Peter Kater is nominated for Best New Age Album for his “Faces of the Sun,” released by Boulder’s Silver Wave Records. Kitaro, who has a home outside of Boulder, is nominated in the same category for his “Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai, Volume 3.” And also in the same category is the Paul Winter Consort’s “Crestone” – recorded primarily amid the natural acoustics of North Crestone Lake in Colorado’s Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Another local link is the BIll Holman Band’s “Hommage,” nominated for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Band. The CD was produced by Denverite Graham Carter, who also released it on his own Jazzed Media.
