Males Make Showing In Grammy Pop Categories

01/05/1999 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Craig Rosen

(1/5/99, 3 p.m. PST) - While female artists led the prestigious Album, Record, and Song Of the Year categories (myLAUNCH, 1/5), a mix of male veterans, including Eric Clapton and Van Morrison and newcomers Eagle-Eye Cherry and Shawn Mullins, put in a respectable showings in the pop categories.

Still, multi-nominee songstresses Celine Dion, Natalie Imbruglia, and Madonna dominated the Pop Album category, which also includes titles by perennial Grammy favorite Eric Clapton and neo-swingsters the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Elsewhere, the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance category pits fresh faces Cherry and Mullins against past Grammy favorites Clapton and Sting. Also nominated in the category is R&B crossover star Brian McKnight.

The Pop Female Performance category consists of such multiple nominees as Sheryl Crow, Celine Dion, Lauryn Hill, and Natalie Imbruglia; as well as Lilith queen Sarah McLachlan, with her sole nomination.

Elsewhere, the pop field of categories offers an odd mix of fringe artists and longtime favorites who don't fit snugly into other categories--meaning they don't rock hard enough for the rock categories, they aren't edgy enough for alternative, or aren't pure enough for an R&B and hip-hop slot.

The best example of this mixed bag is the Pop Instrumental Performance category, which includes the hip production duo the Dust Brothers' "The X-Files Theme," jazz-bluegrass group Bela Fleck & the Flecktones' "Big Country," lightweight jazz Kenny G's version of "My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From Titanic)," the jazz-fusion unit Pat Metheny Group's "Follow Me," and the Brian Setzer Orchestra's "Sleepwalk."

The Best Dance Recording category is almost as wide-reaching, with tracks from Culture Club frontman Boy George, French electronic duo Daft Punk, and veteran female vocalists Madonna, Gloria Estefan, and Cyndi Lauper earning nominations.

The remaining pop categories aren't quite as diverse, but also offer up an interesting mix. The Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or A Group With Vocals includes Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing," the Barenaked Ladies' "One Week," the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris," the Dave Matthews Band's "Crush," and the Brian Setzer Orchestra's "Jump Jive An' Wail."

The Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals is composed entirely of veterans, with Babyface & Stevie Wonder up against Jackson Browne & Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach, Van Morrison & the Chieftains, and current pop phenomena R. Kelly & Celine Dion.

Recordings released between Oct. 1, 1997 and Sept. 30, 1998 are eligible for Grammy Awards. A complete list of Grammy nominees is available at www.grammy.com.

Features on Eagle-Eye Cherry, Sheryl Crow, Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Imbruglia, Daft Punk, Culture Club, Cyndi Lauper, the Barenaked Ladies, the Goo Goo Dolls, Bonnie Raitt, and Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach are available now for your reading pleasure. Look for an upcoming Shawn Mullins feature on myLAUNCH soon.

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