Grammy Nominations: Reactions

So I will be slowly adding my predictions for each major category between now and the big night, but here are some thoughts on this years nominees.

The Good

• No U2! Ok so they still got a bunch of nominations, but it was nice to see that the Grammys didn't just pile them on in the major categories taking the fun out of predicting. I like U2, I just wanted someone new for once to win some big awards, thank you Grammy Gods for making my wish come true.
• Rap Categories: With the excpetion of missing out on Fabolous, in a sparsely populated year for Rap, they actually did a good job in handing out nominations. Mos Def, Kid Cudi, Drake, etc. all got some recognition. The best choice: Q-Tip's "The Renaissance", an incredible album, that should win the Rap Album award.
• Kings of Leon - great band, getting Radiohead-esque shout out this year.
• Dave Matthews Band - while not their best album by any means, it was nice to see someone other than U2 or Green Day get some rock recognition in the top category.
• Maxwell - Making a great comeback this year, landed him with tons of nominations, including Song of the Year.

The Bad

• Black Eyed Peas - Record of the Year nomination was a foregone conclusion for their cathcy "I Gotta Feeling", but Album of the Year?! I can think of a few Auto-Tune albums that would have been better choices than this mediocre entry.
• ...lke Kanye West...yes he's a jackass (get over it!), and yes, he got 6 nominations, but 808's & Heartbreak was a great album, and should have taken that BEP spot.
• Whitney Houston had a triumphant return and so much Grammy buzz...that died so quickly. Seriously, not one nomination? That is a true shame.
• No Laura Izibor. One of my favorite new artists this year was the souful Irish songstress Laura Izibor. I thought she was a shoo-in for Best New Artist...they never quite get that category right...ever...

The Ugly

• The R&B Categories - No Whitney Houston, The-Dream, etc. There is nothing wrong with them going to more underground artist, hell usually I applaud it. But not when there are better acts missing out. I just looked at them, and suddenly didn't care at all about their outcome...that is usually not a good sign.