U2, Mariah Top Likely Grammy Nods
U2's year started off with two Grammys and an induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band's bookend to 2005 may be multiple Grammy nods, the rockers are heavily favored to be mentioned when nominations are announced Thursday.
Other favorites include Mariah Carey, who had an amazing comeback year with her album "The Emancipation of Mimi." Carey is scheduled to be on hand as the nominations are read, along with John Legend, Nickelback's Chad Kroeger and Big & Rich. Though not always a given, those who are present when nominations are read typically find themselves among the nominees.
Other strong contenders include Kanye West, Coldplay, Gwen Stefani and Kelly Clarkson.
"I think Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani and Kanye West are going to be going at it for who has the most awards," said Steve Stoute, a former music industry executive who remains tapped into the scene through his company Translations, which links music superstars with commercial products. "They have songs that have song-of-the-year potential on their albums."
Although U2's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" came out late last year and the album wasn't much of a presence on the charts this year, the perennial Grammy favorites are assured of multiple nominations, says People magazine music critic Chuck Arnold. "Just the cache of U2 being U2, being around all year with the tour, is enough to get them at least five or six nominations," he said.
Coldplay's name is also likely to pop up a few times. The group, which won record of the year in 2003 for "Clocks," arguably had the top rock album with "X&Y" this year, along with hits like "Fix Me."
"Coldplay has a lot of buzz going for it," said Arnold. "(Lead singer) Chris Martin has definitely emerged as a rock star, and it's a great record and they've already proved to be favorites with the academy."
Clarkson, who proved her artistic worth with songs like "Since U Been Gone" and "Because of You" may be one of the surprise multiple nominees, says Arnold. "She's now a major star, a proven star, and now people don't even associate her with 'American Idol' too much."
Still, Carey is likely to lead the pack. Her career had been languishing in recent years, and some insiders doubted whether the multi-octave singer could return to her multiplatinum ways after a series of debacles, including a breakdown and being bought out of her record contract with Virgin Records.
"The Emancipation of Mimi" proved the skeptics wrong. Not only did it sell more than 4 million copies, making it the No. 2 best-selling album of the year, it also spawned one of the year's most popular songs, the torch ballad "We Belong Together."
West earned an album-of-the-year nomination at the last Grammys for his 2004 debut, "The College Dropout." His follow-up, "Late Registration," also garnered glowing reviews; in addition, he had one of the year's biggest singles with the Ray Charles-inspired "Gold Digger."
Other likely nominees for album of the year include Stefani's "Love. Angel. Music. Baby." The No Doubt frontwoman's kitschy solo debut mined '80s pop and soul and was a fan favorite thanks to her nonsensical but irresistible hit, "Hollaback Girl."
Despite the favorites, there are likely to be surprise acts that surface from beneath the radar to garner key nominations.
"Every year, the Grammys make it their business to find an act that people are not potentially looking at or paying attention to, and it's almost like 'Wow,"' says Stoute. "It's something truly artistic driven and not necessarily relying on sales."
A possibility this year: Raul Midon, a soulful, blind singer-songwriter who garnered plenty of acclaim for his debut, "State of Mind."
Though the Grammy nominations will be held in New York, the actual awards are scheduled for Los Angeles on Feb. 8. They will be broadcast on CBS.