A Dinosaur Gets With The 21st Century: The 2009 Grammys Nominate a Range of Deserving and Diverse Artists

Alternately called "The Grannys" or "The music industry celebrating itself," the Grammy Awards have been getting a bad rap of late for only celebrating commercial achievement, or not recognizing popular, but critically acclaimed, artists. But just as my grandfather is now using MSN Messenger, the Grammys have gotten with the times, and this year, the list of nominees is surprisingly discerning.

Last year, Herbie Hancock won Album of The Year, but this time around Coldplay, Lil Wayne, Ne-Yo, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss and Radiohead will duke it out for the honour. All the above albums have commercial and critical appeal, and whether the Grammy goes to Coldplay (likely), Lil Wayne (maybe too edgy?) or collaborators Plant and Krauss (winners Steely Dan and Hancock set a precedent for those favoured by older generations), a deserving act will be rewarded.

As music sales at Big-Box stores (as opposed to iTunes) take a nosedive, the Grammys this year herald the online age. Lil Wayne, who went platinum with his album Tha Carter 111, gained legions of new fans with the distribution of dozens of mix-tapes over the Internet. Radiohead, the groundbreaking band who has released perhaps their best album since OK Computer, dispersed In Rainbows from their website, where fans could choose the price they wished to pay for the tracks. This move sparked a debate within the music industry, and garnered respect for the gutsy step, seen with the band's impressive five Grammy nods. And it's Coldplay's year: the band, who has sold over 40 million albums worldwide, set a record for the most-downloaded album ever with Viva la Vida, which has a good shot at multiple awards.

Some of the categories are shaping up to be tough calls: Best Rap Album and Best Alternative Album are giving would-be predictors grief. Thank goodness Kanye's new album 808s and Heartbreak isn't eligible: his absence has allowed others such as Lil Wayne, Lupe Fiasco, T.I., Nas and Jay-Z to receive the accolades this time. But it's Lil Wayne (named Best MC by Rolling Stone Magazine) who seems the most compelling; his raspy voice, unashamedly dirty lyrics and engrossing mish-mash of styles make Tha Carter 111 the likely choice for Best Rap Album.

Meanwhile, across the music spectrum, the Best Alternative Album category presents a conundrum. Beck, Radiohead and Gnarls Barkley have all previously won the Grammy, and all are names known to the Academy's voters (who are often less knowledgeable of this group). Yet Death Cab for Cutie has had a meteoric rise in popularity, crossing over to the mainstream, and often the mainstream prevails (refer to the White Stripes beating out Arcade Fire, twice: in 2006 and 2008 – ouch!). So my guess is as good as anyone's, but it should be the year for Radiohead, who has surpassed themselves in transcendence with In Rainbows.

In an interesting twist, though M.I.A. has been nominated (and rightly so) for the gun-shots and cashier-dings of her hit Paper Planes, she won' be able to attend the ceremony; her baby is due the same night as the telecast! On her blog, she enthuses: "OMG if I get it, I will never diss the Grammys ever again!" Despite the fact that she's a long shot in the Record of the Year category, up against Leona Lewis and Coldplay, she's expressed the sentiment of many: the Grammys this year are definitely harder to diss.