Interesting Mix of Artists among Grammy

 

Mary Morningstar

The 46th annual Grammy Awards will be handed out on February 8 in Los Angeles. This year's Country nominees² include some of today's most popular performers, but also many artists who receive little or no airplay on Country radio.

Martina McBride earned two Grammy nominations⁴, including a mention in the category of Best Female Country Vocal⁵ Performance for This One's for the Girls. The Kansas native is no stranger to awards shows. She's a three-time winner of the Country Music Association's Female Vocalist of the Year honor, and was named the Academy of Country Music's Favorite Female Vocalist the past two years.
Joining Martina in this year's Female Country Vocal Performance Grammy race are Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, Patty Loveless and the late June Carter Cash.
Each of the Country categories are represented by an interesting mix of artists. The National Association of Recording⁶ Arts and Sciences has always contended that their Grammy is a peer award, not a reflection of record sales or an artist's success on the popularity charts. Ricky Skaggs and his band, Kentucky Thunder, prove that point by leading this year's Country contenders. The group earned five nominations, including Best Bluegrass Album for Live At The Charleston Music Hall. A Simple Life, from the live collection, brought them a nomination³ for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
Facing Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder in the Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group category are Brooks⁷ and Dunn, Lonestar, The Oak Ridge⁸ Boys and Diamond Rio.
The Best Country Album category includes Shania Twain's multi-million-selling collection Up and Faith Hill's double-platinum CD, Cry. Also nominated are Lyle Lovett, who won over Grammy voters with his critically-acclaimed album My Baby Don't Tolerate; the multi-artist tribute Livin', Lovin', Losin' Songs of The Louvin Brothers; and Willie Nelson, who's nominated twice in the category for Live And Kickin' and his collaboration⁹ with Ray Price, Run That By Me One More Time. Willie earned a total of four nominations this year. Wurlitzer Prize, his duet with last year's five-time Grammy winner Norah Jones, is up for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals¹⁰.
Also vying¹¹ for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals are sentimental¹² favorites Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, who both died last year; Alan Jackson and Jimmy Buffett, who had the longest-running Number One Country single of 2003 with It's Five O'Clock Somewhere; Willie Nelson and Toby Keith, for their Number One duet Beer For My Horses; and Alison Krauss and James Taylor's contribution to The Louvin Brothers tribute, How's The World Treating You.
Asleep at the Wheel could win its seventh Best Country Instrumental Performance Grammy. This year, the group earned a nomination for its recording of Ain't Chet Yet. Also mentioned in the instrumental category are Brad Paisley for Spaghetti Western Swing, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder for Get Up John, Alison Krauss and Union Station for Cluck Old Hen, and Earl Scruggs, Ricky Skaggs and Doc Watson, collectively known as The Three Pickers, for Pick Along. Doc Watson will receive a lifetime achievement Grammy Award at the February 8 ceremony.
One of the most competitive Country categories this year is Best Male Country Vocal Performance. The nominees are Ray Benson, Vince Gill, Tim McGraw, Randy Travis and newcomer Joe Nichols, who was a multiple nominee¹ last year for his debut¹³ album Man With A Memory. The CD includes a recent Number One single that brings him his latest Grammy nomination, Brokenheartsville.

注释：
nominee [nCmi5ni:] n. 被提名的人
airplay [5eEpleI] n. 无线电台上唱片的播送
category [5kAti^Eri] n. 种类
Best Female Country Vocal Performance 最佳乡村女歌手
contend [kEn5tend] v. 竞争
Best Bluegrass Album 最佳蓝草专辑
double-platinum 双碟白金版
critically-acclaimed 褒贬不一的
collaboration [kE7lAbE5reiFEn] n. 协作
vie [vai] v. 竞争
sentimental [7senti5mentl] adj. 感伤性的
tribute [5tribju:t] n. 礼物
Best Country Instrumental Performance Grammy 格莱美最佳乡村音乐表演奖
collectively adv. 全体地，共同地
competitive [kEm5petitiv] adj. 竞争的
multiple [5mQltipl] adj. 多样的，这里指获多项提名的

1 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

2 nominees   

n.被提名者，被任命者( nominee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She's one of the nominees. 她是被提名者之一。 来自超越目标英语 第2册
• A startling number of his nominees for senior positions have imploded. 他所提名的高级官员被否决的数目令人震惊。 来自互联网

3 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 nominations   

n.提名，任命( nomination的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nominations are invited for the post of party chairman. 为党主席职位征集候选人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Much coverage surrounded his abortive bids for the 1960,1964, and 1968 Republican Presidential nominations. 许多消息报道都围绕着1960年、1964年和1968年他为争取提名为共和党总统候选人所做努力的失败。 来自辞典例句

5 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

6 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

7 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

9 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

10 vocals   

（乐曲中的）歌唱部份，声乐部份( vocal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Also look out for soaring vocals on The Right Man. 另外，也可留意一下《意中人》中的那高亢的唱腔。
• Lazy bass line, lazier drums, lush violins, great piano and incomparable vocals. 懒惰的低音线，较懒惰的鼓，饮小提琴，棒的钢琴和无比的声音。

11 vying   

adj.竞争的；比赛的

参考例句：

• California is vying with other states to capture a piece of the growing communications market.为了在日渐扩大的通讯市场分得一杯羹，加利福尼亚正在和其他州展开竞争。
• Four rescue plans are vying to save the zoo.4个拯救动物园的方案正争得不可开交。

12 sentimental   

adj.多愁善感的，感伤的

参考例句：

• She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人，她相信姻缘命中注定。
• We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。

13 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。