I’m speechless right now. Absolutely speechless. The production on Back to Basics is stellar and it almost brings tears to my eyes that the work of DJ Premier, Linda Perry, Mark Ronson, and obviously Christina Aguilera is going to go unrecognized.

I highly doubt that Christina will win Best Pop Vocal Album, and she may win Female Pop Vocal but she’s won that before, and it makes me sick that she’s yet to be recognized for something other than her voice, when second rate artistry like Beyonce’s can win Grammys easier than Andy Dick could get into Lindsay Lohan’s panties.

The truly sad moment will be if Christina doesn’t even win either of the two awards that she’s nominated for.

This is just a very sad day.

I know people will say I’m being too dramatic, but I’m just having an emotional reaction right now to the feeling of snubbery.

Here are the two categories she was nominated in (which are the same ones she was nominated for with Stripped):

Best Pop Vocal Album
*Christina Aguilera - Back To Basics
*James Blunt - Back to Bedlam
*Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint - The River In Reverse
*John Mayer - Continuum
*Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
*Christina Aguilera - Ain’t No Other Man
*Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten
*Sheryl Crow - You Can Close Your Eyes
*Pink - Stupid Girls
*KT Tunstall - Black Horse And The Cherry Tree

With that said, I’m very happy for the other people who were generously nominated.

*The lovely Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul Mary J. Blige leads the nominations with a whopping 8 nods.

*Pink was nominated for Stupid Girls (a nomination that SHOULD’VE gone to Who Knew).

*Justin Timberlake received four nominations for his good album FutureSex/LoveSounds, even if it’s all attributed to ripping off Prince (5 noms) and the talents of Timbaland (who btw, is not nominated for his production work).

*The rebellious jezebels the Dixie Chicks received five nominations for some of their best work to date on Taking The Long Way.

*And best of all..congrats to first time nominee Carrie Underwood on her two nominations! Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance!

Jesus Take The Wheel was also nominated for two awards for the songwriters.

You can view the entire list of nominees here.

The Grammys will air on CBS on February 11.

Christina Aguilera - Soar

I know what you’re thinking. It’s Christina Aguilera–Hell no. But the truth is, Soar is one hell of a song. Christina never released it as a single–why I don’t know–it would have made a killer Grammy performance (a lot better than that ridiculously oversung version of “A Song For You” she did last week). In the song she says:

The boy who wonders is he good enough for them
He’s tryin’ to please ‘em all but he just never seems to fit in
Then there’s the girl who thinks she’ll never ever be good enough for him
She’s tryin’ to change and that’s a game she’ll never win

In life there’s gonna be times when you’re feeling low
And in your mind insecurity seems to take control
We start to look outside ourselves for acceptance and approval
We keep forgettin’ that the one thing we should know is

Her vocal on this song is incredible and most importantly, she doesn’t oversing the song like she tends to do on a lot of her material (See her entire Christmas album). This song is uplifting, it’s empowering, it’s triumphant, and it’s all punctuated with the mind boggling note she hits at the end of the bridge. The truth is, this is the best song she’s ever recorded, and lucky for her, she wrote it.

Eric Clapton - Tears In Heaven

Other than his duet with Babyface and My Father’s Eyes, this is the only Eric Clapton song I’ve ever liked. And it’s my favorite. In this heartbreaking song that Eric most likely wrote to his late son, he asks:

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you feel the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
’cause I know I don’t belong here in heaven…

Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven?

This song is slow, quiet, but powerful. It gets me every time.

Foreigner - I Want To Know What Love Is

This song has been covered a million times, both in recordings and live, and for good reason. For those of you in love, it’s probably not on your iPod. But for those of us still searching, it’s perfect.

I wanna know what love is
I want you to show me
I wanna feel what love is
I know you can show me

Gavin DeGraw - We Belong Together

I could listen to absolutely any melody this man put his voice to, but this song in particular is a keeper. Though it has the misfortune of being the themesong to the laughable Tristan and Isolde, it transcends its silly fate and stands alone as a beautiful love song.

We belong together
Like the open seas and shores
Wedded by the planet force
We’ve all been spoken for

The hammer may strike, me dead on the ground
A net to my hand, a cross on his crown
We’re done if we’re undone
Finished if we are incomplete
As one we are everything
We are everything we need

I feel a legend in the making.

George Michael - Kissing A Fool

This song is especially important to me. Everything is so perfect about this song. The lyrics. the melody, the instruments–George Michael’s voice. Michael Buble did a respectable cover, but I love the more subtle George Michael version so much better. In the song he says:

You are far,
When I could have been your star,
You listened to people,
Who scared you to death, and from my heart,
Strange that you were strong enough,
To even make a start,
But you’ll never find
Peace of mind,
Til you listen to your heart,

People,
You can never change the way they feel,
Better let them do just what they will,
For they will,
If you let them,
Steal your heart from you

It’s about a love that faces adversity because of what others may think. Perhaps the most tragic kind of love. Why this song is so important to me is because I’m a writer and everytime I listen to this song I see two star-crossed lovers dancing in a ballroom. As cheesy as it sounds, it’s a dream of mine to write a screenplay in which this song is used for just that purpose. Maybe someday it’ll happen.

Joss Stone - The Choking Kind

Who doesn’t love Joss Stone? This is my favorite Joss song–it embodies what her music is all about. Passion, soul, hurt.

You can kill a girl
With a bottle of poison or a knife
I know you can
And hurt him more to take his pride
And run his life
Oh it’s a shame boy
Whatever it is boy
I surely hope you find, oh yeah
I tell you that hat don’t fit my head
Oh, it’s the choking kind

Great song.

Kelly Clarkson - Walk Away

The next single from two time Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson’s 5 times platinum album Breakaway is in my opinion the best song on the album. It’s high energy, it’s part pop, part rock, part soul, and it’s got attitude. She belts at the top of her massive pair of lungs:

You’ve got your mother and your brother, every other
Under cover telling you what to say
You think I’m stupid
But the truth is, that it’s Cupid
Baby, loving you has made me this way

So before you point your finger
Get your hands off of my trigger
You need to know this situations getting old
And now the more you talk, the less I can say

I’m looking for attention
Not another question
Should you stay or should you go
Well, if you don’t have the answer
Why you still standing here
Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey
Just walk away

Great song. Great vocals. Can’t wait to see her perform this live on the talk show circuit.

Mary J. Blige - My Life

What Mary J. Blige’s fans love about her, and probably what makes her such a gay icon, is that she channels hurt, pain, and anger like no one else in her music. In one of her early songs she sings:

If you looked in my life
And see what I’ve seen…

Life can be only what you make it
When you’re feelin down
You should never fake it
Say what’s on your mind
And you’ll find in time
That all the negative energy
It would all cease

And you’ll be at peace with yourself
You won’t really need no one else
Except for the man up above
Because he’ll give you love

James Blunt - You’re Beautiful

This song has become an overnight phenomenon. I don’t know one person who doesn’t know it and love it. I know first hand what it feels like to have feelings for someone and know it’ll just never happen. James Blunt (kinda funny last name) coos:

My life is brilliant.
My love is pure.
I saw an angel.
Of that I’m sure.
She smiled at me on the subway.
She was with another man.
But I won’t lose no sleep on that,
‘Cause I’ve got a plan.

You’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.
You’re beautiful, it’s true.
I saw you face in a crowded place,
And I don’t know what to do,
‘Cause I’ll never be with you.

Yes, I do know ****, that I’ll never be with you.

Annie Lennox - Cold

Annie Lennox truly has to be one of the best songwriters of all time. Her songs are always so original, so soulful and real. And the bitch does metaphors like nobody’s business. “Cold”, a song you might know from her Grammy winning “Diva” album, is about the passionate, desperate need to be with someone.

Dying is easy it’s living that scares me to death
I could be so content hearing the sound of your breath
Cold is the color of crystal the snowlight
That falls from the heavenly skies
Catch me and let me dive under under
For I want to swim in the pools of your eyes

If any of you have seen the Showtime movie Soldier’s Girl, it’s used there, and if you know the content of the movie, you know it’s perfectly fitting.

The performance lineup for the 48th annual Grammy Awards continues to swell. Following yesterday’s (Feb. 1) confirmation of a show-opening Madonna/Gorillaz pairing, the Recording Academy has added Paul McCartney, Kelly Clarkson and Ciara to a bill now made up of a dozen performances.

McCartney is nominated for three awards this year: album of the year and best pop vocal album for “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard” (MPL/Capitol), as well as best male pop vocal performance for the album track “Fine Line.” Despite his long career and 13 past Grammy wins, this will mark the former Beatle’s first Grammy performance.

Triple-nominee Ciara (best new artist, best rap/sung collaboration for “1, 2 Step” featuring Missy Elliott and best short form music video for “Lose Control” with Missy Elliott and Fat Man Scoop), will take part in the multi-artist tribute to Sly & the Family Stone. Double-nominee Clarkson (best female pop vocal performance for “Since U Been Gone” and best pop vocal album for “Breakaway” (RCA) is set to perform solo.

Comedian/talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has been drafted to introduce McCartney’s performance. Other newly added presenters are the members of Destiny’s Child, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor, Chris Brown, professional cyclist Lance Armstrong and actresses Jennifer Love Hewitt, Teri Hatcher and Jenna Elfman.

Mariah Carey, John Legend and Kanye West share the lead with eight nominations heading into the Feb. 8 ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event will be broadcast live on CBS.

U2 , Mary J. Blige, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, Christina Aguilera, Herbie Hancock and Jamie Foxx have all signed on to give collaborative performances at next month’s Grammy Awards ceremony.

U2 and Blige will hit the stage together for a joint performance, as will Urban and Hill, Foxx and West, and Aguilera and Hancock.

Organizers did not specify what songs the artists would perform, but it’s a good bet that previous Grammy winngers U2 and Blige will offer up a rendition of the Irish rock group’s classic hit “One,” which Blige covered on her most recent album, “The Breakthrough.”

Foxx is featured on West’s 2005 smash hit “Gold Digger,” and Aguilera sang on the Grammy-nominated cut “A Song for You,” which appeared on Hancock’s latest album, “Possibilities.”

U2, whose trophy case already houses 15 Grammy trophies, is in contention for five more at this year’s ceremony: Album of the Year and Best Rock Album (”How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb“); Song of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (”Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own“); and Best Rock Song (”City of Blinding Lights“).

Hill, a four-time Grammy winner, is vying for Best Female Country Vocal Performance (”Mississippi Girl“), Best Country Collaboration with Vocals (”Like We Never Loved At All” with Tim McGraw), and Best Country Album (”Fireflies”). Urban is up for Best Male Country Vocal Performance (”You’ll Think of Me“).

Aguilera and Hancock hope to share a win in the Best Pop Collaboration category for “A Song for You.”

Singer-turned-actor-turned-singer Foxx has a nod in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category for “Creepin’,” a track from “So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross,” and shares nominations with West for “Gold Digger” in the Best Rap Solo Performance and Record of the Year categories.

As previously reported, West is nominated in a total of eight categories, as are fellow previously announced Grammy performers Mariah Carey and John Legend.

In addition to the new batch of performers, Grammy organizers also announced that country duo Big & Rich, along with actors Tom Hanks and Terrence Howard, will appear as presenters.

Additional performers and presenters will be announced shortly, according to a press release.

The 48th annual Grammy Awards ceremony takes place Feb. 8 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and will air live on CBS-TV.

I’ve watched almost every Grammy Awards ceremony that’s aired since I’ve been able to understand television shows more complex than Ninja Turtles and never in my life have I been as affected by a performance as I was a few years back when I saw Mary J. Blige perform her hit No More Drama. She won the grammy for the song that year, and I’m sure no one who saw that performance has forgotten it. It took me years of looking to find it but I finally did, and here it is for you all to see. Also, go pick up Mary’s new album The Breakthrough, which in just 2 weeks, has already gone platinum.