Hill is on top with 10 Grammy nominations

Web posted on:
Tuesday, January 05, 1999 2:54:05 PM EST

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Call it the Year of the Woman, Part II. Following last year's girl-power Grammy awards, female artists continued to attract the attention of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences as artists like Lauryn Hill, Madonna, Sheryl Crow and Shania Twain racked up nominations on Tuesday.

Hill led the Grammy charge, garnering 10 nominations, including one for album of the year for her debut solo effort, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill."

Other nominees for album of the year are "The Globe Sessions" by Crow, "Version 2.0" by Garbage, "Ray of Light" by Madonna and "Come on Over" by Twain.

Madonna, Twain and Crow tied for six nominations each.

The nominees for record of the year are "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica, "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion, "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls, "Ray of Light" by Madonna and "You're Still The One" by Twain.

Artist: Lauryn Hill Album: "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" Hill, a native of South Orange, New Jersey, saw her musical career take off after critics heard her gritty alto performance on the Fugees' 1993 debut, "Blunted on Reality." "Miseducation" is her first solo offering. Sound: "Doo Wop (That Thing)" - 65K WAV (Sound courtesy RuffHouse/Columbia Records)

The nominees for best new artist are the Backstreet Boys, Andrea Bocelli, The Dixie Chicks, Natalie Imbruglia, and Hill.

Wonder

Stevie Wonder awarded

The nominations were announced on Tuesday morning in Los Angeles by a host of presenters that included Quincy Jones, Monica, Wyclef Jean, Magic Johnson, and Imbruglia.

Stevie Wonder was also in attendance -- as a presenter, and recipient. The prolific singer-songwriter was given the 1999 MusiCares Person of the Year award. He also received four Grammy nominations, including one for best male R&B vocal performance on "St. Louis Blues."

The awards will be presented February 24 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles during a three-hour ceremony to be telecast live on CBS. The Grammys, which have in recent years come under fire from industry insiders who say the Recording Academy has been out of touch with the rest of the music industry, are still considered to be among music's most coveted prizes.

Artist: Shania Twain Album: "Come On Over" Canadian Twain has been playing guitar since she was a child, but had to set aside her music plans at 21, when her mother and father died in a car crash and she assumed responsiblity for her younger siblings. She released her self-titled debut on the Mercury Nashville label in 1993. Sound: "Still the One" - 150K WAV (Sound courtesy PolyGram Records)

Hill's year?

Hill, already a Grammy winner as singer for the Fugees, has generated an incredible amount of buzz with her debut album. Both the album and the first single, "Doo Wop (That Thing)," topped Billboard charts in recent weeks. Among her 10 nominations from the Recording Academy, Hill has two entries in the category of best R&B song: "Doo Wop" and "A Rose Is Still A Rose." She was also nominated for best R&B album, producer of the year, best female pop vocal performance, best female R&B vocal performance, best R&B performance by a duo or group and best rap solo performance.

Madonna, whose "Ray of Light" was considered somewhat of a comeback after she took time off to pursue an acting career and motherhood, continued to receive positive feedback with the six Grammy nods. The album "Ray of Light" reached No. 2 on Billboard charts. Madonna has never won a Grammy for her music; she did receive one for her "Blond Ambition" tour documentary.

Artist: Sheryl Crow Album: "The Globe Sessions" Born to Big Band-musician parents in 1962, the former backup singer had a musical support group from an early age. Perhaps as a result, she was able to put together a multiplatinum album -- 1993's "Tuesday Night Music Club" -- on her very first try. Sound: "My Favorite Mistake" - 290K WAV (Sound courtesy A&M Records)

Twain, meanwhile, made the rare crossover from country to pop charts with her album, thanks in large part to the singles "You're Still The One" and "From This Moment On."

Crow continues to put out solid work. Her nominations range from best rock album to best song written for a motion picture.

Brandy and Monica are nominated for Record of the Year for "The Boy is Mine"

Other categories

Best alternative music performance nominees are: Tori Amos, Beastie Boys, PJ Harvey, Radiohead, and The Smashing Pumpkins.

One category loaded with competition is best song written for a motion picture or for television. Aerosmith's "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" (from "Armageddon"), the Celine Dion-performed "My Heart Will Go On" ("Titanic"), Crow's "Tomorrow Never Dies" ("Tomorrow Never Dies"), 98 Degrees and Stevie Wonder's "True To Your Heart ("Mulan"), and Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited" ("City Of Angels") are the nominees.

Best classical album nominees are: "Barber: Prayers Of Kierkegaard/Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem/Bartok: Cantata Profana," "Bartok: Bluebeard's Castle," "The Beautiful Voice (Works Of Charpentier, Gounod, Massenet, Flotow, Etc.)," "Schnittke: The Complete String Quartets (Nos. 1, 2, 3, Etc.)," and "Sir Georg Solti - The Last Recording (Bartok: Cantata Profana/Kodaly: Psalmus Hungaricus/Weiner: Serenade)."

Two new categories have been added this year to reflect current music trends in R&B, Latin and classical music. Awards for best traditional R&B vocal performance, best classical crossover album and best Tejano music performance were added, bringing to 95 the number of Grammys that will be presented.

Artist: Madonna Album: "Ray of Light" With the longest-running career of the new album nominees, Madonna has been churning out hits since 1982, when her single "Everybody" became a club/dance hit. Before she was famous, she was a student of the renowned choreographer Alvin Ailey. Sound: "Ray of Light" - 180K WAV (Sound courtesy Warner Bros. Records)

The show was held in New York for the past two years, and Michael Greene, president of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, has said the ceremony will return to that city.

But Los Angeles officials are lobbying to have the 2000 show held in the Staples Center, which is under construction downtown and scheduled to open this fall. This year's awards ceremony will include a Webcast, along with GrammyFest, a month-long celebration and cultural event in L.A. leading up to the February 24 telecast.