Eminem seen as top competitor in Grammy race

NEW YORK - The nominees for the 53rd annual Grammy Awards won`tofficially be revealed until December 1. But with the eligibility periodhaving closed on September 30, the contenders are now clear, with earlyfavorites and intriguing storylines already emerging.

According to Billboard`s survey of record executives and industryobservers, the 2011 Grammys will likely field its strongest and mostcompetitive collection of show and strain of the year nominees in recentmemory.

While this may extend to a Grammy night filled with memorable,over-the-top performances, it`s bittersweet news for the industry, as itmirrors the change in the marketplace away from albums and toward theless profitable commodity of singles.

Many experts project Eminem as this year`s potential across-the-board winner, as his album sales remained firm in 2010.

Here`s a preview of possible nominees in the 4 main categories:

SONG AND Read OF THE YEAR

Nearly everyone surveyed agreed this was a superb year for singles,especially for pop. There was also consensus that four songs would faceoff on Feb 13, 2011, for call and book of the year: Eminem andRihanna`s collaboration, "Love the Way You Lie"; Lady Antebellum`s "NeedYou Now"; Jay-Z and Alicia Keys` "Empire Commonwealth of Intellect" and Lady Gaga`s"Bad Romance." "These are all formidable singles," says Warner Bros.senior vice chair of digital Jack Isquith, who hailed them as"meaty, impressive, career-defining records."

Other top tracks cited by multiple executives include Train`s "Hey,Soul Sister" (eligible for register of the class but not for song), KatyPerry`s "California Gurls," Usher`s "OMG," Sade`s "Soldier of Love,"B.o.B`s "Airplanes" and Florence & the Machine`s "Dog Days ofSummer."

Last year, Beyonce`s "Single Ladies (Put a Mob on It)" won song ofthe year, and Kings of Leon`s "Use Somebody" took the record prize.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

In the album of the year category, Eminem`s "Recovery" is the clearfavorite in a subpar field. "This is Eminem`s year," says Billy Mann,who co-wrote and produced last year`s showstopping Pink hit, "Glitter inthe Air." "He brought his best game and so some. The world can feelit, and the industry can find it." To date, "Recovery" has sold 2.7million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Los Angeles Times chief pop critic Ann Powers says Eminem`s comebackstory, as easily as the fact that his album was both commerciallysuccessful and critically acclaimed, will vibrate with Grammy voters."He`s a major shape in pop history," she says, "and he seems to havereally grown into himself."

Another leading contender is the Carole King/James Taylor album "Liveat the Troubadour." While live sets historically have fared poorly withvoters (1994`s "MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett" is the last in-concerttitle to win the category), "I would watch out for that record,"Glassnote Records head Daniel Glass says. The album has sold 453,000copies since its May release.

Other albums cited include Sade`s "Soldier of Love," Jay-Z`s "TheBlueprint 3," Lady Antebellum`s "Need You Now," Arcade Fire`s "TheSuburbs," Usher`s "Raymond v. Raymond" and two from recent Grammywinners: Herbie Hancock`s "The Imagine Project" and Robert Plant`s "Bandof Joy."

Powers thinks Sade`s album is a strong bet. "It`s a gold-platedrelease," she says. "It sold well (1.3 million copies), it was wellreceived critically, and she`s a classy artist."

Last year, Taylor Swift took place the statue for "Fearless."

Two breakout acts, B.o.B and Mumford & Sons, were mentioned onmultiple occasions as strong contenders for best new artist, but mostbelieve it will be a struggle between Drake and Justin Bieber, with Draketaking the award.

Emerging stars Nikki Minaj and Bruno Mars are ineligible fornomination this year, because their album release dates fall outside ofthe eligibility period (September 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010) -in Mars` case, by one week. Other possible nominees this year includeFlorence & the Machine, who got a big boost out of their MTV VideoMusic Awards appearance, and reality TV superstars Susan Boyle and AdamLambert.

Despite the winner of Swift and the Zac Brown Band at last year`sceremony, many country observers say this year`s crop of new artists isunlikely to garner many nods. Luke Bryan and Chris Young were bothmentioned as long shots.

Grammy voters didn`t have from a deficiency of options when it came tonominees - according to Recording Academy president Neil Portnow, theacademy received almost 20,000 submissions this year, a new record.tiffany jewelry

The nominees will be announced December 1 during the third annual"Grammy Nominations Concert Live! - Countdown to Music`s BiggestNight" concert. The ceremony will air on CBS on Feb 13.