The 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on Feb. 11, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and the nominees have just been announced. The recordings rewarded are usually just a reflection of album/single sales and mainstream radio play, so you shouldn’t ever take them as an actual measure of quality music. However, two years ago, a very strange thing happened when 4 of my Top 20 albums of 2004 (Kanye West The College Dropout, The Killers Hot Fuss, Loretta Lynn Van Lear Rose and Green Day American Idiot) were heavily represented and successful at the Grammys. It was kind of satisfying that my perception of quality and mainstream recognition matched up that year.

This year some good stuff has been recognized, but there’s plenty of bad, too. First, my objections:

Album of the Year: Dixie Chicks and Justin Timberlake are decent nominations. But Gnarls Barkley St. Elsehwere is highly overrated as an album…it gets by on the excellence of “Crazy.” Also, The Red Hot Chili Peppers released a nice sounding double album with Stadium Arcadium, but it was their weakest album since the mid 80s…hardly album of the year material. Here’s my Top 20 albums of 2006 (so far).

Best Alternative Album: Once again, the Gnarls Barkley album wasn’t that good, and there’s now way that Thom Yorke’s solo album should be considered one of the best alternative releases of the year.

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: It’s ridiculous that Akon featuring Eminem “Smack That” is nominated for a Grammy. Yes, the song’s impossible to get out of your head (which I can respect), but it’s just dumb.

Best Rap Song: “Money Maker” is Ludacris’ worst single ever. Terrible choice here.

Best Rap Album: Pharrell’s In My Mind was a major disappointment. Far from one of the best Rap albums of the year.

The Positives:

Record of the Year (rewards the recording): Gnarls Barkley “Crazy” was everywhere…because it’s a great song. Definitely one of the best of the year. So good that it actually made people think St. Elsewhere is a great album.

Song of the Year (rewards the songwriting): Dixie Chicks “Not Ready To Make Nice” is a bold song. Nice.

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal: It’s funny to me that Death Cab For Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” and Keane’s “Is It Any Wonder?” are considered pop, or at least put in the same category as Black Eyed Peas “My Humps.” I’m a big fan of all 3 songs, though.

Best Hard Rock Performance: It’s hilarious that “Crazy Bitch” is nominated. It’s much too dirty and offensive to be recognized by an institution like the Grammys. Funny joke played by the voters. Great song.

Best Alternative Album: Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Show Your Bones is my #3 album of 2006 so far and Arctic Monkeys are #20. Good to see them nominated.

Not that Prince has ever been underappreciated by the Grammys, but I’m kinda happy that “Black Sweat” got nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance & Best R&B Song. It’s the best song on 3121, and it’s a classic funky and funny freakout.

Best Rap Solo Performance & Best Rap Song: Rootin’ for Lupe Fiasco “Kick, Push”

Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group: Outkast have gotten plenty of mainstream recognition this decade, but Idlewild wasn’t exactly a smash hit this year. However, the soundtrack did produce one of the best songs of the year, “Mighty ‘O.’ Good to see it recognized.

Best Rap Album: It’s good to see that at least two of the best rap albums of the year are actually nominated, Lupe Fiasco’s Food and Liquor and The Roots Game Theory.

Best Short Form Music Video: OK Go “Here It Goes Again.” How can you root against the treadmill dance? If you’ve never seen it (or want to enjoy it again), check it out here.