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The nominees for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards announced Thursday get an "A."

Not because Atlanta native Kanye West led with eight of them, including album of the year. Not because beloved British binger Amy Winehouse came in second to him, with six.

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Pop singer Fergie (left) of the Black Eyed Peas was hand with country singer and nominee Taylor Swift during the Grammy nominations announcement on Thursday.
Chris Pizzello/AP (ENLARGE)
Atlanta's Akon (left) is congratulated by Herbie Hancock after being nominated for best rap collaboration at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards news conference Thursday in Los Angeles. The awards are scheduled to air Feb. 10.
Associated Press (ENLARGE)
Nominees Casting Crowns do Christian Rock -- and Atlanta -- proud.
Jim Cooper/AP (ENLARGE)
Along with singer Ne-yo, rapper-singer T-Pain (picture) helps lead the ATL pack of Grammy nominations with five.
Jenni Girtman/AJC (ENLARGE)
Rapper T.I. is up for three awards including best rap album.
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Rather, once again Atlanta acts held their own in categories spanning various musical genres. "American Idol" winners and losers made a strong showing as well. As for strong albums, well, not so much.

Leading local contenders with five nominations were Ne-Yo (record of the year for penning Beyoncé's "Irreplaceable") and T-Pain. T-Pain's nominations included two in one category — best rap/sung collaboration. The College Park resident born Faheem Najm currently appears on four singles on Billboard's Top 10 pop listing, so the Thursday morning announcement from L.A. "was just icing."

Beyond Ne-Yo and T-Pain, you could find a hometown connection to almost every category except Hawaiian music.

Producers Tricky Stewart (record and song of the year for Rihanna's "Umbrella") and DJ Toomp (album of the year for Kanye West's "Graduation") joined Ne-Yo and T-Pain in the top four major categories. Casting Crowns is contending for gospel performance and song ("East to West"), as well as pop/contemporary gospel album ("The Altar and the Door").

Gnarls Barkley could take home a short-form music video statue ("Gone Daddy Gone"). Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra are in the running for surround sound album and orchestral performance ("Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5"). Ann Nesby is among the five in traditional R&B vocal performance ("I Apologize"). Freddy Cole is up for jazz vocal album ("Music Maestro Please"). And mixer Phil Tan got a nod in the dance recording category (Rihanna's "Stop the Music").

Terius "the Dream" Nash had the special distinction of earning his first Grammy nominations — also for "Umbrella" — a week before his first CD, "Love Hate," hits stores. "I am very happy, very fortunate, very blessed," Nash said when he was reached in St. Louis. "I've been in this business since '99 and to have the kind of year I've had — wow! God doesn't say when he's going to do it, he just does it."

As was the case with the American Music Awards, "American Idol" contestants could be found throughout the 110 categories. Daughtry's in pop and rock performance by a duo or group with vocals ("Home") as well as rock song ("It's Not Over") and album ("Daughtry").

Fantasia is up there with Alicia Keys and Mary J. Blige in the female R&B vocal performance ("When I See You") and against Atlantans Akon, Keyshia Cole and Ne-Yo in contemporary R&B album ("Fantasia"). Carrie Underwood is shoulder to shoulder with Monticello native Trisha Yearwood for female country vocal performance ("Before He Cheats"), and that single is also a nominee for song of the year and country song. And Mandisa is up for pop/contemporary gospel album ("True Beauty").

The album of the year nominees capture a moment in the downward spiral of the long-form recording. It's a singles world these days, with the digital pick-and-choose options contributing to the album's decline. Few mainstream albums released this year were memorable as albums. They were simply delivery systems for singles. Depending on your point of view, that's either the cause of a continuing sales decline or symptom of it.

Both Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" and Kanye West's "Graduation" are solid pieces of work, but neither felt as omnipresent as dominating nominees of the recent past such as OutKast's "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" or those of an earlier era such as Paul Simon's "Graceland."

The nominations for Herbie Hancock's "River: The Joni Letters," Vince Gill's "These Days" and the Foo Fighters' "Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace" just seem to acknowledge the dearth of albums with both mass appeal and critical favor. That's the combination Grammy has always looked for in the past. They're all perfectly fine albums, but they've hardly captured the popular imagination. And with the exception of Gill's monumental four-disc "These Days," it's unlikely these albums will ever be viewed as milestone works.

The Grammy Awards are scheduled to air live from Los Angeles Feb. 10.

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