49th Annual Grammy Nominations -- Children's Field

The nominations for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards were released today and, as always, they included two children's-related fields.

Regular readers of the site will have a "one of these things is not like the other" moment.
First off, the lists...

Best Musical Album For Children
(For albums consisting of predominantly music or song vs. spoken word.)

Baby Einstein Meet The Orchestra - Various Artists (Ted Kryczko & Ed Mitchell, producers) [Walt Disney Records]
Beethoven's Wig 3: Many More Sing Along Symphonies - Beethoven's Wig [Rounder] (my review)
Catch That Train! - Dan Zanes And Friends [Festival Five Records] (my review)
My Best Day - Trout Fishing In America [Trout Records] (my review)
The Sunny Side Of The Street - John Lithgow [Razor & Tie] (my review)

Best Spoken Word Album For Children
(For albums consisting of predominantly spoken word vs. music or song.)

Blah Blah Blah: Stories About Clams, Swamp Monsters, Pirates & Dogs - Bill Harley [Round River Records/Empyrean Records]
Christmas In The Trenches - John McCutcheon [Peachtree Press]
Disney's Little Einsteins Musical Missions - Various Artists (Ted Kryczko & Ed Mitchell, producers)[Walt Disney Records]
Peter Pan - Jim Dale [Listening Library]
The Witches - Lynn Redgrave [Harper Children's Audio]

Now, the spoken word I can't speak coherently to (though it's always nice to see Bill Harley get recognized).

The musical album category, well, that's something different. Four of the albums I (obviously) recognize and while I have a clear favorite (hint: rhymes with "fan lanes"), I can't say that the Academy would clearly embarrass themselves by selecting any of those four.

Now, as for Baby Einstein... Look, I actually kinda like Baby Einstein music products -- we have a CD or two of theirs around the house, and I don't find it annoying like others do. But its presence here in this category (making clear I have not heard this album) just seems wrong. Like putting a straight-to-video movie in the category for Best Picture. It might be really good, it just seems wrong.

Its presence actually highlights a drawback with the Grammy process, and that's the fact that you typically need strong distribution or familiarity in order to be nominated. Three of the five nominated albums are on actual labels that could probably afford some distribution to a broader set of voters. More importantly, all of the names are familiar ones -- sure, Dan Zanes and Trout Fishing in America are actually self-distributed, but they've both been around the music industry long enough to make enough people check 'em off on their nominating ballots.

If you're looking for another list of the year's best kids and family CDs, check out the Fids & Kamily website...

Comments

[Katy L]

I'm totally with you on the Baby Einstein nomination. Personally that whole genre drives me nuts. And I'd like to know, where the heck are Elizabeth Mitchell and Justin Roberts??? Okay, what do I know what I'm talking about--everyone has their own faves, but, to quote this blogger I occasionally read, it just seems wrong.On another note, you were right way back when you reviewed Springsteen's We Shall Overcome--he's been nominated for best traditional folk album.

[deb in sf]

Right. Aren't the Grammy's really big music congratulating itself? And is big music doing family music? Justin Roberts will surely get there next year now that he's got Disney backing, right?

It never really seemed merit based to me, except possibly within the "haves".

Great for DZ and the Trouts, etc. "it's an honor just to be nominated".....

[Jackie]

Reading over the nominees in this category makes it clear that there's so much diversity in the Children's Music genre now that there really should be sub-categories in the future -- you wouldn't have "adult" classical and rock albums vying for the same five spots on the ballot, would you?

Oh, and Justin Roberts definitely hasn't been absorbed by The Mouse -- it's Ralph's World that has Disney's backing.

[deb in sf]

whoops. My bad.

[Devon]

I wouldn't worry about the Grammies really choosing the best kids music...I don't think music fans place much faith in Grammy voters to choose the best rap, rock, metal, etc. so I don't see why it would be much different with kids music.

Thankfully, the Fids and Kamily poll has arrived, and I imagine it will be the standard for years and years to come.

[Joni]

I found out about on NPR and now I'm desperate for some good kids music:) I want to get my 18 month old some cds (I was thinking 2). I definitely want to get the Sam Hinton album and I was thinking about Johnny Bregar, but then it occurred to me that it would be nice if there was a cd that featured women's voices as well. Does anyone here have any recommendations or should I just go with one of the other albums reviewed here?

Thanks!

[Eric Herman]

Ah, I don't know why it would seem 'wrong' that Baby Einstein be in there. It's a music recording for children, is it not? If a lot of people in the music industry thought that it was an excellent product, then it should be there.

It might be nice, though, if they had separate categories for original kids' music and traditional/cover music, which would have put Baby Einstein into the traditional category (being classical pieces).

[deb in sf]

Hey, Joni! Check the Fids and Kamily poll. There are some GREAT albums with women's voices! Frances England, Elizabeth Mitchell, Charity and the Jam Band... There's a link on the right sidebar over there, somewhere....

super quality stuff.

[Stefan]

Word to the suggestions for splitting the kids' music category into at least a couple categories. There definitely seems to be a split there.

I understand that the Grammys are more about long-term relationships than what's perceived as the "best," but every now and then something good and new sneaks through (e.g., Ralph's Worlds' Green Gorilla got nominated last year). I'm workin' within the system...

Re: Baby Einstein -- I think my dissatisfaction stems from the perception that it's just a product. I'm sure that there are talented people behind it (and, as I've said, I haven't heard it myself), but I'd prefer these awards to go to specific artists with a unique vision. Really, I wouldn't have minded if, say, the Cheetah Girls had been nominated -- at least that's an actual artist.

Joni: What Deb in SF said. Though, given your preferences (Hinton, Bregar), I think Elizabeth Mitchell should be at the top of your list.

[Beth Blenz-Clucas]

Two of the nominees are clients of mine (Beethoven's Wig and Trout Fishing in America), and I can tell you from experience that their nominations are the result of a) excellence b) longevity. Trout has been making zany and fantastic music for more than 30 years. This is the third release for Beethoven's Wig - and its third nomination. Industry ties certainly helped these artists get votes, but I would argue that they certainly deserve to be on the list.

I completely agree that the academy should at least start a new children's music category devoted just to "real" artists as opposed to licensed characters.

2006 was a fantastic year for great kids' music. So many fantastic CDs were not nominated, I can hardly count. The success of some of the top sellers - Dan Zanes, Laurie Berkner - and even Kidz Bop - helps raise general awareness of the genre and lifts all boats. It's all good.

As an aside note, I've heard through the grapevine that Grammy nominations and wins don't necessarily equate with higher sales - so, it's debatable how important these awards are in the marketplace.

[Stefan]

Beth, thanks for chiming in. I hope I didn't leave the impression that I was unhappy with the BW or Trout nods -- I just think that having a prior history with the Grammys (and the industry in genera) makes it a lot easier for a good album to get nominated. Since Ralph's World has been nominated before, I expect it to be easier for him to get nominated the next time he releases a CD of new music.

I would imagine the Grammy only really helps if you win certain categories during the broadcast. I suspect there are enough other filters in the kids' field (Parents Choice, Children's Music Web, maybe even Fids and Kamily) that would carry more weight with someone trying to find good music for their families.

[Joni]

Thanks for your recommendations. I just bought 3 cds for my girls. I got the Sam Hinton and Johnny Bregar and Elizabeth Mitchell's new one. We've been listening to clips from various albums and my girls love all the clips. The little one bounces and kicks her feet. She just loves the music! It's all good. I limited myself to three, but I'm sure I'll be back for more:)

By the way, the new Bregar cd is now "available" (4-6 week wait) at Amazon, so that's why I got all three now.