GRAMMYs Roundup- Country

Nominees in the country field show the genre's strength and depth, with several new artists joining revered veterans and releasing GRAMMY-worthy performances this year.

Nominees in the country field show the genre's strength and depth, with several new artists joining revered veterans and releasing GRAMMY-worthy performances this year.

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Country's 2004 "it" girl surely must be Gretchen Wilson. The newcomer's debut Here For The Party broke several records in 2004. Wilson's rowdy, Southern rock approach earned her four GRAMMY nominations, including Best New Artist. In the Country field, her debut single Redneck Woman gets a nod for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

Joining her in the category is Alison Krauss, who's won an astonishing 17 GRAMMY Awards during her career — her first in 1990. Krauss is nominated for her haunting performance of You Will Be My Ain True Love, from the Cold Mountain soundtrack. Another veteran nominated in this category is the legendary Loretta Lynn, whose only GRAMMY was earned in 1971. Lynn is nominated for the spare and heartbreaking Miss Being Mrs off her collaboration with Jack White, Van Lear Rose. Showing contemporary country's viability is powerhouse singer Martina McBride, whose In My Daughter's Eyes showcases the singer's signature emotive balladry. Five-time GRAMMY winner Shania Twain is nominated for her upbeat female empowerment offering, She's Not Just A Pretty Face.

If Gretchen Wilson was country's female newsmaker of the year, then Tim McGraw is surely her male counterpart, notching the biggest hit of his career with Live Like You Were Dying. The song, written by Nashville tunesmiths Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman, is nominated for Song Of The Year and McGraw's performance gets a nod for Best Male Country Vocal Performance. Other nominees in this category are the late Johnny Cash, nominated for Engine One-Forty-Three from The Unbroken Circle: The Musical Heritage Of The Carter Family, and Willie Nelson's You Are My Flower, also from the Carter Family tribute. The eclectic Lyle Lovett earns a nomination for In My Own Mind from the album My Baby Don't Tolerate, while rising star Keith Urban earns a nomination for You'll Think of Me. Urban was nominated for a GRAMMY in 2001; this would mark his first win.

In the Best Country Performance By a Duo Or Group With Vocals category, new duo Big & Rich, featuring seasoned Nashville veterans Big Kenny and John Rich, score a nomination for their novelty hit, Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy). Perennial nominees Asleep At The Wheel devoted an entire album to songs about the Alamo, one of which, New San Antonio Rose, could bring the group its ninth GRAMMY. Brooks & Dunn 's nominated entry weds Rolling Stones-style rock with roots country for the sizzling You Can't Take The Honky Tonk Out Of The Girl, while the Dixie Chicks' nominated Top Of The World is a postcard from the group's landmark 2003 world tour. Finally, the all-star cast that is the Notorious Cherry Bombs are nominated for their classic-sounding honky-tonk, It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long.

The Best Country Collboration With Vocals category features some genre-busting standout pairings. One-time Nashvillian Jimmy Buffett gathered a few old friends for his collaborative collection, License To Chill ; their rousing take on the Hank Williams classic, Hey Good Lookin', features Buffett, Clint Black, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Toby Keith and George Strait. The jazz-blues-pop stylings of Norah Jones get a twangy twist with the addition of Dolly Parton on the spritely Creepin' In, which appears on Jones' sophomore release, Feels Like Home. Still a groundbreaker after all these years, Loretta Lynn joined forces with rocker Jack White for her critically lauded release Van Lear Rose, which includes the bluesy Lynn/White duet nominated in this category, Portland Oregon. Pancho & Lefty features Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Toby Keith, off Nelson's 70th birthday salute Outlaws And Angels. In tribute to Dolly Parton, Shania Twain and Alison Krauss & Union Station perform the Parton-penned Coat Of Many Colors.

Of Asleep At The Wheel's eight GRAMMY awards, six are in the Best Country Instrumental Performance category. The maestros of Texas-swing are nominated again for Billy In The Low Ground, another track off their Alamo "tribute" album. Clocking in at just over 1:30, it's probably the shortest song nominated in any category this year. Renowned fiddle and mandolin player Sam Bush unveils his seldom heard banjo-picking talents on Puppies 'N Knapsacks, while an instrumental take on Gram Parsons' Luxury Liner features the artistry of noted pickers Albert Lee, Vince Gill and Brad Paisley. Master fiddler Mark O'Connor is joined by Nickel Creek mandolin player Chris Thile, guitarist Bryan Sutton, and bassist Byron House for Bowtie, off O'Connor's two-disc retrospective. Bowtie was first released in 1991 and became the theme song for the TNN series American Music Shop. Earl's Breakdown, performed by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Featuring Earl Scruggs, Randy Scruggs, Vassar Clements & Jerry Douglas, is a musical history lesson: The track appeared on Will The Circle Be Unbroken The Trilogy, which traced some 40 years of Americana, country and folk music history.

The nominees for Best Country Song have all been nominated in other categories, as well. The Notorious Cherry Bombs — a "supergroup" consisting of noted session players plus Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill and producer Tony Brown — receive a second nod for the Crowell/Gill penned It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long. Live Like You Were Dying, written by Tim Nichols and Craig Wiseman, became performer Tim McGraw's fastest-rising single of his career; now it may become a movie, as producer Chuck Gordon acquired the film rights to the song. The story doesn't get much more heart-wrenching than in Loretta Lynn's Miss Being Mrs, in which she mourns the loss of her husband. Lynn's husband died in 1996. She has two songs nominated in this category: Portland Oregon, co-written and performed with Jack White, is a raucous blues story-song about a one-night stand. Punctuated with fist-pumping shouts of "hell, yeah!," Gretchen Wilson and John Rich penned an ode to Southern pride, female style, with Redneck Woman.

The Best Country Album category features superstars, legends, newcomers, and up-and-comers. Once again, Loretta Lynn's adventurous pairing with punk-rocker Jack White sets the 70-year-old country legend on a new course, and nets a nomination for Van Lear Rose. In all, Lynn received five GRAMMY nominations this year, the most of any country artist. Following the death of his father, Tim McGraw released Live Like You Were Dying, a collection of insightful and poignant songs that showcase his twangy country rock and bluesy Louisiana roots. Known as an alt-country singer/songwriter, Tift Merritt turned in a more soulful direction for her second release, Tambourine, earning her first-ever GRAMMY nomination. Australian native Keith Urban is widely regarded as a superstar in the making, noteworthy for his blend of rock guitar riffs and contemporary country. He's nominated for Be Here , his first album to debut at No. 1 on the country charts. Newcomer Gretchen Wilson exploded on the country scene with her attitude-laden debut, Here For The Party; the album revealed Wilson as an in-your-face artist unashamed of her "redneck" roots.takes on traditional material. A Tribute To Jimmy Martin "The King Of Bluegrass" reunites four members of Martin's backup band — Audie Blaylock, J.D. Crowe, Kenny Ingram and Paul Williams — and joins them with other stellar musicians to pay homage to Martin's country-grass style.