WEST NABS EIGHT GRAMMY NOMINATIONS
December 06, 2007
Grammy nominations were released Thursday and rap artist Kanye West received eight nominations, while British singer Amy Winehouse took in six nominations.
Given that Winehouse and West have been down on their luck as of late -- with Winehouse facing a series of personal problems reportedly related to drugs and West losing his mother from complications after a surgery -- the news came at a good time.
Other top nominees included the Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Paul McCartney, T-Pain and Timbaland.
Both West and Winehouse were nominated for album of the year for their CDs Graduation and Back to Black, respectively. Winehouse was also cited for best new artist, plus record and song of the year for the defiant hit Rehab.
Other record of the year candidates included Beyonce's Irreplaceable, the Foo Fighter's The Pretender, Rihanna's Umbrella and What Goes Around Comes Around by Justin Timberlake.
The album of the year category also featured the Foo Fighters, for Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, Vince Gill's four-disc set These Days, -- and, surprisingly, Herbie Hancock's tribute to Joni Mitchell, River: The Joni Letters.
Other song of the year candidates included Corrine Bailey Rae's sweet-sounding Like A Star, Carrie Underwood's revenge anthem Before He Cheats, The Plain White T's Hey There Delilah and Umbrella.
Winehouse was competing against Feist, Paramore, Taylor Swift and Ledesi in the best new artist category.
"This is the best day ever. I'm freaking out," said Swift, 18. "I really didn't think it was going to happen. I was about to cry."
