The Nominees for the 2007 Brit Awards were announced this week. Some say the Brit Awards are the U.K. equivalent to the Grammys, but that's really not a good comparison, as the Brits are more commercial and have far fewer categories. Perhaps somewhere between the Grammys and the totally inane American Music Awards.
This year, there are only 12 categories, having shed the Pop Act, British Urban Act, and British Rock Act categories. Newcomer Lily Allen leads with four nominations, up for British Album with Alright, Still and British Single for "Smile," as well as British Female and Britsh Breakthrough. Snow Patrol is up for three awards, also garnering awards for both British Album (Eyes Open) and British Single ("Chasing Cars"). Also up for three awards each are Corinne Bailey Rae, Gnarls Barkley, James Morrison, and Muse.
Here's a rundown on the top album and single categories:
British Album
Alright Still - Lily Allen
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys
Black Holes and Revelations - Muse
Eyes Open - Snow Patrol
Back to Black - Amy Winehouse
It's British artists only in this category. Mostly it's no surprise. Arctic Monkeys, Muse, and Snow Patrol were shoo-ins, for having albums both critically acclaimed and solid sellers. Lily Allen isn't too much of a surprise either, as she's surely the pick for best British Newcomer. Amy Winehouse is a bit of a head scrather though, as I would have though Razorlight's Razorlight would have easily joined this pack or maybe even Keane's Under the Iron Sea. Keane were the biggest snub this year--no nods (The Feeling comes close with only one). Muse and Snow Patrol are the only veterans here--both were nominated in 2004 for Absolution and Final Straw respectively.
As for the winner, Arctic Monkeys have the advantage, having already picked up the Mercury Prize and the Q Magazine Album of the Year. Still, the Brits sometimes pick the popular favorite over the critics darling--Keane snagged this award over Franz Ferdinand in 2004--so Snow Patrol, who had the year's best-selling album, is a strong contender too.
International Album
Modern Times - Bob Dylan
St. Elsewhere - Gnarls Barkley
Sam's Town - The Killers
Ta-Dah - Scissor Sisters
FutureSex/LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake
Gnarls Barkley and Justin Timerlake are Grammy Nominees, so it's no surprise to see them here, given that they were very popular in the U.K. as well as the U.S. Also no shocker to see Scissor Sisters, who are a big favorite in Britain. Bob Dylan is a bit of a surprise though, having been chosen over more popular albums by Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pink (despite her slide in fame in the U.S., she's still very big in Britain). The Scissor Sisters won this award 2 years ago for their debut, but I'm giving the edge to win this year to Justin Timberlake.
British Single
"Smile" - Lily Allen
"Fill My Little World" - The Feeling
"She Moves in Her Own Way" - The Kooks
"A Moment Like This" - Leona Lewis
"You Give Me Something" - James Morrison
"Put Your Records On" - Corinne Bailey Rae
"America" - Razorlight
"Chasing Cars" - Snow Patrol
"Patience" - Take That
"I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker" - Sandi Thom
"All Time Love" - Will Young
So this is an odd one. Sometimes this category has 10 nominees, sometimes 5, but 11? Weird. The list is what you'd expect, given that the criteria are a combination of sales and airplay among British artists only. It's nice to see the Feeling in there, who were otherwise snubbed, shamefully in my opinion. Will Young is the recent veteran in this bunch, having been nominated in 2002 for his debut, "Evergreen," and crowned the winner in 2004 for "Your Game." The other veteran act is Take That, who won this award in 1995 for "Back for Good" and 1993 for "Pray." I don't have the data to know how many times they'd also been nominated. I bet this race comes down between Lily Allen, Take That, and Snow Patrol, with Snow Patrol taking it.
You can read the full list of nominees here, and check out what my nomination predictions were here.
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