G-Magazine Now

Susan Boyle Breaks Alicia Keys' #1 Album Debut Streak; Robin Thicke Gets Top 10

 

Sarah Boyle's I Dreamed A Dream album continues to lock up the top slot on the Billboard 200 chart for a fourth week in a row, selling 661,000 copies (up 14%), according to Nielsen SoundScan. Dream has now sold a total of 2,465,000 copies and is the second-best selling album of 2009. Only Taylor Swift's Fearless -- with 2,933,000 sold -- is standing in its way. With two weeks left in the 2009 tracking year, anything is possible.

R&B diva Alicia Keys has to play runner-up to Boyle, as her fourth studio album The Element of Freedom debuts at No. 2 with 417,000. Keys' last effort, As I Am, was released during Thanksgiving week of 2007 and started with 742,000 at No. 1.

Freedom's bow at No. 2 breaks a remarkable streak of No. 1 debuts for Keys. All four of her previous albums -- three studio sets plus an Unplugged release -- started at No. 1. However, Keys still has a chance of eventually reaching No. 1. The set could rise to the top next month when (and if) the Boyle hysteria dies down.

The second-biggest new arrival to the Billboard 200 is Robin Thicke's Sex Therapy: The Session, which begins at No. 9 with 123,000. It's the singer's third top 10 set in a row, following The Evolution of Robin Thicke (No. 5 in 2007) and Something Else (No. 3 in 2008). The latter album opened with a sales frame of 137,000 copies in October of that year.

Check Out The 2010 Grammy Nominees Led by Beyoncé , Taylor Swift, Maxwell and Lady Gaga

 

Check out the nominees for the 2010 Grammy Awards.  With an astounding 10 nominations, R&B diva Beyoncé is sure to be a big winner from the success of her I Am...Sasha Fierce.  It is of no surprise that country-pop darling Taylor Swift would be a leading nominee also.  Being the biggest album seller of the year, Taylor is up for eight nominations, competing in the top three categories alongside Beyonce.

Other multiple nominees include R&B crooner Maxwell, pop superstar Lady Gaga, Chicago rapper Kanye West and hip-pop group the Black Eyed Peas.  Surprisingly, R&B divas Whitney Houston, Brandy and Mariah Carey are snubbed, while R&B's worst male performer Trey Songz and Marcus P have at least two nominations apiece.

Check out this list of nominations.  I have chosen my picks on who deserves the win in bold and green fonts.  Who would you pick as winners?

Album Of The Year

I Am…Sasha Fierce (Beyoncé)
The E.N.D. (the Black Eyed Peas)
The Fame (Lady Gaga)
Big Whiskey And The Groogrux King (Dave Matthews Band)
Fearless (Taylor Swift)

Record Of The Year

"Halo" (Beyoncé)
"I Gotta Feeling" (the Black Eyed Peas)
"Use Somebody" (Kings Of Leon)
"Poker Face" (Lady Gaga)
"You Belong With Me" (Taylor Swift)

Song Of The Year

"Poker Face," Lady Gaga & RedOne, songwriters (Lady Gaga)
"Pretty Wings," Hod David & Musze, songwriters (Maxwell)
"Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," Thaddis Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)
"Use Somebody, "Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings Of Leon)
"You Belong With Me," Liz Rose & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)

Best New Artist

Zac Brown Band
Keri Hilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance

"Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" by Beyoncé
"It Kills Me" by Melanie Fiona
"That Was Then" by Lalah Hathaway
"Goin' Thru Changes" by Ledisi
"Lions, Tigers & Bears" by Jazmine Sullivan

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

"The Point Of It All" by Anthony Hamilton
"Pretty Wings" by Maxwell
"Sobeautiful" by Musiq Soulchild
"Under" by Pleasure P
"There Goes My Baby" by Charlie Wilson

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

"Blame It" by Jamie Foxx & T-Pain
"Chocolate High" by India.Arie & Musiq Soulchild
"Ifuleave" by Musiq Soulchild & Mary J. Blige
"Higher Ground" by Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters
"Love Has Finally Come At Last" by Calvin Richardson & Ann Nesby

Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance

"At Last" by Beyoncé
"Soul Music" by Anthony Hamilton
"Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" by Boney James & Quinn
"Sow Love" by Ann Nesby
"Woman Gotta Have It" by Calvin Richardson

Best Urban/Alternative Performance

"Daykeeper" by The Foreign Exchange
"All Matter" by Robert Glasper & Bilal
"Pearls" by India.Arie & Dobet Gnahore
"A Tale Of Two" by Eric Roberson, Ben O'Neill & Michelle Thompson
"Blend" by Tonex

Best R&B Song

"Blame It" James T. Brown, John Conte, Jr., Jamie Foxx, Christopher Henderson, Brandon R. Melanchon, Breyon Prescott, T-Pain & Nathan L. Walker, songwriters (Jamie Foxx & T-Pain)
"Lions, Tigers & Bears" Salaam Remi & Jazmine Sullivan, songwriters (Jazmine Sullivan)
"Pretty Wings" Hod David & Musze, songwriters (Maxwell)
"Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" Thaddis Harrell, Beyoncé Knowles, Terius Nash & Christopher Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)
"Under" D. Babbs, L. Bereal, M. Cooper, A. Dixon, J. Franklin, T. Jones, R. New & K. Stephens, songwriters (Pleasure P)

Best R&B Album

The Point Of It All (Anthony Hamilton)
Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics (India.Arie)
Turn Me Loose (Ledisi)
Blacksummers' Night (Maxwell)
Uncle Charlie (Charlie Wilson)

Best Contemporary R&B Album

I Am... Sasha Fierce (Beyoncé)
Intuition (Jamie Foxx)
The Introduction Of Marcus Cooper (Pleasure P)
Ready (Trey Songz)
Thr33 Ringz (T-Pain)

Best Rap Solo Performance

"Best I Ever Had" by Drake
"Beautiful" by Eminem
"D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune)" by Jay-Z
"Day 'N' Nite" by Kid Cudi
"Casa Bey" by Mos Def

Taylor Gets Love From American Music Awards' Nominations; Kanye Gets Snubbed

Apparently, rapper Kanye West's mean-spirited antics towards country-pop darling Taylor Swift affected his eligibility in the nominations of the 2009 American Music Awards.  The popular rapper, whose 2008 album 808's & Heartbreak became a best-seller with three top 10 singles, was shut out from the nominations in favor of less successful hip-hop artists Jay-Z, T.I. and Eminem.

So far Alicia Keys, The Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Lopez, and Adam Lambert have signed on to perform at the event, set to take place Sunday, November 22 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

The nominees for the 2009 American Music Awards are:

POP/ROCK MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
Michael Jackson
T.I.

Favorite Female Artist
Beyoncé
Lady Gaga
Taylor Swift

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Black Eyed Peas
Kings of Leon
Nickelback

Favorite Album
Lady Gaga / Fame
Michael Jackson / Number Ones
Taylor Swift / Fearless

COUNTRY MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Jason Aldean
Darius Rucker
Keith Urban

Favorite Female Artist
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Favorite Band, Duo or Group
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland
Zac Brown Band

Favorite Album
Rascal Flatts/ Unstoppable
Taylor Swift / Fearless
Zac Brown Band / Foundation

RAP/HIP-HOP MUSIC

Favorite Male Artist
Eminem
Jay-Z
T. I.

Favorite Album
Eminem / Relapse
Jay-Z / Blueprint 3
T.I. / Paper Trail