Adele, Bruno Mars and Kanye West Lead Grammy Nominations

If the Grammys are a barometer of trends in popular music, then old-school pop songs about unrequited love made a comeback this year. The pop stars Adele and Bruno Mars dominated nominations for the top prizes to be given out at the 54th annual Grammy Awards in February while hip-hop and country musicians were largely shut out.

When the nominees were announced during a televised concert on Wednesday night, Adele and Bruno Mars each got six nominations, including nods for song, record and album of the year. Foo Fighters Dave Grohls indie rock group also received six nominations, including best album, and the rapper Kanye West was the overall leader with seven nods, all but one in the rap category.

It was expected to be Adeles year. That 23-year-old British soul singer was nominated for best album for 21, the years best-selling album, which included the ubiquitous breakup song Rolling in the Deep, which is in the running for record and song of the year. Bruno Mars, 26, was also nominated in those two categories, for Grenade, his harsh song about unrequited love, and his Doo-Wops & Hooligans, is in the best album contest.

Rounding out the list for best album are Wasting Light, by Foo Fighters, and two works by flamboyant pop divas: Born This Way by Lady Gaga and Loud by Rihanna. Unlike last year, no country or rap albums made the cut, producing some of the biggest surprises. The country star Taylor Swift, who won the best album award two years ag! o, was n ot nominated in that category this year, despite putting out the multiplatinum Speak Now. Watch the Throne, Mr. Wests much-hyped hip-hop collaboration with Jay-Z, was also ignored in the best album category.

The nominees for record of the year for the artist and producers of the best single are Rolling in the Deep by Adele, Grenade by Bruno Mars, Holocene by Bon Iver, The Cave by the folk-rock group Mumford & Sons, and Firework by Katy Perry. The lineup for song of the year, which goes to songwriters, is identical, except Mr. Wests hit single All of the Lights replaces Ms. Perrys song.

Bon Iver the musical project led by the haunting alternative songwriter Justin Vernon is also nominated for what should be an interesting contest for best new artist. He faces off against the country trio the Band Perry, the electronic musician Skrillex and two young rappers, J. Cole and Nicki Minaj.

Mr. West was nominated on the strength of two albums: his complex solo My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and his much-hyped collaborative effort with Jay-Z, Watch the Throne. Both are nominated for best rap album and will go against Lil Waynes Tha Carter IV, Lupe Fiascos Lasers and Nicki Minajs Pink Friday.

Mr. Wests single All of the Lights received two other nominations, for best rap-sung collaboration and best rap song, and his duet with Jay-Z Otis was nominated for best rap performance and for best rap song.

Though Nashville was well represented during Wednesday nights show, country artists were not nominated in the major categories, a sharp departure from last year, when Lady Antebellum won five awards, including record and song of the year. That trios latest release, Own the Night, is nominated for best country album, along with Jason Aldeans My Kinda Party, Eric Churchs Chief, Blake Sheltons Red River B! lue, Geo rge Straits Here for a Good Time and Ms. Swifts Speak Now.

Responding to longstanding criticism that there were too many categories, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Grammys governing body, has cut the number to 78 from 109. The academy did away with awards for male and female performers in all of the categories, and pruned or consolidated prizes for smaller genres like Latin jazz and Native American, Cajun, Tejano and Hawaiian music. Those moves drew vehement protests from musicians in those styles and their supporters, led by Latin jazz artists in New York.

For the fourth year the nominations were announced during a splashy televised concert, rather than the drab news conferences of years past. Broadcast from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, the show included performances by Lady Gaga, the Band Perry and Mr. Aldean. Filling the nomination show with performances has been part of the academys successful strategy to boost ratings for the awards show, which will be broadcast from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 12. The program put an emphasis on some of musics young hit makers, with Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj and Ms. Perry announcing nominees.

But there were also nods to older listeners. One of the shows highlights was a performance of the seminal rap song The Message, with Grandmaster Flash spinning the backbeat, and Melle Mel rapping his lyrics. An all-star group of rappers LL Cool J, Lupe Fiasco, Scorpio and Common joined them.

There was also a warm tribute to two influential songwriters who died this year: Nick Ashford of Motown fame and the rock n roll lyricist Jerry Leiber. Mr. Ashfords widow and writing partner, Valerie Simpson, played piano on one side of the stage, while Mr. Leibers writing partner, Mike Stoller, played on the other side. Between them Usher sang a medley of songs from the two songwriting teams.

Lady Gaga was joined by the country duo Sugarla! nd to fi nish out the show with a stirring rendition of her ballad You and I.