With no Adele, others get shot at Grammys

Adele didnt release an album this Grammy cycle. Its been tough for her fans, and great for other artists.

Last year Adele swept the field, going six for six. With no runaway favorite this year, the nominations for the 2013 awards ran the gamut with underdogs such as the Black Keys, Mumford & Sons and Alabama Shakes competing against pop superstars. Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, Fun., Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, Frank Ocean and Kanye West top the nominations with six apiece, but half a dozen other artists came in for five or four nods.

Broadcast live on CBS from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! (yes, they included two silly exclamation points) was boring. Hosts LL Cool J and Taylor Swifts banter was intolerable. From Maroon 5 to Luke Bryan to Ne-Yo, the performance were choreographed with tedious perfection the exception being Fun and Janelle Monaes anthemic We Are Young.

While the show wasnt that thrilling, some of nominations were.

Lately the Grammys have loved tossing out twists Esperanza Spalding over Justin Bieber in 2011, Arcade Fire over Eminem in 2010. This year continued the new tradition.

Not a single usual suspect was recognized for the big one: Album of the Year. Instead, the category favored rock over pop, substance over flash, art over Top 40 cheese. The discs up for the top award are the Black Keys El Camino, Frank Oceans Channel Orange, Mumford & Sons Babel, Fun.s Some Nights and Jack Whites Blunderbuss

Swift made her What me? Im so surprised face when she picked up a nomination for We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. But it was no surprise Swifts song, Kelly Clarksons Stronger and Fun.s We Are Young got nods. The shocker will be if Gotyes Somebody That I Used to Know, Frank Oceans Thinkin Bout You or the Black Keys Lonely Boy top the pop hits come February.

The always unpredictable Best New Artist category remained true to form. Competing for the 2013 prize are Fun., cou! ntry kid Hunter Hayes, r&b legend-in-the-making Frank Ocean, folk revivalist The Lumineers, and (my pick for the win) soul rockers Alabama Shakes.

Notice anyone missing from these high-profile categories? Looks like Bieber Fever has finally broken.

The 55th Annual Grammys will be broadcast Sunday, Feb. 10 on CBS.

Go to Jed Gottliebs Boston Herald Guestlisted blog for details on dozens of nominees.