At the Grammys, everything old is new ... again

They're trying. They're really trying. But when it comes to hipness, Grammy Award voters have a long way to go. Once again, they've managed to miss the most talked-about musical trend of the year: the resurgence of garage rock.

You couldn't pass a magazine rack without spotting the White Stripes, the Hives, or the Vines, three bands that critics said "saved" rock 'n' roll after the prefab fluff of teen pop. But they won't be in Madison Square Garden when the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) bestows its golden gramophones Sunday night. (The Grammys will air on CBS at 8 p.m.)

"I can't think of a single reason why so many of the breakthrough artists of the year were overlooked," says White Stripes publicist Chloe Walsh. "The potential to reward some very exciting new artists ... seems obvious."

That's not to say that there won't be any new faces at the podium this weekend. Grammy voters gravitated toward Norah Jones, whose debut album, "Come Away With Me," and single, "Don't Know Why," have earned a total of eight nominations, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year (a songwriters award that would go to "Don't Know Why" composer Jesse Harris).

Jones also is competing for Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Pop Vocal Album.

Zach Hochkeppel, marketing director for Jones' label, the EMI/Capitol jazz subsidiary Blue Note, is thrilled that her release hit a high note with voters and the public. But he laments that overall, "The music business right now is in a very unimaginative stage."

He claims decisionmakers underestimate people's tastes - rather, they underestimate that listeners actually have taste - and blames the lack of garage-act nominees on the fact that some Grammy voters "are still painfully out of touch." He credits NARAS for working to correct that, but adds, "Sometimes it's better not to get totally acknowledged by the establishment. I don't think [the bands] are losing any sleep over it."

Mr. Hochkeppel is also skeptical about rapper Nelly's top album nod for "Nellyville." He and Jones are up against Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising," the Dixie Chicks' "Home," and Eminem's "The Eminem Show."

"Rap acts that got nominated are the ones that sold the most records. It might as well be the Billboard Awards," he scoffs. (Those awards are unabashedly sales-based.) Eminem's album was the top-selling disc of 2002; Nelly's was No. 2; the Chicks' "Home" was fourth.

But record sales can't account for R&B/pop hitmaker Raphael Saadiq's five nominations, which include Best R&B Album for "Instant Vintage," and Best R&B Song and Best Urban/Alternative Performance, both for "Be Here." He's also got a writing credit on Erykah Badu's "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)," which is vying for Best R&B Song and Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or other Media.

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