| | |  Entertainment | September 2008 
Latin Grammy Nominations Announced
 Jordan Levin - The Miami Herald
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Powerful female artists and a perpetually radical Mexican band dominated the Latin Grammy nominations, which were announced Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Veteran Mexican alternative band Cafe Tacuba led with six nominations, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year, for their album Sino. They were followed by Colombian rock star Juanes, who earned five nods for La Vida . . . Es Un Ratico, including Album, Record and Song of the Year. Also getting five nominations was Juanes' and Tacuba's producer Gustavo Santaolalla, who could add wins for Album and Record of the Year to his many Grammys and two Oscars.
The Latin Grammy awards will be broadcast live on Univision on Nov. 13 from the Toyota Center in Houston.
Cafe Tacuba lead singer Ruben Albarran, reached in his Mexico City studio, said that even after 15 years of critical acclaim and awards, the recognition is still a thrill.
"We're happy, grateful," he said. "We keep doing what we're passionate about, and in a way this helps us to keep doing what we're doing."
Tacuba's six nominations seemed unexpected given its complex music. But Albarran said the growing variety of Latin music made categories like pop and alternative increasingly irrelevant.
"It has more to do with the idea of each artist, their message, the freedom to look for new formulas and new sounds," he said. "Latin music is so eclectic and rich, alternative music is just part of an incredible quantity of music." A number of often outspoken or nontraditional female artists were recognized. Spanish flamenco-jazz singer Buika, whose fervent performances have wowed critics and made her an unconventional star in Spain, was nominated for Album of the Year for Nina de Fuego. Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Kany Garcia's debut album Cualquier Dia earned her nods for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Album.
Buika, at the press conference where the nominations were announced, responded by bursting into tears. "They kept asking me how I feel and I don't know how I feel," the 36-year-old single mother said from Los Angeles. "I'm about to explode. I feel wonderful but very strange."
Four of the Best New Artist nominees are women. The four nominations for MTV Unplugged, from Mexican singer-songwriter Julieta Venegas, who keeps raising the bar for Latin pop, include Record and Song of the Year. Miami's Gloria Estefan received three nods for 90 Milas, her salute to Cuba and its music, including Traditional Tropical Album.
Ximena Sarinana, whose rock-pop debut Mediocre has made her the latest alternative Latin darling, also got three nominations, for Best New Arist, Best Alternative Song and Producer of the Year. Miami singer-songwriter Alih Jey, a longtime local favorite, was nominated for Best Rock Solo Vocal Album, and Colombian newcomer Adriana Lucia was up for Best Contemporary Tropical Album for Porro Nuevo, in an obscure Colombian folk style.
"It's amazing that the industry is recognizing women's work in all styles," said Venegas, on tour in New York City. "I'm not the flag-holding type but I do enjoy and respect a lot of these artists. It shows the position of women in music is changing naturally."
Garcia, who struggled to continue with her music career after a disfiguring car accident five years ago, said the female presence was a tribute to changing tastes and attitudes among audiences. "I think it says a lot about audiences, that they're looking for something new and different," Garcia said. "We as musicians offer something different, and as women we have a lot to say." |
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