We're coming up on the fifth year in which Americana has been split off into its own genre for award consideration, moving it from the folk/country categories where most "Americana" (roots music) really belongs. Included in this year's nominees are country music singers Rodney Crowell, Marty Stuart, and Rosanne Cash, country music players Jerry Douglas and Tim O'Brien (oh, okay, bluegrass players - country music is country music).


The Song of the Year category even includes the new single by the Dixie Chicks, "Not Ready To Make Nice." Of course, there's also those in there who come from other genres that owe their existence to roots - Neil Young, Delbert McClinton, and James McMurtry, for example. And the rest? The cream of "Americana," those country artists and groups who are out there playing the honky-tonks for those who are discerning enough to want to find 'em and listen to 'em.

I've gotten to listen to almost everything that's up for these awards, although I'm sadly lacking in knowledge about the newcomers on the list - unfortunately, since most Americana players don't get a lot of airplay in a lot of major markets (the Phoenix area included), I often don't get to hear these things unless I draw the review. Fortunately, this past year that's meant I have reviewed three of the four "Artist of the Year" nominees (as well as three of the four "Song of the Year" nominees), heard at least two of the groups, and know the names of all four of the instrumentalists.

So can I predict the winners? Not absolutely, lacking somewhat in knowledge, but I can give it a shot.

In the "Artist of the Year" category? Wow, that's tough. Rosanne Cash, Marty Stuart, James McMurtry, and Neil Young. Three of them released what could arguably be the best discs of their careers this year, while the fourth made a powerful political statement as only he could do. All four are magnificent songwriters, but I'm actually torn between Cash and Young. Cash released a disc that captured the pain of her losses (three parents in the span of a few years) in poignant timelessness; on the other hand, Young captured the essence of this very troubled year, right here and now, to where he released the songs as soon as they were recorded, over the Internet, before the disc was even pressed. Despite my strong Democratic leanings, I'm going to give the nod to Cash, because she deserves it.

What kills me, though, is that her album, "Black Cadillac," is not in the "Album of the Year" nominees. The contenders are Rodney Crowell's The Outsider, McMurtry's Childish Things, Marty Stuart's Soul's Chapel, and Delbert McClinton's Cost of Living. From what I've heard of McClinton's disc, it's a strong contender. I have a personal prejudice against Crowell's The Outsider, which came with "anti-piracy" software that killed my operating system and nearly destroyed my computer; on the other hand, it was a pretty incredible disc, anyway. McMurtry's Childish Things was his strongest offering to date. But I haven't had a chance to hear anything from Soul's Chapel, so of what I have heard, I have to say Childish Things.

In the "Song of the Year" category, there's Rosanne Cash's title track, "Black Cadillac," a haunting song where she deals painfully with her father's death; "Not Ready to Make Nice" from the Dixie Chicks, which basically puts all their feelings after the whole "incident" into a sharp perspective; "Don't Get Me Started" from Rodney Crowell; and "We Can't Make It Here" from James McMurtry. All strong songs, some powerful emotions, especially "We Can't Make It Here." But once again, I'm going to say Cash, because, well, wow.

I can't give a qualified guess on the remaining categories because I'm woefully uneducated on the nominees, so I'll leave it there. I'm glad my own "year in review" actually takes in the entire year (2006), rather than overlapping years as award categories must do (Childish Things and The Outsider were on my list of The Best for 2005).