NEW YORK - In a B-plus year for music, the Grammy voters did a C-minus job of reflecting that energy and passion in nominations announced yesterday. In the top three categories alone, the reaction to the nominees is likely to range from hurrah to "huh?"

The hurrahs will be for the choices in album of the year, the most prestigious of the 104 categories. In that race, three far different but immensely rewarding albums will vie for final honors: inspirational rocker Bruce Springsteen's The Rising, rap provocateur Eminem's The Eminem Show and classy pop vocalist Norah Jones' Come Away With Me.

Several other strong candidates would have given us a more memorable field, including Beck's tender Sea Change and Wilco's eloquent Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. But the two remaining nominees - the Dixie Chicks' traditional country Home and Nelly's playful hip-hop Nellyville - achieved the Grammy nomination committee's goal of musical "balance" in the category without embarrassing anyone.

That's far more than can be said for the nominees for record of the year, the second-most prized category. Eminem's catchy, confrontational "Without Me" and Jones' wistful "Don't Know Why" were essential choices, but the others are head-scratchers.

The undistinguished trio of nominees: the overblown pop of Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles," a selection from Nelly (the teaming with Kelly Rowland on "Dilemma") that was far less spirited than his own "Hot in Herre" and the generic pop-rock feel of Nickelback's "How You Remind Me."

Better choices: Pink's infectious "Get the Party Started," the Dixie Chicks' "Long Time Gone," Springsteen's anthem-like "The Rising," the White Stripes' delightful "Fell in Love With a Girl" and the Flaming Lips' graceful "Do You Realize??"

The biggest Grammy disappointment, however, is the narrow range of best-new-artist nominees. Jones, the stylish 23-year-old whose vocals offer an absorbing blend of pop, country, soul and jazz influences, is the standout. Creatively speaking, she's a woman competing against three girls (Ashanti, Michelle Branch, Avril Lavigne). The final nominee is John Mayer, a singer-songwriter whose works are also too uneven to match Jones'.

What's missing in this category and through much of the nominations list is a trace of the imaginative young forces that helped bring mainstream rock 'n' roll back from the life-support system that it has been on in recent years. It's shameful that not one representative from this group - the White Stripes, And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Dead, the Strokes, the Vines, Queens of the Stone Age, Dashboard Confessional - was nominated for best new artist.

The second-guessing should continue through several categories, including best pop album, in which flyweight Britney Spears (!) was nominated and the brilliant Tom Waits was not; best rock album, in which the conventional Sheryl Crow was nominated and the captivating Ryan Adams was not; and the best contemporary R&B; album category, in which Brandy and Ashanti were nominated and the more imaginative Cee-Lo wasn't.

On the positive side, the Grammy voters did give us some insightful nominees: Beck's Sea Change in best alternative music album; India.-Arie's Voyage to India in best R&B; album; and Johnny Cash's American IV - The Man Comes Around and Steve Earle's Jerusalem, both in best contemporary folk album.

Overall, the hundreds of nominees show there is still a major split between voters who tend to blindly follow sales charts and those who are sensitive to the more adventurous forces in pop.

The fact that Eminem has picked up a best-album nomination so early in his career is a sign that the voting system has moved forward. But the full membership may still be uneasy with him. He was nominated two years ago in this category for The Marshall Mathers LP and lost to Steely Dan's far less urgent Two Against Nature.

By saluting Springsteen for album, Eminem for record and Jones for new artist at the awards ceremony Feb. 23, the Grammy membership could honor three of the year's premier pop voices. Too bad the Grammy voters didn't touch on more of those voices in yesterday's nominations.

Robert Hilburn is pop music critic for the Los Angeles Times, a Tribune Publishing newspaper.

Nominees

Here's a partial list of nominees announced yesterday for the Grammy Awards, which will be presented Feb. 23

Record of the Year "A Thousand Miles," Vanessa Carlton; "Without Me," Eminem; "Don't Know Why," Norah Jones; "Dilemma," Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland; "How You Remind Me," Nickelback.

Album of the Year Home, Dixie Chicks; The Eminem Show, Eminem; Come Away With Me, Norah Jones; Nellyville, Nelly; The Rising, Bruce Springsteen.

Song of the Year "Complicated," Avril Lavigne & The Matrix (Avril Lavigne); "Don't Know Why," Jesse Harris (Norah Jones); "The Rising," Bruce Springsteen (Bruce Springsteen); "A Thousand Miles," Vanessa Carlton (Vanessa Carlton); "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Alan Jackson (Alan Jackson).

New Artist Ashanti; Michelle Branch; Norah Jones; Avril Lavigne; John Mayer.

Female Pop Vocal Performance "Soak Up the Sun," Sheryl Crow; "Don't Know Why," Norah Jones; "Complicated," Avril Lavigne; "Get the Party Started," Pink; "Overprotected," Britney Spears.

Male Pop Vocal Performance "7 Days," Craig David; "Original Sin," Elton John; "Your Body Is a Wonderland," John Mayer; "Fragile," Sting; "October Road," James Taylor.

Traditional Pop Vocal Album Playin' With My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues, Tony Bennett; Michael Feinstein With the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Feinstein; Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers & Hammerstein, Bernadette Peters; It Had to Be You ... The Great American Songbook, Rod Stewart; Christmas Memories, Barbra Streisand.

Female Rock Vocal Performance "Steve McQueen," Sheryl Crow; "The Weakness in Me," Melissa Etheridge; "Sk8er Boi," Avril Lavigne; "Gnawin' On It," Bonnie Raitt; "Alone," Susan Tedeschi.

Male Rock Vocal Performance "Slow Burn," David Bowie; "45," Elvis Costello; "The Barry Williams Show," Peter Gabriel; "Darkness, Darkness," Robert Plant; "The Rising," Bruce Springsteen.

Hard Rock Performance "All My Life," Foo Fighters; "I Stand Alone," Godsmack; "Youth of the Nation," P.O.D.; "No One Knows," Queens of the Stone Age; "Aerials," System of a Down.

Metal Performance "Here to Stay," Korn; "Portrait," P.O.D.; "My Plague," Slipknot; "Get Inside," Stone Sour; "Never Gonna Stop (The Red, Red Kroovy)," Rob Zombie.

Female R&B; Performance "More Than A Woman," Aaliyah; "Foolish," Ashanti; "He Think I Don't Know," Mary J. Blige; "I'm Still Standing," Eartha; "He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat) (Movements I, II, III)," Jill Scott.

Male R&B; Performance "Let's Stay Home Tonight," Joe; "The World's Greatest," R. Kelly; "Halfcrazy," Musiq; "Take a Message," Remy Shand; "U Don't Have to Call," Usher.

R&B; Album Voyage To India, India.Arie; Better Days, Joe; Juslisen (Just Listen), Musiq; Instant Vintage, Raphael Saadiq; The Way I Feel, Remy Shand.

Female Rap Solo Performance "Diary ...," Charli Baltimore; "Scream a.k.a. Itchin'," Missy Elliott; "Satisfaction," Eve; "Na Na Be Like," Foxy Brown; "Mystery of Iniquity," Lauryn Hill.

Male Rap Solo Performance "Without Me," Eminem; "Song Cry," Jay-Z; "Rollout (My Business)," Ludacris; "Bouncin' Back (Bumpin' Me Against The Wall)," Mystikal; "Hot in Herre," Nelly.

Rap Performance by a Duo or Group "The Essence," AZ featuring Nas; "Still Fly," Big Tymers; "Pass the Courvoisier Part II," Busta Rhymes featuring P. Diddy & Pharrell; "Oh Boy," Cam'Ron featuring Juelz Santana; "The Whole World," OutKast featuring Killer Mike.

Rap Album The Eminem Show, Eminem; Word of Mouf, Ludacris; Tarantula, Mystikal; Nellyville, Nelly; Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry, Petey Pablo.

Female Country Vocal Performance "Cry," Faith Hill; "Blessed," Martina McBride; "Dagger Through the Heart," Dolly Parton; "Lately," Lucinda Williams; "Something Worth Leaving Behind," Lee Ann Womack.

Male Country Vocal Performance "Give My Love To Rose," Johnny Cash; "Three Days," Pat Green; "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)," Alan Jackson; "The Impossible," Joe Nichols; "I'm Gonna Miss Her," Brad Paisley.

Country Performance by a Duo or Group "Beautiful Mess," Diamond Rio; "Long Time Gone," Dixie Chicks; "Not a Day Goes By," Lonestar; "Roll the Stone Away," Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; "Just What I Do," Trick Pony.

Country Album Home, Dixie Chicks; Drive, Alan Jackson; The Great Divide, Willie Nelson; Man With a Memory, Joe Nichols; Halos & Horns, Dolly Parton.

Bluegrass Album Lost in the Lonesome Pines, Jim Lauderdale, Ralph Stanley and The Clinch Mountain Boys; The Hard Game Of Love, Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver; Stanley Blues, Ralph Stanley II; Ralph Stanley, Ralph Stanley; Jelly on My Tofu, The Roland White Band.

Contemporary Jazz Album Deep Into It, Larry Carlton; Speaking of Now, Pat Metheny Group; Uberjam, The John Scofield Band; Mint Jam, Yellowjackets; Faces & Places, Joe Zawinul.

Jazz Vocal Album For Ella, Patti Austin; Ask a Woman Who Knows, Natalie Cole; Etta Jones Sings Lady Day, Etta Jones; Live in Paris, Diana Krall; Brazilian Duos, Luciana Souza.

Pop-Contemporary Gospel Album New Map of the World, Paul Colman Trio; The Eleventh Hour, Jars of Clay; The Christmas Shoes, Newsong; The Heart of Me, Kathy Troccoli; See the Light, True Vibe.

Latin Pop Album Caraluna, Bacilos; Moreno, Jorge Moreno; Bohemio Enamorado, Donato Poveda; Sin Bandera, Sin Bandera; Un Mundo Diferente, Diego Torres.

Reggae Album Merci, Alpha Blondy; Ghetto Dictionary: - The Mystery, Bounty Killer; Still Blazin, Capleton; Anything for You, Freddie McGregor; Jamaican E.T., Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Spoken Comedy Album The Bathroom Wall, Jimmy Fallon; Complaints and Grievances, George Carlin; Oh, The Things I Know! Al Franken; The Rant Zone, Dennis Miller; Robin Williams - Live 2002, Robin Williams.

Musical Show Album Elaine Stritch at Liberty, Guys and Dolls, Hairspray, Into the Woods, Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra) Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 3, 5, 6, 7, Murray Perahia, piano/conductor (Academy of St. Martin in the Fields); Barber: Violin Concerto, Marin Alsop, conductor; James Buswell, violin (Royal Scottish National Orch.); Brahms/Stravinsky: Violin Concertos, Neville Marriner, conductor; Hilary Hahn, violin (Academy of St. Martin in the Fields); Kancheli: Styx and Gubaidulina: Viola Concerto, Valery Gergiev, conductor; Yuri Bashmet, viola (St. Petersburg Cham. Cho.; Orch. of the Mariinsky Theatre); Saint-Saens: The Complete Works for Piano and Orchestra, Sakari Oramo, conductor; Stephen Hough, piano (City of Birmingham Sym. Orch.) Associated Press