National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Nominations for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards were announced today by an all-star lineup at Hollywood hotspot The Music Box. Among the artists announcing the nominees for the 2007 event—to be held Sunday, Feb. 11th at Staples Center in Los Angeles—were Mary J. Blige, James Blunt, Ludacris, Corinne Bailey Rae, Rascal Flatts, and Justin Timberlake.

Mary J. Blige topped the nominations with eight altogether, while Red Hot Chili Peppers follwed close behind with six, James Blunt, the Dixie Chicks, John Mayer, Danger Mouse, Prince, Rick Rubin, will.i.am and John Williams all garned five nods. Beyoncé, Bryan-Michael Cox, Gnarls Barkley, Israel Houghton, T.I and Justin Timberlake each received four.

This year's world music nominations went largely to African and Central Asian artists, including previous nominee and winner Salif Keita and Ali Farka Toure who passed away last Spring, and was nominated for his posthumous release Savane (pictured). In related categories, Buju Banton, Ziggy Marley and newcomer Matisyahu topped the nominations for Best Reggae Album, newcomers Tiempo Libre go up against veterans Gilberto Santa Rosa and Oscar D'Leon in the Best Tropical Latin Album category, and Venezuelan funkateers Los Amigos Invisibles square off against Puerto Rican reggaeton pioneer Tego Calderon in the Best Latin Rock, Alternative Or Urban Album category.

In the Best Traditional World Music Album category, the nominees were:

Various Artists
Music Of Central Asia Vol. 2: Invisible Face Of The Beloved: Classical Music Of The Tajiks And Uzbeks
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Hossein Alizadeh & Djivan Gasparyan
Endless Vision
World Village

Andrea Hoag, Loretta Kelley & Charlie Pilzer
Hambo In The Snow
Azalea City Recordings

Aashish Khan & Zakir Hussain
Golden Strings Of The Sarode
Moment Records

Soweto Gospel Choir
Blessed
Shanachie

In the Best Contemporary World Music Album, the nominees were:

Richard Bona
Tiki
Decca

Salif Keita
M'Bemba
Decca

The Klezmatics
Wonder Wheel
Jewish Music Group

Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Long Walk To Freedom
Heads Up International

Ali Farka Toure
Savane
World Circuit/Nonesuch

For a complete list of Grammy nominees, please consult GRAMMY.com.