Mariah magic returns with eight Grammy nominations

MARIAH CAREY’S comeback came full circle yesterday as she was nominated for eight Grammys, while Irish rockers U2 received five nominations.

Carey’s nominations included album of the year for The Emancipation of Mimi, and song and record of the year for her torch ballad We Belong Together.

“This year has been such a blessing,” Carey said when the nominations were announced. “This is prayers answered. I’m really grateful for the fact that people are responding to the music I’ve made.”

Carey’s eight nominations tied John Legend and Kanye West. Soul crooner Legend’s nominations included best new artist, while West is up for album of the year for Late Registration and song of the year for Gold Digger.

Perennial Grammy favourite U2 was nominated for five awards, including album of the year for How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.

Other multiple nominees included 50 Cent, Gwen Stefani, and Bruce Springsteen.

Springsteen was among the surprises - his Devils & Dust was nominated for song of the year, along with Rascal Flatts’ Bless the Broken Road, Legend’s Ordinary People, Carey’s We Belong Together and U2’s Sometimes You Can’t Make it On Your Own.

Besides Carey and West, other best album nominees were Stefani’s solo debut - Love. Angel. Music. Baby. - and Paul McCartney’s Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, which earned his best reviews in years. The ex-Beatle’s nomination came on the 25th anniversary of John Lennon’s killing.

Other nominees included the Gorillaz’ Feel Good Inc featuring De La Soul, Green Day’s Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Stefani’s Hollaback Girl.

Carey’s many nominations put an exclamation point on her amazing year. Her career had been languishing, and some doubted whether the multi-octave singer could return to her multi-platinum ways after a series of debacles, including an emotional breakdown and being bought out of her Virgin Records contract.

Stevie Wonder also received multiple nominations with his first album in 10 years, A Time to Love, nominated for six awards.

50 Cent, who had the year’s best-selling album with The Massacre, was nominated for six awards, but none in major categories.

One of the big snubs saw Coldplay’s X&Y, one of the year’s biggest albums, shut out of the album, song and record of the year categories. The group was nominated for rock album of the year.