The nominees for the 2009 GRAMMY Awards were announced on December 3, 2008. The eligibility period is for albums released between Oct. 1, 2007, and Sept. 30, 2008. Winners were announced live in Los Angeles on February 9, 2009.

And the 2009 GRAMMY Awards Winners Are....

• Best Gospel Performance
  "Get Up" (Purchase/Download)
  Mary Mary
  Track from: The Sound
• Best Gospel Song
  "Help Me Believe" (Purchase/Download)
  Kirk Franklin, songwriter (Kirk Franklin)
  Track from: The Fight Of My Life

• Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album
  Alive And Transported ()
  tobyMac
• Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album
  Thy Kingdom Come ()
  CeCe Winans
• Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album
  Lovin' Life (Purchase/Download)
  Gaither Vocal Band
• Best Traditional R&B Gospel Album
  Down In New Orleans ()
  The Blind Boys Of Alabama
• Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album
  The Fight Of My Life ()
  Kirk Franklin

The Nominees List

Best Gospel Performance

I like Mary Mary for this one ... those ladies have unbelievable voices and their joy in the Lord shines through like a super-nova when they're on the stage.

• WINNER - "Get Up" (Purchase/Download)
  Mary Mary
  Track from: The Sound
• "I Understand" (Purchase/Download)
  Kim Burrell, Rance Allen, Bebe Winans, Mariah Carey & Hezekiah Walker's Love Fellowship Tabernacle Church Choir
  Track from: Randy Jackson's Music Club, Volume One
• "East To West" (Purchase/Download)
  Casting Crowns
  Track from: The Altar And The Door Live
• "Shall We Gather At The River" (Purchase/Download)
  Take 6
  Track from: The Standard

• "Waging War" (Purchase/Download)
  CeCe Winans
  Track from: Thy Kingdom Come

Best Gospel Song

Brandon Heath gets my vote here. "Give Me Your Eyes" is wonderful and it has done really, really well on the charts.

• WINNER - "Help Me Believe" (Purchase/Download)
  Kirk Franklin, songwriter (Kirk Franklin)
  Track from: The Fight Of My Life
• "Cover Me" (Purchase/Download)
  James L. Moss, songwriter (21:03 With Fred Hammond, Smokie Norful & J Moss)
  Track from: Total Attention
• "Get Up" (Purchase/Download)
  Erica Campbell, Tina Campbell, Warryn Campbell & Eric Dawkins, songwriters (Mary Mary)
  Track from: The Sound
• "Give Me Your Eyes" (Purchase/Download)
  Brandon Heath & Jason Ingram, songwriters (Brandon Heath)
  Track from: What If We
• "You Reign" (Purchase/Download)
  Jim Bryson, Steven Curtis Chapman, Nathan Cochran, Barry Graul, Bart Millard, Mike Scheuchzer & Robby Shaffer, songwriters (MercyMe)
  Track from: All That Is Within Me

Best Rock Or Rap Gospel Album

Congrats to After Edmund, Flame, Sanctus Real, Superchick and tobyMac (all groups that I like) but with no Third Day, DecembeRadio or Group 1 Crew listed here, I can't even get very excited about this category. I believe that tobyMac will take this one home in the end.

• WINNER - Alive And Transported ()
  tobyMac
• Hello
  After Edmund
• Our World Redeemed ()
  Flame
• We Need Each Other ()
  Sanctus Real
• Rock What You Got (Purchase/Download)
  Superchick

Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album

This one is a tough call. I love CeCe Winans but I wouldn't classify Thy Kingdom Come as a pop album at all. Between the others, well, I think we'll see Steven Curtis Chapman come out on top here.

• WINNER - Thy Kingdom Come ()
  CeCe Winans
• This Moment ()
  Steven Curtis Chapman
• What If We ()
  Brandon Heath
• Opposite Way ()
  Leeland
• Hello Love ()
  Chris Tomlin

Best Southern, Country, Or Bluegrass Gospel Album

Hymned Again is an amazing release and I would like to see Bart take the win here but the Gaither Vocal Band is a little more than just stiff competition!

• WINNER - Lovin' Life ()
  Gaither Vocal Band
• Room For More ()
  Booth Brothers
• Steps To Heaven ()
  Charlie Louvin
• Hymned Again ()
  Bart Millard
• Ephesians One
  Karen Peck & New River

Best Traditional Gospel Album

Dorinda Clark-Cole gets my vote here.

• WINNER - Down In New Orleans ()
  The Blind Boys Of Alabama
• I'll Say Yes ()
  The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
• Take It Back ()
  Dorinda Clark-Cole
• Together In Worship
  Deitrick Haddon Presents . . . Voices Of Unity
• No Limit
  Bishop Charles E. Blake Presents... The West Angeles COGIC Mass Choir

Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album

My opinion? CeCe Winans should have been in this category, but since she's not, my vote goes to Jason Champion. He's up against some serious heavy-hitters, but the young man has a spark that can't be denied.

• WINNER - The Fight Of My Life ()
  Kirk Franklin
• Reflections ()
  Jason Champion
• The Sound ()
  Mary Mary
• Donald Lawrence Introduces: Family Prayer
  The Murrills
• Stand Out ()
  Tye Tribbett & G.A.

Opinion - The Nominees - What Were They Thinking?

Let me say that I greatly admire the artists that were nominated and those that won for the Gospel Categories and I think that there are many fine examples of excellent music in the list.
Now I will follow that with the question - What were they thinking? How could they possibly ignore Revelation by Third Day which released in July 2008? How did Satisfied by DecembeRadio (an August release) get passed over? What about Group 1 Crew's Ordinary Dreamers, Pillar's For The Love Of The Game and MercyMe's All That Is Within Me (not just a song from it)?

While my hat goes off to those who got the nods and the wins, I do think that the GRAMMY nominating comittee seriously dropped the ball on this one by leaving out some phenomenal music.