The three nominations of critics' fave Lyle Lovett were the big surprise in the country field, more so than Vince Gill's category-leading five nominations or even teen sensation LeAnn Rimes' three nods.
Lovett's "The Road to Ensenada" album--one of the few country efforts to make many pop critics' year-end Top 10 lists--contends with releases by Gill, Brooks & Dunn, Trisha Yearwood and Patty Loveless in the country album category. Lovett also is nominated for best country song and duo vocal. Any win for Lovett, who never has been much of a hit-maker, could remind Nashville that artistry has a place alongside the formulaic songs that dominate the charts and radio.
