POP MUSIC : Grammy Perspectives: Traditional vs. Hip : WHO SHOULD WIN : Some maverick forces that deserve the voters’ consideration weren’t even nominated . . . so cross your fingers for R.E.M.

Things could have been worse.

Given the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences’ history of favoring mainstream bestsellers, we could be facing a best-album Grammy competition featuring Michael Bolton, Mariah Carey, Hammer and Whitney Houston on Tuesday in New York.

That would be embarrassing.

As it is, the album competition is simply a tad d-u-l-l: Natalie Cole, Amy Grant, Bonnie Raitt, R.E.M. and Paul Simon.

Most of the five albums are respectable, but they do not as a group represent the most important currents of pop music in a year when hard rock, rap and country were the chief creative sounds. The reason is that academy voters, as a body, tend to focus on the professional competence of mainstream artists rather than the originality and vision of maverick forces who reshape pop music.

A more relevant list of nominees would have drawn at least three candidates from these additional choices: Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, Metallica, Public Enemy and Garth Brooks.

And it’s not that these candidates were hard for academy members to find.

All had million-selling albums last year, and, indeed, all picked up enough academy backing to be nominated in secondary Grammy categories. The problem is that these acts weren’t secondary factors in pop music during 1991.

These artists’ albums helped set the creative agenda for pop last year, and their minor role in Tuesday’s ceremony will turn every moment their name is mentioned into a reminder that the Grammy process continues to be out of step.

Here’s a look at who deserves to win--artistically:

Record of the Year: Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” spent more weeks (seven) at No. 1 than all the other nominees in this category combined, so it may be the public favorite. But the ballad from the latest Robin Hood film is simply mushy. Amy Grant’s guardedly sensual “Baby Baby” is a step up in quality, but still too slight to warrant serious consideration.

Bonnie Raitt’s “Something to Talk About” and Natalie Cole’s duet with her father, the late Nat King Cole, on “Unforgettable” are both well-crafted but ultimately limited recordings that are better suited to some of the secondary Grammy categories. “Unforgettable,” for instance, is ideal for the new traditional-pop competition.

By contrast, R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” is a masterful expression of self-doubt that captures much of the personal and social anxiety in the air at the start of the ‘90s. It isn’t just the most compelling of the five nominees, but also the best single record of 1991. Cross your fingers.

Album of the Year: Since four of the five best-record nominees were also nominated in this category, many of the same comments apply. Grant is an able singer and a past academy favorite in the gospel field (where she has won five Grammys), but her pop excursion with “Heart in Motion” lacks the originality and imagination to justify a victory here.

Raitt’s album is a winning series of looks at romance and self-esteem, but is too conventional to justify a repeat of her win in this category two years ago with “Nick of Time.” Cole’s “Unforgettable”--where she sings almost two dozen songs associated with her father--is ultimately a salute to a past pop vision rather than injection of new vision.

That leaves Paul Simon’s tasteful and worthy “The Rhythm of the Saints” and R.E.M.’s “Out of Time.” While not as much of a musical breakthrough as the Grammy-winning “Graceland,” Simon’s album is a thoughtful and engaging collection that demonstrates how to combine professionalism and vision in a mainstream work.

“Out of Time” stands as a better representative of the pop currents of 1991 and is a slightly more adventurous work. Though R.E.M. has been one of America’s most influential and rewarding rock bands for almost a decade, the Georgia quartet has never won a Grammy. This especially warm and personal collection of songs provides the ideal occasion to make up for the oversight.

Song of the Year: “Losing My Religion.”

New Artist: C+C Music Factory sounded awfully enticing early last year with its mix of disco and hip-hop elements, but the music wore thin, leaving the choice here between the bluesy folk introspection of Marc Cohn and the exotic dance-funk style of England’s Seal. Where Cohn’s music sounds vaguely revealing on first exposure, there isn’t a lot of depth. With Seal, however, the music becomes even more intriguing and absorbing over time. The choice: Seal.

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female: “All the Man That I Need” may be the most assured vocal yet from Whitney Houston, who has won twice in this category. But newcomer Oleta Adams’ exquisite vocal on “Get Here” tops her.

Pop Male: Would someone please explain why the academy doesn’t limit entries in this and several other categories to either albums or singles? As it is, you frequently find one artist nominated for an entire album and others for just one single. As a result, we have Aaron Neville’s “Warm Your Heart” album competing against five singles. The problem is that some of Neville’s vocals on the album are superior to any of the single entries, while some of the other vocals are less affecting than the singles of Seal and George Michael. So what do you do? Give the award to Neville this year--and ask the Grammy rules committee to reconsider the eligibility requirements before next year’s voting.

Pop Duo or Group: Again, there’s an album matched against four singles, but this time there’s no debate because the album is the soundtrack for “The Commitments,” and whatever you thought of the film, the music isn’t very good. Boo loudly if the album wins. Cheer only if R.E.M. (the choice here) or Jesus Jones wins.

Traditional-Pop Performance: The classy Cole duet truly is “Unforgettable.”

Rock Solo: This time we have one single (that annoying Adams ballad again) competing against five albums by veterans. In the history of Grammy oversights, one that has rarely been cited is the failure of the academy to ever honor the Band, one of the dozen greatest rock groups ever. That’s not the only reason to give this award to “Storyville,” the second solo album by Band leader Robbie Robertson, but it is one way to break the tie between Robertson and Bonnie Raitt’s “Luck of the Draw.”

Rock Duo or Group: R.E.M. is nominated again with the good-natured “Radio Song,” but this may be the last chance to ever honor Jane’s Addiction, the great Los Angeles metal-punk-funk band that has apparently called it quits after just two glorious major-label albums. The choice: Jane’s Addiction.

Hard Rock: It’s (a) shameful that Guns N’ Roses is stuck in this secondary category rather than the best-album competition, and (b) disappointing that the group’s “Use Your Illusion I” rather than the slightly more involving “Use Your Illusion II” got the nod here. But the controversial GNR is the overwhelming choice. Boo loudly if the academy goes for the safer alternative of Van Halen.

Metal: It would also have been nice to see Metallica’s “Metallica” in the best-album competition because the album represents an important and long-overdue link between the metal world and the pop-rock mainstream.

Alternative: Here’s another challenge to the rules committee. What is alternative supposed to mean? R.E.M. may have been alternative 10 years ago when it was hard to find its music anywhere other than college radio, but it isn’t now. In fact, three of the five nominees here--R.E.M., Jesus Jones and Nirvana--had Top 10 albums or singles during 1991. Either get rid of the category or limit it to albums on small, independent labels. Meanwhile, give the award this time to Nirvana.

R&B; Female: More apples and oranges, leaving us with another awkward question. Does Lisa Fischer’s “How Can I Ease the Pain” single top Aretha Franklin’s entire “What You See Is What You Sweat” album? Answer: No.

R&B; Male: Same question. Does Stevie Wonder’s “Gotta Have You” single top Luther Vandross’ entire “Power of Love” album. Same answer: No.

R&B; Duo or Group: Prince has done so much better work over the years than his “Diamond and Pearls” album that you almost hate to see him get a Grammy for something in it, but Gett Off certainly outstrips this field.

Rap Solo: LL Cool J doesn’t like it when you call his “Mama Said Knock You Out” album a comeback, but the young New York rapper sure has regained the creative momentum that seemed to escape him for a while in the late ‘80s.

Rap Duo or Group: Here we go again. A great single (Naughty by Nature’s sly “O.P.P.”) is matched against a great album (Public Enemy’s commentary-loaded “Apocalypse 91 . . . The Enemy Strikes Black”). The album is greater.

Country Female: Kathy Mattea isn’t a great country singer a la Emmylou Harris or Wynonna Judd, but she does exhibit a sense of integrity and vision in her work. Her “Time Passes By,” the choice here, would be her second straight victory in this category.

Country Male: In another repeat from last year, Vince Gill returns with an even stronger package--his “Pocket Full of Gold” album, which is highlighted by the heartwarming “Look at Us” single.

Country Duo or Group: The Judds have already won four times in this category. “Love Can Build a Bridge” should make it five.