GRAMMY TIME : The Crystal Ball & the Merit Awards : WHO SHOULD WIN : By favoring mainstream artists over true innovators, the recording academy at times leaves a clear choice: none of the above

What about “none of the above” as an alternative on the Grammy Awards ballot?

Thirty-five years after naming Domenico Modugno’s dopey “Volare” as record of the year over hits by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and the Everly Brothers in its inaugural competition, the Grammys are still struggling for credibility--and that struggle can be summarized this year by a single name: Whitney Houston.

Instead of honoring the artists who enrich pop music by challenging its boundaries and chronicling social attitudes, Grammys voters favor hit mainstream bestsellers like Houston.

Many of the year’s most vital artists did earn nominations--including Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Dr. Dre--but they were considered too radical for the most prestigious categories and were relegated to secondary competitions.

The result is that key Grammy categories often get filled with nominees who fall so far short of any reasonable standard of excellence that it makes no sense to even award a Grammy in the category.

If the idea of the Grammys is to truly honor achievement, voters should be given the discretion to pass on all the nominees--a practice followed in journalism’s Pulitzer Prize competition, for example.

Here’s who deserves to win--as well as those categories that should in all good conscience this year simply be declared void:

Best Album--You’ll find Nirvana’s “In Utero,” Smashing Pumpkins’ “Siamese Dream” and U2’s “Zooropa” in the “alternative music” competition--which is buried among the 81 Grammy categories somewhere between best rock instrumental performance and best polka album.

Their rightful places in this category are taken by one album whose victory would be a major embarrassment (“The Bodyguard”) and by two whose victory would be a minor one (Billy Joel’s routine “River of Dreams” and Donald Fagen’s already forgotten “Kamakiriad”).

Sting’s “Ten Summoner’s Tales” is a graceful work, but it doesn’t match the artistic daring or originality of his 1991 collection “The Soul Cages.” That leaves only one album to prevent a “none of the above” verdict. The choice: R.E.M.’s “Automatic for the People,” a hauntingly introspective work that is as questioning and revealing as anything in the acclaimed band’s long career.

Best Single--The Grammy governing board breathed a sigh of relief last year when Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” defeated Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart,” a lightweight novelty. The damage to the Grammy reputation won’t be as obvious if Houston’s overblown “I Will Always Love You” wins here, but it’ll still be a disgrace. For a far more affecting interpretation of the song, try Dolly Parton’s original version.

The year’s best singles were R.E.M.’s “Man on the Moon,” a disarming reflection on the innocence and wonder of life, and Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day,” a daydream about 24 hours in the ‘hood in which everything goes right. Neither was nominated.

Instead, we are stuck with the Houston hit plus Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle’s “A Whole New World,” the theme from “Aladdin” that would be amply saluted by a victory in the best motion picture song category, and Billy Joel’s “The River of Dreams,” which is run-of-the-mill stuff.

That leaves Neil Young’s dreamy “Harvest Moon,” which would be a nice career salute to one of rock’s most enduring figures, and Sting’s “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You,” a tender expression of devotion in an age of disillusionment. “Faith” won’t stand as one of the all-time Grammy choices, but it is the class of the field.

Best Song--”Faith” and “Harvest Moon” are pitted against each other again, but “Faith” isn’t strong enough to deserve a second award and the lure of “Moon” was more in the production and arrangement rather than the actual song.

“A Whole New World” still belongs in the motion picture song category, and Joel’s “The River of Dreams” and Jim Steinman’s “I’ll Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” are simply also-rans. If we’re talking about reasonable Grammy standards, the verdict should be none of the above.

Best New Artist--Belly’s “Feed the Tree” was one of the year’s most irresistible singles, but the more substantial artists appear to be Toni Braxton, whose best vocals on her debut album are showstoppers, and Digable Planets, whose debut demonstrated remarkable imagination and ambition. The choice: Digable Planets.

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female--One of the surprises of the year was how Mariah Carey, long dismissed as Whitney II, actually proved more engaging in her first national concert tour than the live Whitney. But we’re talking about records here, and Carey suffers from the same mix of melodramatic interpretation and middle-brow material found on Houston’s records. By contrast, k.d. lang infuses “Miss Chatelaine”--and almost everything else she does--with a sense of intimacy and character. The choice: lang.

Pop Male--Rod Stewart is long overdue for a Grammy and “Have I Told You Lately” is a decent recording, but Sting should win again because he invariably reaches vocally into the emotional heart of a song, and “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” is no exception.

Pop Group or Duo--R.E.M., hands down.

Traditional Pop--Tony Bennett may be the new hero of MTV, but Barbra Streisand’s “Back to Broadway” album was the superior work.

Rock Solo--Sting and Peter Gabriel are stylish and consistent, but Neil Young brought a spirit to the Bob Dylan tribute concert (where the nominated “All Along the Watchtower” was recorded) that was a wonder to behold.

Rock Group or Duo--Soul Asylum’s “Runaway Train” was the best Tom Petty imitation of the year, but it wasn’t even close to being the year’s most compelling effort by a rock group or duo. Again: None of the above.

Hard Rock--Smashing Pumpkins’ “Cherub Rock” was about as good as rock ‘n’ roll gets.

Metal--Even though the nominated version was a remake, Suicidal Tendencies’ “Institutionalized” remains an inspired piece of teen rebellion--and paranoia.

Alternative--This is where you find the creative pulse of contemporary pop. The choice: Nirvana.

R&B; Female--Janet Jackson’s “That’s the Way Love Goes” was wonderful summer pop, but Toni Braxton, with her “Another Sad Love Song,” turned in the most assured vocal.

R&B; Male--Luther Vandross completely redesigns the Bee Gees’ “How Deep Is Your Love,” an impressive and award-deserving feat.

R&B; Group or Duo--Thanks to music as catchy as “Anniversary,” Tony Toni Tone has become one of the most appealing forces in all of contemporary pop.

Rap Solo--Dr. Dre, a genius of rap production.

Rap Group or Duo--Digable Planet’s silky “Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” was the smartest record, but Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg’s “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” was a cultural touchstone. The Grammy: to Dre & Snoop.

Country Female--Wynonna Judd, especially, and Trisha Yearwood are two of the most promising female country singers since Emmylou Harris, but Harris remains the model and she is the choice here.

Country Male--Alan Jackson is no George Jones as a singer, but Jones’ own nominated record is routine by his own standards--so Jackson’s spunk on the snappy “Chattahoochee” earns the nod.

Country Group or Duo--An unbelievably weak field. None of the above.*