The 37th Annual Grammy Awards : Latin : For Once, All the Choices Have Just the Right <i> Sabor</i>

It could’ve been worse.

Although the Grammys rarely do justice to good music and deserving nominees, things can get particularly awful around the Latin pop performance category, in which corny but mega-selling balladeers routinely get all the honors while superior works are ignored. Thank goodness for Luis Miguel.

The Mexican singer--who won in 1987 and 1993--justly triumphed over works by Juan Gabriel and Placido Domingo with “Segundo Romance,” a follow-up to his successful 1992 bolero album. The works of his other rivals, Cristian (agghhh!!) and La Mafia, just weren’t in his league.

Things traditionally look much better in the tropical and Mexican-American categories. (Although the title of the latter is meaningless. Do they mean Mexicans and Americans? Is Vicente Fernandez Mexican American?)

Cachao won in the tropical category for “Master Sessions Volume 1,” with a truly masterful record that could’ve beaten anyone’s, even in the Latin jazz department.

The Cuban bassist and orchestra leader, arguably the real father of mambo, beat another fine work by Juan Luis Guerra, in a category in which the smoking-hot Japanese salsa band Orquesta de la Luz was also nominated.

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The, er, Mexican American category saw Vikki Carr win her third Grammy, with “Recuerdo a Javier Solis,” a tribute to the legendary bolero ranchero master, leaving behind an uneven list of hopefuls. Only Vicente Fernandez and Selena would also have deserved a trophy.

How about rock? That might be asking too much.

Give the Grammy organizers a break--it took them 37 years just to recognize Latin jazz.