Women Have the Edge in the Songwriting and Vocal Departments

There was not an abundance of great R&B; in 1999, and even the good stuff didn’t raise the bar for the genre the way “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” did in 1998. Sticking as usual to its close-to-the-vest conservatism, the academy for the most part nominated performances that fit snugly into adult contemporary radio playlists.

The usual Grammy suspects--Whitney, Brandy, Hill, R. Kelly--crop up in various categories. In the female vocal category, cancel out Brandy, who doesn’t have the chops to be a real front-runner, and Faith Evans, whose nominated song is merely serviceable. That leaves Whitney Houston or Mary J. Blige as the true contenders, and Macy Gray as the dark horse who deserves the trophy.

The field is weaker in the male vocal category. Maxwell’s “Fortunate” is the best track by default, but look for R. Kelly’s bland “When a Woman’s Fed Up” to squeak by Barry White’s “Staying Power.” As for duo or group vocal, Blige and Aretha Franklin’s sultry turn on “Don’t Waste Your Time” is right up Grammy’s alley and would be a worthy victor.

In a refreshing twist, the R&B; song category is dominated by female performers and songwriters. There are some strong contenders here, particularly “All That I Can Say” (written by Hill for Blige) and Destiny’s Child’s hit “Bills, Bills, Bills,” but the writers of TLC’s super-funky “No Scrubs” should walk away with the award. TLC’s “FanMail” is also the best R&B; album of the year and is likely to win in that category.

As for the mysterious best traditional R&B; vocal performance category, pick ‘em. White most likely has the edge over Peabo Bryson, Wilson Pickett, the Neville Brothers and Smokey Robinson, if only because he’s the most visible veteran in the field. Given the capriciousness of Grammy voting, that’s as good a criterion as any.