Here Are Paul McCartney’s Likely Grammy Competitors for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
There are 111 albums on this year's entry list vying for just five or six slots on the final ballot.
Paul McCartney is anticipated to secure his 20th Grammy Award at the 2027 ceremony, courtesy of his album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane. However, the contest might not be as conventional as one might think. The category in question is the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. This is the first time McCartney has won in this category, having received the accolade in 2013 for Kisses on the Bottom, an album that primarily featured cover songs of vintage traditional pop and jazz melodies, including "It's Only a Paper Moon" and "The Glory of Love."
The modern rendition of this category has seen a surge in the number of pop/rock artists being nominated. Elvis Costello & the Imposters' Look Now clinched the award in 2020, followed by James Taylor's American Standard the year after. Bruce Springsteen's Only the Strong Survive received a nomination in 2024, and Elton John & Brandi Carlile's Who Believes in Angels? was nominated the previous year.
This category encompasses albums by contemporary pop/rock artists like Charlie Puth's Whatever's Clever! and Role Model's Chuck Timely & the Hourglass.
The competition is intense, with 111 albums vying for just five or six positions on the final ballot. For a comparison, the Best Pop Vocal Album category has 122 entries, while the Best Rock Album category boasts 213 entries. Not to be overlooked are Barry Manilow, a five-time nominee, likely to return with his new album, What a Time, and Josh Groban, a three-time nominee who will likely bring his album, Cinematic, to the fray.
Four artists, who have been nominated twice in this category, are also present: Sarah McLachlan's Better Broken, Pentatonix's Christmas in the City, Carly Simon's Comes in Waves, and Rufus Wainwright's I'm a Stranger Here Myself – Wainwright Does Weill. The latter includes classics such as "September Song" and "Mack the Knife" by Kurt Weill.
Christina Aguilera is entered with her album, Christmas in Paris (Live From the Eiffel Tower), marking her second nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Two sons of past nominees are also included - Jason Gould, son of five-time nominee Barbra Streisand, with Where We Fall, and Matteo Bocelli, son of two-time nominee Andrea Bocelli, with Falling in Love.
Other contenders include veteran artists like Paul Anka (Inspirations of Life and Love) and Engelbert Humperdinck (Faithfully). Tribute albums, including Liz Callaway's The Wizard and I: Liz Callaway Sings Stephen Schwartz and John Pizzarelli's Dea, are also on the list.
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