Singer Mary J. Blige will head into the upcoming Grammy Awards at the top of the pack, after scoring a leading eight nominations for the prestigious U.S. musical honour Thursday.

The success of Mary J. Blige's comeback album, The Breakthrough, was evident by the R&B singer's eight nominations for the upcoming Grammy Awards, announced in Hollywood Thursday.
(Associated Press/Mark J. Terrill)

The veteran R&B star won both critical and commercial acclaim for her comeback album The Breakthrough. Earlier in the week, she took home a nine-trophy haul from the Billboard Music Awards, which followed her two wins at last month's American Music Awards.

At the Grammy Awards ceremony in February, the 35-year-old Blige will compete in categories including record of the year and song of the year for her track Be Without You.

For the prestigious record-of-the-year title, Blige faces stiff competition from British crooner James Blunt's ubiquitous ballad You're Beautiful; Not Ready To Make Nice from controversial pop-country trio Dixie Chicks; the summer smash Crazy by Gnarls Barkley and neo-soul newcomer Corinne Bailey Rae's Put Your Records On.

Rae and Blunt are also nominated for best new artist, along with R&B singer Chris Brown, former American Idol turned-country-star Carrie Underwood and British singer-songwriter Imogen Heap.

As usual, the song of the year nominees hail from musical genres ranging from R&B to country: Be Without You (Blige); Put Your Records On (Rae); You're Beautiful (Blunt); Not Ready to Make Nice (Dixie Chicks); Jesus, Take The Wheel (Underwood).

Album of the year nominees also comprise an eclectic list: Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers; Taking the Long Way by the Dixie Chicks; St. Elsewhere by Gnarls Barkley; Continuum by John Mayer and Future/Sex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake.

Others who scored multiple nominations on Thursday include pop veteran Prince, producer Rick Rubin, producer-artist will.i.am, classical composer John Williams, pop singer Beyoncé and rapper T.I.

Canadians to vie for golden gramophones

The Drowsy Chaperone, the Broadway musical nominated for best musical show album, is among the Canadian nominees.
(Joan Marcus/Canadian Press)

The latest from Neil Young helped the Canadian rock legend score a pair of golden gramophone nominations: Living With War won a best rock album nod and his song Lookin' For a Leader is up for best solo rock vocal performance.

Canadians Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, who wrote the lyrics to the Broadway hit The Drowsy Chaperone, will also vie for a Grammy in the category of best musical show album. The made-in-Canada production had already been recognized with five Tony Awards, including best original score and best book of a musical, in June.

Other Canadian artists up for Grammys include:

• Nelly Furtado, whose infectious Timbaland hit Promiscuous is up for best pop collaboration with vocals.
• Daniel Powter, who will vie for best pop male vocal performance for Bad Day, his song that rocketed to fame after being featured on American Idol.
• Michael Bublé, nominated in the best traditional pop vocal album category for Caught In The Act.
• Sarah McLachlan, also up for best traditional pop vocal album for her holiday release Wintersong.
• Walter Ostanek, the perennial Grammy contender whose album Good Friends Good Music will compete for best polka album.
• Northern Cree & Friends, a singing troupe from northern Saskatchewan and Alberta whose Long Winter Nights is nominated for best Native American music album.
• Gordie Sampson, the prolific Nova Scotia singer-songwriter, for co-writing Carrie Underwood's best country song nominee Jesus, Take The Wheel
• Winnipeg country group The Duhks, whose song Heaven's My Home will compete for best country performance by a duo or group with vocal.

As per Grammy custom, many of this year's top musical artists (and eventual nominees) were on hand for the morning announcement. Blige, Blunt, Rae, Timberlake and country group Rascal Flatts all helped read out the nominees at Hollywood's Music Box at the Fonda Theatre.

The 49th Grammy Awards gala is scheduled to be broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 11.