grammy awards

Grammy Eligibilty Cut-Off Nears: Bring Out the Old Folks Albums!

It would seem so! As Vulture has previously noted, the voting members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences frickin’ love music from old people. It’s an appreciation that runs deep and far and wide: In the past decade alone, releases from noted old people Carlos Santana, Steely Dan, U2, Herbie Hancock, and Robert Plant have all won the Grammy for Album of the Year. (Also, Ray Charles, who was so old when he won he was actually dead.) Presumably the 2011 Grammys, to be held in February, will be no different, which is why it makes a lot of sense that today — just two days before the cut-off date for the Grammy eligibility release period — a gang of albums from old people are seeing release.

And the top possible nominees released today are:

Eric Clapton, Clapton. It’s the dude’s nineteenth studio album, and it features a guest spot from Steve Winwood. This is a potent combination: A live album from Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton was nominated for Best Rock Album last year, even though it was a live album from Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton.

Liza Minnelli, Confessions. Perhaps looking to capitalize on her recent Sex and the City 2 shine, Minnelli drops her first non-cast recording in fifteen years today. It’s a covers album, but unfortunately none of the covers are of Usher’s “Confessions,” neither part one nor two.

Phil Collins, Going Back. Hey, another covers album! Here, Phil takes on Motown. Of course, an excellent strategy for appealing to the NARAS: Old people singing even older songs.

Doobie Brothers, World Gone Crazy. Featured guests: Willie Nelson, former Doobie and solo star Michael McDonald. That kind of veteran lineup may just be too much for Grammy voters to resist.

Old person Neil Young is also releasing an album today (the solo effort Le Noise), but when is Neil Young not releasing an album? And Lil Wayne seems to have purposely sneaked in just under the cut-off period with yesterday’s digital release of I Am Not a Human Being (it gets a physical release October 12). So does Weezy have a chance on Grammy night against this late rush of old people? No, of course not!

Grammy Eligibilty Cut-Off Nears: Bring Out the Old Folks Albums!