Nelly Furtado, Billy Talent, k-os Lead Juno Nominations. Nickelback also Nominated for Some Reason.

February 6, 2007

Perhaps the only thing more Canadian than our country’s love of chowing down on bacon and swilling beer while watching hockey is our maple-leaf-approved love of Nelly Furtado, Billy Talent and k-os, as proven by today’s Juno Award nominations, eh? The true north’s biggest musical accolades announced the short list of artists up for the 2007 awards, to be held on April 1 in Saskatoon, and newly promiscuous girl Nelly Furtado, spastic screamo darlings Billy Talent and funk-spinning solo act k-os were the clear front runners with five nominations each.

Furtado, who is also hosting the ceremony, was rewarded for her chart-topping success and Timbaland-aided booty-shaking with nods in the fan choice award against surprise French contender Gregory Charles, mom-crooner Michael Bublé, questionably relevant radio rockers Nickelback and West Coast veteran Sarah McLachlan. The pop vixen also snagged nominations for single of the year for “Promiscuous,” album of the year, artist of the year and pop album of the year for her career-reinventing Loose album.

Billy Talent’s double-platinum status made them contenders for group of the year, for which they will battle against scene cohorts Alexisonfire, scene imitators Hedley, veterans The Tragically Hip and detoxed rockers Three Days Grace. The boys Billy will also vie for single of the year for “Devil in a Midnight Mass,” album of the year, rock album of the year and video of the year.

His verbal dexterity and mix of hip-hop, reggae and rock took k-os’s Atlantis: Hymns for Disco to the top of the charts, and now it’s on the top of the Juno list as a nominee for single of the year, songwriter of the year, pop album of the year and video of the year. Plus, Atlantis also nabbed Jack Richardson a producer of the year nod.

In the ones-to-watch department, new artist of the year nominees Never Ending White Lights, Patrick Watson, Tomi Swick and Eva Avila caught the Junos’ eye, while new group contenders Evans Blue, Idle Sons, Jets Overhead, Mobile and Stabilo proved they, too, have something special.

Of course, the Junos wouldn’t be the Junos without trotting out its venerable objects of mass adoration, including jazz darling Diana Krall (artist of the year, vocal jazz album of the year), beard-o retro-rocker Sam Roberts (rock album of the year, video of the year), pop chanteuse Chantal Kreviazuk (single of the year, pop album of the year) and pop vanguard Ron Sexsmith (songwriter of the year, adult alternative album of the year).

And it also wouldn’t be the Junos if there weren’t a few nomination enigmas. Take Canada’s answer to Enya, Loreena McKennitt, being up for artist of the year while k-os was left out? Baffling. But perhaps what truly proves that someone at the Junos is one crayon short of a rainbow is the fact that Nickelback is up for songwriter of the year, despite persuasive evidence that they’ve been rewriting the same song for the past five years. And need we remind you, dear reader, that singer Chad Kroger is behind such lyrics as, “You're beside me on the seat / Got your hand between my knees / And you control how fast we go by just how hard you wanna squeeze.” We’d stop there, but we must bring these horrors to light if their award show dominance is ever to be stopped. “It's hard to steer when you're breathing in my ear,” Kroger continues. “But I got both hands on the wheel while you got both hands on my gears / By now, no doubt that we were heading south / I guess nobody ever taught her not to speak with a full mouth.”

For shame. For shame. Err, we mean, go Canada! Wooo!