It was an extraordinarily good year for pop music -- from the R&B-flavored to the country and folk-tinged and that just means one thing -- Grammy competition is fierce and this compilation of 23 Grammy-nominated tracks showcases the best of the best.

Record of the Year contender, "Crazy," by Gnarls Barkley, is a slice of orchestrated soul. They're up against R&B diva Mary J. Blige with her double dose of soulfulness, "Be Without You." An R&B lady of a different sort, the soft'n'funky Corinne Bailey Rae, takes it slow and warm on her "Put Your Records On."

On the Album of the Year side, John Mayer made his mark in '07 with "the groovy, "Waiting on the World to Change." The Red Hot Chili Peppers rock it hard, in usual funky style with "Dani California," a track from their Album of the Year nominated record. Justin Timberlake combines techno and street sounds for his "Sexyback," from his nominated Album of the Year.

The Dixie Chicks come in with three nominations for Record, Album and Song of the Year. "Not Ready to Make Nice" is an acoustic guitar strummer and answer to anyone who had a hard time with their strong anti-war stance. Best New Artists nominees Carrie Underwood and Imogen Heap duke it out in their category, Underwood with the dramatic story song, "Jesus Take the Wheel," and Heap with her alterna-pop "Hide and Seek."

In the Best Female Pop Vocal category, Christina Aguillera makes a strong statement with the jazzy hip-hop of "Ain't No Other Man." She's up against newcomer Natasha Bedingfield with the spirited "Unwritten" and veteran Sheryl Crow whose entry is the flawless and folkie "You Can Close Your Eyes." But that's not all: this Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category sports some stiff competition from Pink with her reggae-studded "Stupid Girls" and KT Tunstall's rootsy "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree."

We heard a lot of the name James Blunt this year and it's no wonder then that he swept up four nominations on the soaring waves of "You're Beautiful:" Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Other Male Pop Vocal nominees include the sultry "Save Room" by John Legend and the guitar-plucked "Jenny Wren" by Paul McCartney. Best Pop Performances by a Duo or Group include the unbeatable Black Eyed Peas for the risque "My Humps," emo-kids Death Cab For Cutie for the sensitive, "I Will Follow You Into the Dark," and Keane's anthemic "Is It Any Wonder?"

2006 was a great year for Grammy music. And the winner is... us listeners!

By Daisy Duarte