Here Are Paul McCartney’s Likely Grammy Competitors for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Paul McCartney may be headed for his 20th career win at the 2027 Grammy Awards, thanks to his well-received album The Boys of Dungeon Lane, but the category may surprise you — best traditional pop vocal album. The pop legend first won in that category in 2013 with Kisses on the Bottom, which consisted primarily of covers of vintage traditional pop and jazz songs, such as “It’s Only a Paper Moon” and “The Glory of Love.” By contrast, McCartney wrote or co-wrote (with Andrew Watt) all of the songs on his current album.

More pop/rock artists have been nominated in this category in recent years as the Recording Academy has expanded its definition of traditional pop. Elvis Costello & the Imposters’ Look Now won in 2020, followed by James Taylor’s American Standard the following year. Bruce Springsteen’s Only the Strong Survive was nominated in 2024, followed by Elton John & Brandi Carlile’s Who Believes in Angels? last year. (See below for the official description of the category drawn from the 69th Grammy Rules & Guidelines handbook.)

Albums by current pop/rock artists that were entered in this category include Charlie Puth’s Whatever’s Clever! and Role Model’s Chuck Timely & the Hourglass.

A total of 111 albums were entered in this category this year, vying for just five or six slots on the final ballot. By way of comparison, there are 122 entries for best pop vocal album and 213 entries for best rock album.

Barry Manilow, who has received five nominations in the category, is likely to return with What a Time. Manilow has been in the news frequently in the past year due to his serious health challenges. Josh Groban, a three-time nominee in the category, is also likely to return thanks to Cinematic, a collection of film songs.

Four albums by artists who have been nominated twice in the category are on the entry list: 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, a live album recorded with Pacific Jazz Orchestra. The latter album includes such Kurt Weill classics as “September Song” and “Mack the Knife.”

Christina Aguilera is entered with Christmas in Paris (Live From the Eiffel Tower). The versatile Aguilera has been nominated twice for best pop vocal album and twice for best Latin pop album.

Two sons of past nominees in the category are on the entry list. Jason Gould, son of 14-time category nominee Barbra Streisand, is entered with Where We Fall. Matteo Bocelli, son of two-time category nominee Andrea Bocelli, is entered with Falling in Love.

Veteran artists in the running include Paul Anka (Inspirations of Life and Love) and Engelbert Humperdinck (Faithfully). Anka landed his first hit, “Diana,” in 1957. Humperdinck broke through in 1967 with “Release Me.”  

Tribute albums on the entry list include Liz Callaway’s The Wizard and I: Liz Callaway Sings Stephen Schwartz and John Pizzarelli’s Dear Mr. Bennett, a salute to Tony Bennett, who won a record 14 times in this category.

Country albums in contention include Keith Urban’s Flow State, a collection of yacht rock classics, and Trisha Yearwood’s Christmastime.

Other albums of note, not already mentioned, include Sara Bareilles’s Good Grief; Betty Buckley’s Enough (Live at Joe’s Pub); Alessia Cara’s Love or Lack Thereof; Jeff Goldblum & the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra’s Night Blooms; Richard Marx’s After Hours; Leslie Odom Jr.’s An Offering: Live at Speakeasy Studios; Steve Porcaro’s The Very Day; Boz Scaggs’s Detour and St. Vincent & Jules Buckley’s Live in London! (BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall).

Here is the full, unedited, description of the traditional pop vocal album category, from the 69th Grammy Rules & Guidelines handbook.

“This category recognizes excellence in albums consisting of a type and style of song and/or performance that cannot properly be intermingled with present forms of pop music. This includes new performances of songs from sources such as the Great American Songbook and classic forms of popular music of any era. Additionally, this Category includes albums of musical theatre songs that, unlike cast albums, are independent of a unifying narrative or underlying dramatic theme.

“Recordings eligible for this Category include: Contemporary pop songs performed in a traditional pop style – the term ‘traditional’ being a reference, equally, to the style of the composition, vocal styling and the instrumental arrangement, without regard to the age of the material.

“Nominees are Artist(s) of greater than 50% playing time on the album.

“Grammy statuettes awarded to Artist(s), Producer(s), Engineer/Mixer(s), Songwriter(s) of new songs, if other than Artist(s), of greater than 50% playing time on the album.”

So, what albums are likely to be nominated? If there are six nominees, as there have been in three of the last five years, we’ll go with these as our predictions, listed in alphabetical order: