Mary J. Blige picked up eight Grammy nominations, including nods for record and song of the year.
• Dixie Chicks nominated for album, song, record of year
• Chili Peppers pick up six nominations
(CNN) -- The Dixie Chicks may have been "Not Ready to Make Nice," but the Recording Academy was nice to the country-pop trio, giving them nominations in the top three categories for the 49th annual Grammy Awards.
The Chicks were nominated for album of the year for their CD "Taking the Long Way," as well as record of the year and song of the year (a songwriter's award) for their single "Not Ready to Make Nice."
The group suffered a boycott from some country music radio stations in the aftermath of lead singer Natalie Maines' 2003 comments about President George W. Bush. The new album is more rock-oriented and was mostly ignored by country outlets. However, it did receive a Grammy nomination for best country album.
R&B vocalist Mary J. Blige led all nominees with eight nominations. Among her nods: record and song of the year ("Be Without You") and R&B album ("The Breakthrough").
"That's a beautiful thing, that I'm still going," Blige, 35, told The Associated Press. " 'The Breakthrough' is about triumph, about not being a victim, but being a victor. It's about loving yourself."
Other album of the year nominees include Gnarls Barkley ("St. Elsewhere"), John Mayer ("The Continuum"), the Red Hot Chili Peppers ("Stadium Arcadium") and Justin Timberlake ("FutureSex/LoveSounds").
The Chili Peppers were second in nominations with six, followed by the Dixie Chicks, Mayer, English singer/songwriter James Blunt, funk veteran Prince, producer Rick Rubin, Black Eyed Peas singer will.i.am and classical composer John Williams, all with five. (Gallery: Notable nominees)
Blunt's song "You're Beautiful" was nominated for record of the year, song of the year and male pop vocal.
Rubin, who produced both the Dixie Chicks and Red Hot Chili Peppers albums, said he viewed the country trio's nominations as a validation of their creative integrity.
"They've told the truth. They didn't 'showbiz' their way out of it," he told Reuters, referring to the album's tone.
Dylan left outThe Grammys spread the wealth fairly evenly, but there were a few surprises.
Bob Dylan's "Modern Times," the bard's first No. 1 album in 30 years -- and one of his best reviewed works -- failed to get an album of the year nomination, though it did earn a nod for best folk album.
Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man," a huge hit, was nominated for female pop vocal but not record of the year.
And among the youngsters nominated for pop vocal album -- Aguilera, Blunt, Mayer and Timberlake -- were Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, both past 50. Costello and Toussaint's CD "The River in Reverse" nabbed the nomination.
Paul McCartney, whose album "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard" was nominated for album of the year in 2005, earned a male pop vocal nomination for his song "Jenny Wren."
The Grammys smiled on Gnarls Barkley, the duo made up of master DJ/producer Danger Mouse and vocalist/rapper Cee-Lo. Besides the album of the year nod, their hit single "Crazy" received a record of the year nomination. The group was also nominated for best alternative album, indicating the Grammy voters had little idea of how to classify the genre-bending pair.
Newcomer Corinne Bailey Rae was nominated for record and song of the year ("Put Your Records On") as well as best new artist.
"It's a great end to the year, to go home for Christmas knowing my name is on a list of people I've admired for a long time," the 27-year-old told the AP. "The fact that I was on the stage with Mary J. Blige, I think it's amazing, it's hilarious. It's really a big moment, when the weirdness of all of it comes home."
The nominees for record of the year are Blige's "Be Without You," Blunt's "You're Beautiful," the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice," Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" and Rae's "Put Your Records On."
The nominees for song of the year are Blige's "Be Without You," Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel," the Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice," Rae's "Put Your Records On" and Blunt's "You're Beautiful."
Aside from Blunt and Rae, best new artist nominees are Chris Brown, Imogen Heap and Carrie Underwood.
The 49th Grammy Awards are scheduled to air live on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 11.
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