S O S
Evan Bogart
Edward Cobb
Jonathan "JR" Rotem
Embassy Music Corporation
Here's Lookin' At You Kidd Music
Jonathan Rotem Music
Reach Global Songs
Southside Independent Music Publishing LLC
Rihanna
SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG

SAVIN' ME
Daniel Adair (SOCAN)
Chad Kroeger (SOCAN)
Mike Kroeger (SOCAN)
Ryan Peake (SOCAN)
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Nickelback
Roadrunner/IDJMG Records

SHAKE IT OFF
Mariah Carey
Rye Songs
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Mariah Carey
Island Records

SHE SAYS
Howie Day
HKD Music
Howie Day
Epic Records

SO SICK
Ne-Yo
Super Sayin' Publishing
Zomba Songs
Ne-Yo
Def Jam/IDJMG

SOUL SURVIVOR
Young Jeezy
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Young Jeezy Music
Young Jeezy featuring Akon
Corporate Thugs/Def Jam Records

STICKWITU
Franne Golde
Kasia Livingston
Robert Palmer
Franne Gee Music
Myia’s Koala Bear Music Publishing
Notting Hill Music, Inc.
Parchi Music
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Pussycat Dolls
A & M Records

SUGAR (GIMME SOME)
David Byrne
Trick Daddy
First and Gold Publishing
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Trick Daddy featuring Ludacris & Cee-Lo
Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic

SUGAR, WE'RE GOIN' DOWN
Andrew Hurley
Patrick Stump
Joe Trohman
Pete Wentz
Chicago X Softcore Songs
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Fall Out Boy
IDJMG/Fueled By Ramen/Island

TALK
Karl Bartos (GEMA)
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Coldplay
Capitol Music Group

UNFAITHFUL
Ne-Yo
Super Sayin' Publishing
Zomba Songs
Rihanna
SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG

UNWRITTEN
Natasha Bedingfield (PRS)
Danielle Brisebois
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Gator Baby
Natasha Bedingfield
Epic Records

WALK AWAY
Kara DioGuardi
K'Stuff Publishing
Kelly Clarkson
RCA/RMG

WHAT HURTS THE MOST
Jeffrey Steele
Gottahaveable Music
Songs of Windswept Pacific
Rascal Flatts
Lyric Street

WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE
Ryan Adams
Barland Music
Tim McGraw
Curb Records

WHERE'D YOU GO
Mike Shinoda
Kenji Kobayashi Music
Zomba Songs
Fort Minor featuring Holly Brook & Jonah Matranga
Machine Shop/WB

YOU AND ME (2nd Award)
Jude Cole
Jason Wade
Dimensional Songs of the Knoll
G-Chills Music
Jude Cole Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Lifehouse
Geffen Records

YOU 'RE BEAUTIFUL
James Blunt (PRS)
Amanda Ghost (PRS)
Sacha Skarbek
David Platz Music, Inc.
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.
James Blunt
Atlantic Records

YOUR BODY
Bigg D
Marcus "Pleasure" Cooper
Jim Jonsin
Corey "Slick' Em" Mathis
Diamond "Baby Blue" Smith
Joseph "Blue" Smith
Spectacular Smith
Black Boy Hatchet Music
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Pretty Ricky
Atlantic Records

But even among this rarefied company, Louisiana wunderkind Marc Broussard stands out. His major label debut album, Carencro (Island Def Jam), introduces a diverse singer/songwriter with a confident, r&b-inflected voice. Commencing with the swampy delta blues track "Home," Broussard's gently segues into the unassuming balladry of "The Beauty of Who You Are," and "Hope for Me Yet." His premiere single, "Where You Are," is a heaven-sent hybrid of modern soul and Jackson 5-style vintage pop.

But though he has shared stages with luminaries like Willie Nelson, the Dave Matthews Band and Tori Amos, success isn't going to Broussard's head. Despite favorable fan comparisons to everyone from Joe Cocker to Stevie Wonder, Broussard describes himself simply as "a white boy singing soul music."

For Broussard, soulfulness is a matter of pedigree. The son of Boogie Kings guitarist and Louisiana Hall of Famer Ted Broussard, Marc was instilled with an appreciation for blues and the Cajun traditions of the South.

In 2002, Broussard's independently produced debut recording, Momentary Setback , appeared to encouraging reviews. A tune from the album, "Just Like That," was featured on the 2003 Lost Highway Records compilation, Lost and Found, Vol. 1 , alongside tracks by Ryan Adams, the Jayhawks and other noted Americana acts. That same year, Broussard also appeared on the Bruce Springsteen tribute disc Light of Day with the track "Back in Your Arms."

Now, with the formidable support of Island Def Jam behind him, Broussard is on the verge of an international breakthrough. But the singer hasn't forgotten his roots: Carencro is named for his suburban Lafayette hometown. Consider it a "shout-out" to the place where this talented pop impressionist nurtured his musical soul.

Other BMI artists performing throughout the three-day music fest include Sheryl Crow, the Pixies, American Analog Set, Phish's Trey Anastasio, Endochine, Pat Green, Reckless Kelly, Solomon Burke, Cake, Ryan Adams, the Blind Boys of Alabama, Mindy Smith, Rosanne Cash and My Morning Jacket.

The ACL Festival focuses on alternative country and roots music and will present more than 130 bands on eight stages over three days. The Festival takes its name from the award-winning PBS series that has been showcasing live music for almost 30 years. Produced by Capital Sports & Entertainment, this year's stage sponsors also include SBC, HEB, Heineken, Cingular Wireless, Austin Ventures LP, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Bank of America.

BMI Singer/Songwriter Stage Schedule:

Friday, September 17
11:30-12:00 Kacy Crowley
1:10-1:50 Willy Mason
3:10-3:50 Marc Broussard
5:10-5:50 The Honorary Title
7:10-7:50 J.T. Van Zandt

J.T. Van Zandt	Willy Mason	Marc Broussard

Kacy Crowley	The Honorary Title

Saturday, September 18
11:30-12:00 The Greencards
1:10-1:50 Deadman
3:10-3:50 Trish Murphy
5:10-5:50 Holly Williams
7:10-7:50 Monte Montgomery

Jason White	Deadman

Monte Montgomery	Trish Murphy	Holly Williams

Sunday, September 19
11:20-11:50 Davis Raines
12:55-1:35 Samantha Stollenwerck
2:40-3:20 Papa Mali
4:40-5:20 Bobby Bare, Jr.
6:40-7:20 Jason White

Davis Raines	Samantha Stollenwerck	Papa Mali

Bobby Bare, Jr.	The Greencards

"This album was initially an experiment, one of embracing the excitement of making music rather than going into it with fear," Beth Orton says of her new album Daybreaker.

Orton's prior releases, Trailer Park and Central Reservation, featured an organic fusion of pastoral acoustic pop and trip-hop beats that's been embraced by folk fans and club kids alike. Daybreaker raises the emotional stakes with Orton's most emotional and evocative set of compositions to date, vividly evoking images of love, loss and yearning while maintaining a subtle sense of optimism that complements the songs' darker lyrical insights.

"One of my main inspirations is tying together emotion and landscape," Orton recently told VH-1. "I look at the sky a lot. I often sing looking at the sky. I like to sing high up, on rooftops. Sometimes, I just wonder what the hell's out there? When you're young, they always tell you God is up there, and there was a time when I didn't like him very much."

Daybreaker — whose title Orton describes as a "made-up word to describe the sun coming up, the start of a new day and the sound of a record playing as the dawn breaks" — features an impressive set of collaborators, including legendary country diva Emmylou Harris, roots-rock upstart Ryan Adams, ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, Everything But the Girl's Ben Watt and electronica pioneers the Chemical Brothers (with whom Orton had recorded prior to launching her solo career).

"I think this record is harder than the other two, in a way," the artist observes. "When I get sad on this record, I get properly sad, no in-betweens, no messing around... Life is really beautiful, incredible, but it's not always jolly or fun."

From the first moments of the band's emergence in 1993, Duritz and Counting Crows etched themselves into the public pop music consciousness with such numbers as "Round Here" and "Mister Jones" from the band's debut album, August and Everything After. Certainly, part of their immediate appeal was a sound that echoed many of music's greatest artists: Van Morrison and The Band, to name two major touchstones for the Crows.

But what nailed home the group's appeal was the voice and the songs of Duritz. Singing with passion, and a melodious, evocative touch, he crafts material that is rich with honesty and emotion. And Duritz hasn't allowed the band's success to diminish his focus on the ultimate goal.

"You're always trying to give more," he says of his songwriting approach. "It's like, 'How can I make it even more honest and more open?'" And now, on the fourth and latest release from Counting Crows, Hard Candy, Duritz also concentrates on using the power of the music itself to help deliver the message firmly.

"I wanted to make a totally different kind of record this time," he explains. "I had this conversation with Paul McCartney at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame a couple of years ago, and I came away thinking that I want to concentrate on melody. For the new album I really wanted songs that you can't get out of your head, not just mood pieces. People started taking melody for granted when they started thinking of songwriters as poets. Well, poetry is great and I read poetry, but I haven't the slightest interest in poetry. I'm a songwriter."

To ensure that the songs on Hard Candy were as strong as possible, Counting Crows took the material on the road and worked it out in front of audiences before recording the compositions. "There's something to be said for the freshness of recording the first time you ever sing a song, because first inspiration can be really cool," observes Duritz. "But there's something to be said for coming back to a song later with fresh inspiration."

Hard Candy was primarily produced by Steve Lillywhite with contributions by Ethan Johns, and features such guests as Sheryl Crow, Ryan Adams and Matthew Sweet. The title alludes to the underlying subject matter behind the songs. "The album is thematically about memories - the way you use them to substitute for living sometimes," Duritz explains. "Some memories are sweet, but tough and painful, too. And they're not good for you."

With almost a decade gone by since their debut, Counting Crows are in music for the long haul. And Duritz views songwriting as a lifelong pursuit. "It's the sort of thing you only do if you have to, because it's too hard. So I don't think you'd do it unless you have to do it," he notes." But the other thing is patience. Life doesn't have to come to you in your twenties. You have 60 years, 70 years more of life ahead of you. You have to live all of it, so you don't necessarily have to get what you want when you're 21. You can get what you want when you're 31, or 41, you know what I mean? You've got so much of life out there. There's this real mythos that life only exists for the young, and it's just not true. It's really rewarding forever."

The singer/songwriter/guitarist's first solo effort, last year's Heartbreaker - released on the independent Bloodshot label - broke away from his ex-combo's twangy alt-country sound to create a deeply personal song cycle that painted a disarmingly intimate account of a shattered love affair. Adams' new album, Gold - his first for Universal's rootsy new Lost Highway imprint, which filled the brief gap between Heartbreaker and Gold by issuing Whiskeytown's long-delayed swan song, Pneumonia - pretty much picks up where Heartbreaker left off.

Gold's 16 songs chronicle the recent changes in Adams's personal life, beginning with him bidding farewell to the Big Apple (and a broken relationship) on the opening track, "New York, New York," and ending up in the artist's current home base of Los Angeles, whose landmarks are invested with emotional significance on "La Cienega Just Smiled" and "Goodnight, Hollywood Blvd." It was in L.A. that Adams recorded Gold with the help of producer Ethan Johns (son of legendary studio vet Glyn Johns), who also plays drums and guitar on the album.

Despite its personal lyrics, Gold - unlike the pensive Heartbreaker - is largely a rocking affair, with tunes like "Firecracker" and "New York, New York" boasting an organic classic-rock sound that's more celebratory than solemn. "I just think it happened that way," Adams says of Gold's upbeat vibe, adding, "It wasn't a bad idea, considering I already made a really bummer record.

"I do think the process of forgiving myself is really evident on this one," Adams says. "The songs aren't really self-loathing or self-destructive. This record is more about making amends with things and really facing them. And it's more upbeat because I think I'm giving myself some air to breathe."

He also says that switching locales has affected his songwriting for the better. "In New York, I think I wrote more from a claustrophobic kind of sense," Adams recently stated to Billboard. "You're in this small-ass apartment, the subway is hot, it's busy. So you internalize. But when I came to California, I think I looked harder for structure, because there's so much room here, so much space.

"I do have two new rules," concludes Adams, who already has three albums' worth of newly-recorded material in the can. "One is not to analyze what I write. The second is not to read my own press. I just want to make it and not fuss about it. No excuses for it. Just make it and there it is. That way, the process is more pure. And even if people hate it, well, it doesn't matter. Because I'm just doing it to do it."

Alison Krauss

Ryan Adams

Lucinda Williams

Three nominations went to Ryan Adams, Ja Rule, Janet Jackson, Linkin Park, Tim McGraw, Jay-Z and BMI producer Carlos "Six July" Broady for his work with India.Arie.

The nominees were announced on January 4 at a press conference held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills and was attended by many of nominees themselves, including BMI songwriter/artists David Foster, Ja Rule and Stevie Nicks. The 44th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place on February 27 at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Check back here soon for a COMPLETE list of BMI Grammy Nominees.