Bobby Patterson
This nod comes maybe 30 years late or so, but no big deal. Patterson tore things up at last year's DOMA ceremony, performing alongside fellow nominees Shibboleth in the Reunion Tower Revue. Plus, some things just get better with age. Like this:

Shibboleth
...speak of the devils. Certainly, last year's performance was what was on our nominator's minds by the time they came around to this category, 'cause Shibboleth's R&B like Hannah Montana is rock 'n' roll. Funk? Maybe. What Shibboleth does sure is funky--I'll give them that. But, really, I'm not sure where they belong in this thing. Neither, apparently, were many others, as Shibboleth also got itself a nomination for Best Jazz Act. Hmmm...how 'bout we just settle on "really good." Like this performance of "Experiment in Error" on TV's The Gordon Keith Laugh Riot*:

(* That's not what it's called? Oh...well, that's what it should be.)

Erykah Badu
Ms. Badu's got a little something we like to call "name recognition," which means that, even if people don't know a thing about R&B, they know about Erykah Badu. And that spells big trouble for her competition in this category...y'know, amazing new record and killer music video aside. Oh, and speaking of the video for "Honey":

Carmen Rodgers
Haven't seen too too much of Carmen around town lately. Likely, that's 'cause she's working on a new album--said as much to me when I met her at a party for rapper Versatile's debut CD release (on which Rodgers makes a nice little guest appearance, singing the hook for a song called "Dream"). But she can sing, as this audio clip of her "Ain't No Time," from her 2004 album Free more than implies:

Cas Haley
It's not like Cas Haley was some slouch before his run on last year's season of America's Got Talent. Hardly--dude's band Woodbelly has had its share of DOMA wins in years past. But, back then, the band was just called "Woodbelly"--as opposed to "Cas Haley & Woodbelly" as its referred to today. Hmmm. What was that we were saying about name recognition? Let's see if this clip from America's Got Talent reminds us:

Now go vote already. --Pete Freedman