Seven September releases aiming for Grammy love

The eligibility period for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards ends Sept. 30 and, as usual, September has a number of high profile releases strategically placed ahead of the deadline for awards consideration.

7. Miles Davis, "The Genius of Miles Davis" Sony Legacy has issued and repackaged every phase of the trumpeter's career; this is their chance to deliver it all in one trumpet case. Forty-three CDs in all, this has a packaging nod written all over it.

6. Neil Young, "Le Noise" A real longshot here, but his only Grammy thus far was for his art direction on the "Archives" box. Some voters are bound to realize that at some point they need to get the man a Grammy for his music.

5. Jerry Lee Lewis, "Mean Old Man"
With only a 24-year-old spoken word Grammy in his trophy case, the Killer is due for a rediscovery. It didn't occur with "Last Man Standing" a few years ago, but that has not stopped producers from going with the same formula of loading up an album with high-profile guests. The songs seem like perfect contenders for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

4. Phil Collins, "Goin Back"
Collins has been gone for awhile, but in the mid-1980s the Recording Academy displayed a soft spot for the soft rock of Genesis' drummer and singer. If his collection of Motown remakes generates any sort of buzz, don't be surprised to see Collins land in the pop and rock categories.

3. Santana, "Guitar Heaven: Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time"
Carlos Santana, regardless of the style of his recordings, is always a favorite, even with a rehash of oldies with a bunch of well-known singers. Having won so many trophies for "Supernatural" slowed his momentum in the 2000s, but he remains the type of artist the Recording Academy loves to salute.

2. Eric Clapton, "Clapton"
Eric Clapton is playing blues-oriented electric again and he has a superb list of guests on his upcoming album: Steve Winwood, Wynton Marsalis, Sheryl Crow, Allen Toussaint and Derek Trucks. Slowhand has a dilemma similar to Santana, but when he was a big winner it was for acoustic versions of familiar songs. This would be an honor for Clapton, the rock god.

1. Robert Plant, "Band of Joy"
Yes, Robert Plant just won an album of the year Grammy for "Raising Sand," a folkie project that was the sum of the parts -- the combination of Alison Krauss' voice, T Bone Burnett's production and a sympathetic backing band. This is Plant in an acoustic setting reminding everyone of Led Zeppelin, the intensity and swagger restored in his vocal style.