Long after I began to ignore the Grammys, which usually eschews quality music in favor commercial success, I awoke this morning to hear that Alison Krauss and Robert Plant swept the place clean last night.

It was unexpected enough when former Led Zeppelin singer Plant and bluegrass diva Krauss collaborated on the rootsy "Raising Sand" (Rounder) last year. The record won critical acclaim, even if it admittedly took this writer some time to crack it open.

But against competition like Coldplay, Lil Wayne and Radiohead, "Raising Sand" won album of the year and nabbed four more awards at the 51st annual Grammy schmooze-fest in Los Angeles on Sunday.

I know that the Grammys have long presented awards for non-commercial genres like reggae, bluegrass and spoken word and in technical categories, but let's face it, the event isn't really about that stuff.

Look at the hoopla; there's more talk about who designed the swanky gowns worn to the event than the actual music, except in a few cases (album of the year, new artist, etc.).

And this year we got to hear lots about a guitarist threatening a legal proceeding at the awards and about the two expected attendees who were noticibly absent. But, quick, who won for best mastering engineer? How about best traditional folk album?

This year, however, in at least five categories -- and I'm sure quite a few others -- the Grammys actually got it right, choosing an unexpected record from an unexpected duo of unbridled and bona fide talent.

Sure, it wasn't a major leap since both have name recognition and the record got great reviews -- and was certainly a hearty seller -- but the urge to pick "glitzier" winners is usually hard for the Grammy voters to resist.

This time they did.