Did the Grammys snub Justin Timberlake?

Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Justin Timberlake raked in seven Grammy nominations when the 2014 list was unveiled Friday night, just behind his friend and collaborator Jay Z, who topped the group with nine nods.

But for an artist who opened the 2013 Grammys with his comeback track, "Suit & Tie," and released a two-part album this year, The 20/20 Experience, it's surprising that he didn't receive nominations in any of the biggest categories -- Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Instead, the 32-year-old singer received nods in the less prestigious pop and R&B categories, like Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance.

"His shutout in the marquee categories is just plain weird," wrote MTV's James Montgomery.

"This isn’t necessarily a snub, because on balance a lot of the material Timberlake put out this year was problematic," Entertainment Weekly noted, "but considering his ubiquity it’s mildly shocking he didn’t walk away with more potential gold."

"Perhaps Timberlake's decision to release a second part of The 20/20 Experience in September backfired on him," wrote People's Chuck Arnold. "With both installments counting as one album, he might have diluted the strength of the first half with the voters."