(*Editor's Note: I published this on my blog at work, so that's why it may sound a little different. Hope you enjoy it all the same. Also, if you want to check out a fellow music blogger's thoughts, check out what Mike posted back when the awards were announced)
But there will be none of that third part here. Unless it comes to good artists being overlooked.
*A brief note: 109 Nominations is too many to talk about. For the complete list, go here: http://www.grammy.com/nominees
Record of the Year
Nothin' On You - B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars
Love the Way You Lie - Eminem featuring Rihanna
F*** You - Cee Lo Green
Empire State of Mind - Jay Z & Alicia Keys
Need You Know - Lady Antebellum
Who Will Win: Love the Way You Lie was all over the radio and is arguably one of the biggest songs of 2010. I expect it to win the majority of categories.
Who Should Win: Empire State of Mind had the best crossover appeal I've seen in recent memory, satisfying both hip hop fans and casual listeners.
Who I Want to Win: Though I wasn't the biggest fan of the song, it would be nice to see the underdog come out on top and have Lady Antebellum accept the award. But I would love to see Cee Lo Green get the W for the most upbeat way to ever drop the F bomb.
Album of the Year
The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
Recovery - Eminem
Need You Know - Lady Antebellum
The Fame Monster - Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream - Katy Perry
Who Will Win: I see Eminem taking home a lot of hardware Sunday night and this is another category that will add to his collection.
Who Should Win: Of the five nominated, I would have to give the award to either The Fame Monster, which seemed to produce hit after hit, or The Suburbs, who seemingly had a ton of alternative fans and critics gushing over the indie-esque sound.
Who I Want to Win: There were much better albums out in 2010 than those that were nominated. Unfortunately, Kanye West released his in November. But The Black Keys and/or Mumford and Sons could have, and should have, taken home this honor. So who I would want to win isn't on this list.
Best New Artist
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence and the Machine
Mumford and Sons
Esperanza Spalding
Who Will Win: Justin Bieber has been everywhere in recent memory and the safe bet would be to go with him. If not, Drake is a top contender.
Who Should Win: Spalding is the clear underdog in this category. I'm not familiar with her and the rest of the nominees have been on fire. All would be deserving.
Who I Want to Win: Hands down, Mumford and Sons. They have a sound that doesn't feel like it will be flash in the pan. I look forward to hearing more from them. Florence and the Machine would be a second choice.
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
Airplanes, Part II - B.o.B., Eminem and Hayley Williams
Imagine - Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No 1, Jeff Beck and Oumou Sangare
If It Wasn't for Bad - Elton John and Leon Russell
Telephone - Lady Gaga and Beyonce
California Gurls - Katy Perry and Snoop Dogg
Who Will Win: If the veterans don't take it (Elton; the Imagine cast) I see Lady Gaga sneaking away with another one
Who Should Win: When you put a bunch of big names in a movie, the result is usually disappointing. But that wasn't the case when Gaga teamed with Beyonce. If Telephone took home the statue, it would be deserving.
Who I Want to Win: Airplanes was a solid enough song on its own, featuring the attitude of B.o.B. and the beautiful voice of Paramore's Hayley Williams. Adding Eminem made a good song great and it would be cool to see it win.
Best Rock Album
Emotion and Commotion - Jeff Beck
The Resistance - Muse
Backspacer - Pearl Jam
Mojo - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Le Noise - Neil Young
Who Will Win: Muse is up against some veterans, so I think it will be hard for them to pull this one out. Just for name's sake, I see either Petty or Young winning this one.
Who Should Win: Pearl Jam came back with a vengeance, but Muse has the best of this pack.
Who I Want to Win: Think it's pretty obvious at this point. Viva La Resistance!
Best Rock Song
Angry World - Neil Young
Little Lion Man - Mumford and Sons
Radioactive - Kings of Leon
Resistance - Muse
Tighten Up - The Black Keys
Who Will Win: Muse put a lot of effort into maximizing the sound of their latest release. I see it paying off here with them winning this category.
Who Should Win: Muse is deserving, but The Black Keys or Mumford and Sons put out some of the best music not only in the year, but in music. I would stick with them in every category.
Who I Want to Win: Any of these besides Radioactive. Come Around Sundown was a good album, but I just don't feel Radioactive is worthy of a Grammy.
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals
Ready to Start - Arcade Fire
I Put A Spell On You - Jeff Beck and Joss Stone
Tighten Up - The Black Keys
Radioactive - Kings of Leon
Resistance - Muse
Who Will Win: I see this being a toss up between Arcade Fire and Muse. Both have an established credibility and both could ride that to a Grammy win.
Who Should Win: The Black Keys should win every award they were nominated for. And the ones they weren't.
Who I Want to Win: See above statement.
Best Alternative Music Album
The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
Infinite Arms - Band of Horses
Brothers - The Black Keys
Broken Bells - Broken Bells
Contra - Vampire Weekend
Who Will Win: I think the Black Keys have a good shot at taking this one. But Vampire Weekend and Arcade Fire are close competitors. By the way, if you haven't seen the Black Keys and Vampire Weekend on the Colbert Report talking about this award, look that up now.
Who Should Win: Once again, if the Black Keys are nominated, they should take it home. Brothers was that good of an album.
Who I Want to Win: I am a fan of both Vampire Weekend and The Black Keys, so either of them winning would be nice to see. But I still have to go with the Keys.
Best Rap Solo Performance
Over - Drake
Eminem - Not Afraid
How Low - Ludacris
I'm Back - T.I.
Kanye West - Power
Who Will Win: If Eminem doesn't have a predictable dominant performance, Drake is the most likely to take home the trophy. I honestly don't understand how Ludacris and T.I. were nominated. It's not a knock against them, I just feel both have put out much better material.
Who Should Win: Kanye West released Power with just enough time to get it nominated, but not the full length My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Nonetheless, he should take the W here.
Who I Want to Win: Eminem is a much better artist than what Not Afraid showed. Like with Ludacris and T.I., it's not a bad song but Eminem is capable of so much more. With that said, I would like to see either Mr. West or Drake take it home.
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Nothin' On You - B.o.B. and Bruno Mars
Deuces - Chris Brown, Tyga and Kevin McCall
Love the Way You Lie - Eminem and Rihanna
Empire State of Mind - Jay Z and Alicia Keys
Wake Up Everybody - John Legend, The Roots, Melanie Fiona and Common
Who Will Win: It feels like it's overstated at this point, but either Eminem or Jay Z will most likely get the Grammy in this one. Wake Up Everybody would be a nice change of pace.
Who Should Win: Wake Up! was an out-of-nowhere release that should have gotten more attention than it did. Maybe a win here will justify that.
Who I Want to Win: If the Deuces remix was nominated, I would go with that without hesitation. Since it's not, I became a Bruno Mars fan in 2010 and Nothin' On You helped make that happen so it would be nice to see that song win.
Best Rap Album
The Adventures of Bobby Ray - B.o.B.
Thank Me Later - Drake
Recovery - Eminem
The Blueprint 3 - Jay Z
How I Got Over - The Roots
Who Will Win: See all the above comments about Eminem and Jay Z. Em might win this battle.
Who Should Win: Though I haven't personally listened to How I Got Over, I've heard fantastic praise from this Roots release. If what I heard is true, they should winning here.
Who I Want to Win: Though I wouldn't call it the best of the best, I personally enjoyed B.o.B.'s release. Then again, it's hard to argue against Jay Z, who put out another classic.
So there you have it. Look for the Grammy's to be the Eminem Show. But if there is any justice in this musical world, The Black Keys will have a statue (or two) to take home as well.
It will be interesting to see how your predictions pan out. I have to say, I am a huge music fan and I love the Grammy's...but the award itself has sort of lost its luster. Winning or losing doesn't mean much. Some of the best musicians (and by best I don't mean that as an opinion of the ones I love the most), but just in general, some of the most successful, talented, top-grossing, most influential, etc. musicians in all genres haven't EVER been recognized by the Recording Academy. I'll still probably watch though :)
ReplyDeleteI think the Black Keys got robbed on a lot of categories, and they should win whatever they are nominated for. Can I just say I thought Jay Z's BP3 sucked? Seriously. Disappointed in that compared to previous albums. Honestly, every year I feel the Grammy's get it wrong and every year it loses credibility. The artists and music that are deserving aren't awarded unless they are over played as hell or backed by a machine. I mean, Bieber? Really? Bieber is AWFUL. He has maybe 12 songs yet 3 albums of the same songs done differently. It's just disheartening to see that it's not really about talent anymore but how much you can suck out of a fan. /Rant. HA!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100%
ReplyDeleteMy favourite's to listen to for the year: Muse, Eminem, Florence and the Machine... and most recently finding an obsession with Matt and Kim and Tame Impala
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