- AC/DC
- Beck and Chris Martin
- Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
- Eric Church
- Brandy Clark and Dwight Yoakam
- Common and John Legend
- Ariana Grande
- Herbie Hancock, John Mayer, Questlove with Ed Sheeran
- Hozier and Annie Lennox
- Jessie J and Tom Jones
- Juanes
- Miranda Lambert
- Lang Lang
- Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani
- Jeff Lynne's ELO
- Madonna
- Katy Perry
- Rihanna, Paul McCartney and Kanye West
- Sia
- Sam Smith and Mary J. Blige
- Usher
- Pharrell Williams
Old names mixed with new names mixed with country names mixed with pop names mixed with hip-hop names etc. etc. etc....
It's going to be a cool night with good songs despite a potential lack of drama. Last year, everyone seemed to walk away happily with an award. This year, some surprising artists with multiple nominations will strike out and I am here to try and figure out who should win the Grammy's and who will win the Grammy's.
Let's begin...
Record of the Year
And the nominees are...
- "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor
- "Chandelier" by Sia
- "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX
- "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift
- "Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)" by Sam Smith
Who should win? "Chandelier"
Who will win? "Chandelier"
A quote from my piece on the 2014 Grammy's... "The Grammy's would like to think that they're hip and current with the times". That quote could be the death of this prediction. If the Grammy's want to pretend they are hip, they will give all of the awards to Taylor Swift BUT, I think they are better than that and one of the two correct options ("Chandelier" and "Stay With Me") will end up winning the award because on a scale from Gilbert Gottfried to Adele in believable Grammy winners, Sia and Sam Smith are much closer to Adele than the generic styles of Swift and Trainor. If anything, this will be a sort of lifetime achievement award for Sia Furler after a career of writing Grammy-winning songs without achieving that goal as a solo artist.
Album of the Year
And the nominees are...
- Beyonce' by Beyonce'
- G I R L by Pharrell Williams
- In The Lonely Hour by Sam Smith
- Morning Phase by Beck
- x by Ed Sheeran
Who should win? Beck
Who will win? Ed Sheeran
I cannot wrap my mind around who will win this award since there is not a bad choice nominated. Personally, I think x is the weakest album of the five and I would be a tad disappointed if Sheeran won this award when the other four are in a whole other tier of being the memorably great albums of 2014. In my Top Albums of 2014 entry, I placed Yonce', Beck, and Sam Smith in my top 10 and I would not be upset if my personal favorite, Beck, ended up losing. Sheeran is a great artist and has grown a following larger than half of the Grammy nominees in less than five years. He has the momentum wave (a mythical thing) in his favor and I think he might just steal Album of the Year.
Song of the Year
And the nominees are...
- "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor
- "All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor
- "Chandelier" by Sia
- "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift
- "Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)" by Sam Smith
- "Take Me To Church" by Hozier
Who should win? "Chandelier"
Who will win? "Chandelier"
"Chandelier" is the best mainstream song of 2014 lyrically, visually and sonically (not even a real word). Song of the Year is more about songwriting than the production and all the other bits and pieces that it takes to make a Record of the Year candidate (see "Fancy"). "Chandelier" is more of a lock in this category than in the former and I believe the Grammy's will give Sia another award. I'm not a fashion person but I am interested to see whether or not Sia conceals her face while accepting awards since, she's been doing that for a full year now.
Best New Artist
And the nominees are...
- Bastille
- Brandy Clark
- Haim
- Iggy Azalea
- Sam Smith
Who should win? Sam Smith
Who will win? Sam Smith
Sam Smith might not have the songwriting talent of last year's nominees but, his voice was a major revelation in the mass public during 2014. Lock it up, he will win this award with Iggy Azalea as the only real competition. (Shout-out to Haim!)
Best Pop Solo Performance
And the nominees are...
- "All Of Me (Live)" by John Legend
- "Chandelier" by Sia
- "Happy (Live)" by Pharrell Williams
- "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift
- "Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)" by Sam Smith
Who should win? "Chandelier"
Who will win? "Happy (Live)"
I have a hunch that the Grammy voters will give some gold to Pharrell as a carry-over from his 2014 Daft Punk co-winnings. Sia and Legend both have a legitimate shot.
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
And the nominees are...
- "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay
- "Bang Bang" by Ariana Grande, Jessie J and Nicki Minaj
- "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry ft. Juicy J
- "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX
- "Say Something" by A Great Big World ft. Christina Aguilera
Who should win? "Say Something"
Who will win? "Fancy"
Only one song from this list is nominated for the big three awards (Record, Song, Album) and that is "Fancy". The song dominated the world's ears for three solid Summer months while no other song made the leap into Song of the Summer status. The rest of the nominees in Pop Duo/Group are generic songs that received nomination due to star-studded face value. "Say Something" is probably the best song of the five but, none are really great and that's a shame.
Best Pop Vocal Album
And the nominees are...
- Bangerz by Miley Cyrus
- Ghost Stories by Coldplay
- In The Lonely Hour by Sam Smith
- My Everything by Ariana Grande
- Prism by Katy Perry
- x by Ed Sheeran
Who should win? Sam Smith
Who will win? Sam Smith
Miley achieved super-duper-star status in 2013 but, as good of pop singles as "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" are, the rest of Bangerz is a complete steaming pile of dog turd of an album. It should not even be nominated for anything except for the musical equivalent of a Razzie. Ghost Stories is the only album that I think is close to Smith's In The Lonely Hour but, it doesn't have the fanfare of the other nominees and is least likely to win the award. Katy Perry tore up the field during Super Bowl XLIX's halftime show but, was ultimately overshadowed by the real MVP of the game... Missy Elliott. Grande has a chance at this award, even though I do not think she has the voters respect as a really talented singer yet and x is the most likely to prove me wrong. x does feature Sheeran's greatest talent in songwriting and making catchy hooks via 2014 MVP (Most Valuable Producer) Pharrell and it could be him versus Smith in a few toss-ups Sunday night.
Best Rock Performance
And the nominees are...
- "Blue Moon" by Beck
- "Do I Wanna Know?" by Arctic Monkeys
- "Fever" by The Black Keys
- "Gimme Something Good" by Ryan Adams
- "Lazaretto" by Jack White
Who should win? "Blue Moon"
Who will win? "Lazaretto"
The award for Best Rock Performance is completely up in the air for grabs. The only person I would consider "out" in this category is mayyyyyyybe Ryan Adams. Jack White is the most "in" right now among those nominated and "Lazaretto" is the most unique song of the bunch. "Blue Moon" is my personal favorite and considering Beck's nomination for Album of the Year, "Blue Moon" has a real chance of winning. The only problem with Beck's song is that it doesn't scream rock and roll as it mostly a soft folk track which, I believe will be it's undoing against powerhouses like White and The Black Keys. Arctic Monkeys had their first smash hit that I actually heard used in commercials in America with "Do I Wanna Know?" but, it's just plain outnumbered this year.
Best Rock Album
And the nominees are...
- Hypnotic Eye by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
- Morning Phase by Beck
- Ryan Adams by Ryan Adams
- Songs by Innocence by U2
- Turn Blue by The Black Keys
Who should win? Beck
Who will win? The Black Keys
Once again, Beck does not fit in the Rock category with Morning Phase as, if anything, it should be listed under the Best Alternative Album category. I think this award will be a coin-flip between U2 and The Black Keys IF (and only if) the voters voted on which album they thought epitomized the rock genre most efficiently.
Best Alternative Music Album
And the nominees are...
- Lazaretto by Jack White
- Melophobia by Cage the Elephant
- Reflektor by Arcade Fire
- St. Vincent by St. Vincent
- This Is All Yours by alt-J
Who should win? Arcade Fire or St. Vincent
Who will win? Probably Jack White
The most anti-climatic/predictable thing for the Grammy's to do (other than hand everything to Taylor Swift) is give this award to Jack White despite having two ELITE albums (Reflektor & St. Vincent) nominated for the same award. Jack White has enough Grammy's and Lazaretto is a Felix Hernandez in a field of Corey Kluber's for a baseball comparison. Hernandez is always fantastic and reliable just like White's music BUT St. Vincent and Arcade Fire are so dominant in how great they are on those albums that, just like with Corey Kluber's 2014 season, you have to give them the award. I don't care which one, just do it.
Best Urban Contemporary Album
And the nominees are...
- Beyonce' by Beyonce'
- G I R L by Pharrell Williams
- Mali is... by Mali Music
- Sail Out by Jhene' Aiko
- X by Chris Brown
Who should win? Beyonce'
Who will win? Beyonce'
Best Rap Performance
And the nominees are...
- "0 to 100/The Catch Up" by Drake
- "3005" by Childish Gambino
- "All I Need Is You" by Lecrae
- "i" by Kendrick Lamar
- "Rap God" by Eminem
Who should win? "3005"
Who will win? "All I Need Is You"
The Grammy's have to throw a curveball in our faces at some point Sunday evening. Compared to last year's field, the nominees for the entire genre of Rap are quite a bit weaker and with Lamar's mixed reviews to "i" and with Gambino's cult following there is not a clear favorite. Best Rap Performance will end up going to the deepest song in terms of meaning behind the song and with Lecrae having already won the Best Gospel Album in 2013, I like his chances of pulling off the biggest upset of the night.
Best Rap Song
And the nominees are...
- "0 to 100/The Catch Up" by Drake
- "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj
- "Bound 2" by Kanye West ft. Charlie Wilson
- "i" by Kendrick Lamar
- "We Dem Boyz" by Wiz Khalifa
Who should win? "Bound 2"
Who will win? "0 to 100/The Catch Up"
Hol' up, hol' up, hol' up... How does Yeezy not get a Grammy when he's performing at their show?! You don't have the answers, Andy! You don't have the answers!
Best Rap Album
And the nominees are...
- Because the Internet by Childish Gambino
- Blacc Hollywood by Wiz Khalifa
- Nobody's Smiling by Common
- Oxymoron by Schoolboy Q
- The Marshall Mathers LP 2 by Eminem
- The New Classic by Iggy Azalea
Who should win? Childish Gambino
Who will win? Common
Common has become an actor and entrepreneur of sorts so, his chances of winning are decent and this is mostly a random choice because the genre was so absent this past year. Azalea probably has the best odds at winning and there's nothing wrong with that. The New Classic isn't a classic but it's not a bad album, it's just sort of out there in the wide world of music. Don't even get me started on Eminem's nomination.
Some final predictions: Frozen sweeps the Visual Media category because people refuse to let it go. Pharrell wins Best Music Video for "Happy" over Sia's "Chandelier". Taylor Swift and Meghan Trainor get shut out because come on, America... we're better than that. It's called the Grammy's, not the Tacky's.
The Grammy Awards show will broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/P
- "Take Me To Church" by Hozier
Who should win? "Chandelier"
Who will win? "Chandelier"
"Chandelier" is the best mainstream song of 2014 lyrically, visually and sonically (not even a real word). Song of the Year is more about songwriting than the production and all the other bits and pieces that it takes to make a Record of the Year candidate (see "Fancy"). "Chandelier" is more of a lock in this category than in the former and I believe the Grammy's will give Sia another award. I'm not a fashion person but I am interested to see whether or not Sia conceals her face while accepting awards since, she's been doing that for a full year now.
Best New Artist
And the nominees are...
- Bastille
- Brandy Clark
- Haim
- Iggy Azalea
- Sam Smith
Who should win? Sam Smith
Who will win? Sam Smith
 |
| Sam Smith might not like being called the "Male Adele" but if he wins a bunch of awards, it's an unavoidable consequence. |
Best Pop Solo Performance
And the nominees are...
- "All Of Me (Live)" by John Legend
- "Chandelier" by Sia
- "Happy (Live)" by Pharrell Williams
- "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift
- "Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)" by Sam Smith
Who should win? "Chandelier"
Who will win? "Happy (Live)"
I have a hunch that the Grammy voters will give some gold to Pharrell as a carry-over from his 2014 Daft Punk co-winnings. Sia and Legend both have a legitimate shot.
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
And the nominees are...
- "A Sky Full of Stars" by Coldplay
- "Bang Bang" by Ariana Grande, Jessie J and Nicki Minaj
- "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry ft. Juicy J
- "Fancy" by Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX
- "Say Something" by A Great Big World ft. Christina Aguilera
Who should win? "Say Something"
Who will win? "Fancy"
Only one song from this list is nominated for the big three awards (Record, Song, Album) and that is "Fancy". The song dominated the world's ears for three solid Summer months while no other song made the leap into Song of the Summer status. The rest of the nominees in Pop Duo/Group are generic songs that received nomination due to star-studded face value. "Say Something" is probably the best song of the five but, none are really great and that's a shame.
Best Pop Vocal Album
And the nominees are...
- Bangerz by Miley Cyrus
- Ghost Stories by Coldplay
- In The Lonely Hour by Sam Smith
- My Everything by Ariana Grande
- Prism by Katy Perry
- x by Ed Sheeran
Who should win? Sam Smith
Who will win? Sam Smith
Miley achieved super-duper-star status in 2013 but, as good of pop singles as "We Can't Stop" and "Wrecking Ball" are, the rest of Bangerz is a complete steaming pile of dog turd of an album. It should not even be nominated for anything except for the musical equivalent of a Razzie. Ghost Stories is the only album that I think is close to Smith's In The Lonely Hour but, it doesn't have the fanfare of the other nominees and is least likely to win the award. Katy Perry tore up the field during Super Bowl XLIX's halftime show but, was ultimately overshadowed by the real MVP of the game... Missy Elliott. Grande has a chance at this award, even though I do not think she has the voters respect as a really talented singer yet and x is the most likely to prove me wrong. x does feature Sheeran's greatest talent in songwriting and making catchy hooks via 2014 MVP (Most Valuable Producer) Pharrell and it could be him versus Smith in a few toss-ups Sunday night.
Best Rock Performance
And the nominees are...
- "Blue Moon" by Beck
- "Do I Wanna Know?" by Arctic Monkeys
- "Fever" by The Black Keys
- "Gimme Something Good" by Ryan Adams
- "Lazaretto" by Jack White
Who should win? "Blue Moon"
Who will win? "Lazaretto"
The award for Best Rock Performance is completely up in the air for grabs. The only person I would consider "out" in this category is mayyyyyyybe Ryan Adams. Jack White is the most "in" right now among those nominated and "Lazaretto" is the most unique song of the bunch. "Blue Moon" is my personal favorite and considering Beck's nomination for Album of the Year, "Blue Moon" has a real chance of winning. The only problem with Beck's song is that it doesn't scream rock and roll as it mostly a soft folk track which, I believe will be it's undoing against powerhouses like White and The Black Keys. Arctic Monkeys had their first smash hit that I actually heard used in commercials in America with "Do I Wanna Know?" but, it's just plain outnumbered this year.
Best Rock Album
And the nominees are...
- Hypnotic Eye by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
- Morning Phase by Beck
- Ryan Adams by Ryan Adams
- Songs by Innocence by U2
- Turn Blue by The Black Keys
Who should win? Beck
Who will win? The Black Keys
Once again, Beck does not fit in the Rock category with Morning Phase as, if anything, it should be listed under the Best Alternative Album category. I think this award will be a coin-flip between U2 and The Black Keys IF (and only if) the voters voted on which album they thought epitomized the rock genre most efficiently.
Best Alternative Music Album
And the nominees are...
- Lazaretto by Jack White
- Melophobia by Cage the Elephant
- Reflektor by Arcade Fire
- St. Vincent by St. Vincent
- This Is All Yours by alt-J
Who should win? Arcade Fire or St. Vincent
Who will win? Probably Jack White
The most anti-climatic/predictable thing for the Grammy's to do (other than hand everything to Taylor Swift) is give this award to Jack White despite having two ELITE albums (Reflektor & St. Vincent) nominated for the same award. Jack White has enough Grammy's and Lazaretto is a Felix Hernandez in a field of Corey Kluber's for a baseball comparison. Hernandez is always fantastic and reliable just like White's music BUT St. Vincent and Arcade Fire are so dominant in how great they are on those albums that, just like with Corey Kluber's 2014 season, you have to give them the award. I don't care which one, just do it.
Best Urban Contemporary Album
And the nominees are...
- Beyonce' by Beyonce'
- G I R L by Pharrell Williams
- Mali is... by Mali Music
- Sail Out by Jhene' Aiko
- X by Chris Brown
Who should win? Beyonce'
Who will win? Beyonce'
Best Rap Performance
And the nominees are...
- "0 to 100/The Catch Up" by Drake
- "3005" by Childish Gambino
- "All I Need Is You" by Lecrae
- "i" by Kendrick Lamar
- "Rap God" by Eminem
Who should win? "3005"
Who will win? "All I Need Is You"
The Grammy's have to throw a curveball in our faces at some point Sunday evening. Compared to last year's field, the nominees for the entire genre of Rap are quite a bit weaker and with Lamar's mixed reviews to "i" and with Gambino's cult following there is not a clear favorite. Best Rap Performance will end up going to the deepest song in terms of meaning behind the song and with Lecrae having already won the Best Gospel Album in 2013, I like his chances of pulling off the biggest upset of the night.
Best Rap Song
And the nominees are...
- "0 to 100/The Catch Up" by Drake
- "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj
- "Bound 2" by Kanye West ft. Charlie Wilson
- "i" by Kendrick Lamar
- "We Dem Boyz" by Wiz Khalifa
Who should win? "Bound 2"
Who will win? "0 to 100/The Catch Up"
Hol' up, hol' up, hol' up... How does Yeezy not get a Grammy when he's performing at their show?! You don't have the answers, Andy! You don't have the answers!
Best Rap Album
And the nominees are...
- Because the Internet by Childish Gambino
- Blacc Hollywood by Wiz Khalifa
- Nobody's Smiling by Common
- Oxymoron by Schoolboy Q
- The Marshall Mathers LP 2 by Eminem
- The New Classic by Iggy Azalea
Who should win? Childish Gambino
Who will win? Common
Common has become an actor and entrepreneur of sorts so, his chances of winning are decent and this is mostly a random choice because the genre was so absent this past year. Azalea probably has the best odds at winning and there's nothing wrong with that. The New Classic isn't a classic but it's not a bad album, it's just sort of out there in the wide world of music. Don't even get me started on Eminem's nomination.
Some final predictions: Frozen sweeps the Visual Media category because people refuse to let it go. Pharrell wins Best Music Video for "Happy" over Sia's "Chandelier". Taylor Swift and Meghan Trainor get shut out because come on, America... we're better than that. It's called the Grammy's, not the Tacky's.
The Grammy Awards show will broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/P
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