Sunday, February 13, 2011

My 53rd Grammy Awards Predictions

The 53rd GRAMMY Awards will be tomorrow in Philippine time and as always let me share my predictions who I think will win on the major categories and selected genre categories. ;)

Album of the Year

THE SUBURBS - Arcade Fire
RECOVERY - Eminem
NEED YOU NOW - Lady Antebellum
THE FAME MONSTER - Lady Gaga
TEENAGE DREAM - Katy Perry

Winner: RECOVERY - Eminem
Alternate: THE SUBURBS - Arcade Fire

Eminem is the frontrunner but Arcade Fire's album is the best reviewed among the nominees, I wouldn't be surprised if "The Suburbs" pulls an upset

Record of the Year

NOTHIN' ON YOU - B.o.B feat. Bruno Mars
LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE - Eminem feat. Rihanna
F*** YOU - Cee Lo Green
EMPIRE STATE OF MIND - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
NEED YOU NOW - Lady Antebellum

Winner: NEED YOU NOW - Lady Antebellum
Alternate: LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE - Eminem feat. Rihanna
Personal Pick: EMPIRE STATE OF MIND - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys

4/5 are urban-leaning songs which would easily cancel each other's vote to make way for an easy win for "Need You Now". I placed Eminem as close second because there's a chance that he would dominate the awards and would take this one for his . My personal pick is "Empire State of Mind" because this is for me the song that has the biggest impact in pop culture among the nominees and the one that could stand the test of time.

Song of the Year

BEG STEAL OR BORROW - Ray LaMontagne, songwriter (Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs)
F*** YOU - Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Cee Lo Green)
THE HOUSE THAT BUILT ME - Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE - Alexander Grant, Holly Hafferman & Marshall Mathers, songwriters (Eminem Featuring Rihanna)
NEED YOU NOW - Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)

Winner: F*** YOU
Alternate: LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE
Personal Pick: THE HOUSE THAT BUILT ME

"Need You Now" and "The House That Built Me" would likely divide the country votes. Beg, Steal or Borrow is under the radar but it has an outside chance of an upset since this is the type of song that would likely appeal to the voters. "Love The Way You Lie" could benefit if Eminem will take home a lot of awards but "F*** You" IMO has the best shot at winning simply because this was co-written by Bruno Mars and this is the category that they want to recognize Bruno Mars for his breakout year (if he was eligible for Best New Artist he would easily win). And "F*** You" is such a cleverly written song too :)

Best New Artist

JUSTIN BIEBER
DRAKE
FLORENCE & THE MACHINE
MUMFORD & SONS
ESPERANZA SPALDING

Winner: JUSTIN BIEBER
Alternate: DRAKE
Personal Pick: MUMFORD & SONS

Florence + The Machine could have a shot if she had other nominations but this is her only nomination. Esperanza Spalding's nomination was surprise so she could be a surprising winner too. Mumford & Sons is my wildcard pick they had a Rock Song nod but no Rock Performance or Rock Album nod which made my doubt their chance of winning this big one but I'm rooting for them so I hope they could pull an upset. So the race will now be between Drake & Justin Bieber No solo rap performer has won Best New Artist so Drake could be the first one. And Justin Bieber is not taken seriously because of his hair ubiquity as a teen pop sensation. I'm going out on a limb and predict Bieber will win this, he is backed up by Usher and he got a surprising nomination for Pop Vocal Album with My World 2.0 which tells that he earned some industry respect unlike let's say the Jonas Brothers.

Here are the rest of my predictions for selected categories:

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

KING OF ANYTHING - Sara Bareilles
HALO (LIVE) - Beyoncé
CHASING PIRATES - Norah Jones
BAD ROMANCE - Lady Gaga
TEENAGE DREAM - Katy Perry

Winner: BAD ROMANCE - Lady Gaga
Alternate: TEENAGE DREAM - Katy Perry
Personal Pick: TEENAGE DREAM - Katy Perry

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance

HAVEN'T MET YOU YET - Michael Bublé
THIS IS IT - Michael Jackson
WHATAYA WANT FROM ME - Adam Lambert
JUST THE WAY YOU ARE - Bruno Mars
HALF OF MY HEART - John Mayer

Winner: THIS IS IT - Michael Jackson
Alternate: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE - Bruno Mars
Personal Pick: JUST THE WAY YOU ARE - Bruno Mars

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' (REGIONALS VERSION) - Glee Cast
MISERY - Maroon 5
THE ONLY EXCEPTION - Paramore
BABYFATHER - Sade
HEY, SOUL SISTER (LIVE) - Train

Winner: HEY, SOUL SISTER (LIVE) - Train
Alternate: DON'T STOP BELIEVIN' (REGIONALS VERSION) - Glee Cast
Personal Pick: HEY, SOUL SISTER (LIVE) - Train

Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals

AIRPLANES, PART II - B.o.B, Eminem & Hayley Williams
IMAGINE - Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare
IF IT WASN'T FOR BAD - Elton John & Leon Russell
TELEPHONE - Lady Gaga & Beyoncé
CALIFORNIA GURLS - Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg

Winner: IMAGINE - Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare
Alternate: TELEPHONE - Lady Gaga & Beyoncé
Personal Pick: AIRPLANES, PART II - B.o.B, Eminem & Hayley Williams

Best Pop Vocal Album

MY WORLD 2.0 - Justin Bieber
I DREAMED A DREAM - Susan Boyle
THE FAME MONSTER - Lady Gaga
BATTLE STUDIES - John Mayer
TEENAGE DREAM - Katy Perry

Winner: TEENAGE DREAM - Katy Perry
Alternate: THE FAME MONSTER - Lady Gaga
Personal Pick: BATTLE STUDIES - John Mayer

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

CRAZY LOVE - Michael Bublé
THE GREATEST LOVE SONGS OF ALL TIME - Barry Manilow
LET IT BE ME: MATHIS IN NASHVILLE - Johnny Mathis
FLY ME TO THE MOON…THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOK: VOLUME V - Rod Stewart
LOVE IS THE ANSWER - Barbra Streisand

Winner: CRAZY LOVE - Michael Bublé
Alternate: LOVE IS THE ANSWER - Barbra Streisand
Personal Pick: CRAZY LOVE - Michael Bublé

Best Dance Recording

ROCKET - Goldfrapp
IN FOR THE KILL - La Roux
DANCE IN THE DARK - Lady Gaga
ONLY GIRL (IN THE WORLD) - Rihanna
DANCING ON MY OWN - Robyn

Winner: ONLY GIRL (IN THE WORLD) - Rihanna
Alternate: IN FOR THE KILL - La Roux
Personal Pick: ROCKET - Goldfrapp

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

READY TO START - Arcade Fire
I PUT A SPELL ON YOU - Jeff Beck & Joss Stone
TIGHTEN UP - The Black Keys
RADIOACTIVE - Kings Of Leon
RESISTANCE - Muse

Winner: TIGHTEN UP - The Black Keys
Alternate: READY TO START - Arcade Fire
Personal Pick: RADIOACTIVE - Kings Of Leon

Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance

RUN BACK TO YOUR SIDE - Eric Clapton
CROSSROADS - John Mayer
HELTER SKELTER - Paul McCartney
SILVER RIDER - Robert Plant
ANGRY WORLD - Neil Young

Winner: CROSSROADS - John Mayer
Alternate: ANGRY WORLD - Neil Young

Best Rock Song

ANGRY WORLD - Neil Young, songwriter (Neil Young)
LITTLE LION MAN - Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford & Country Winston, songwriters (Mumford & Sons)
RADIOACTIVE - Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings Of Leon)
RESISTANCE - Matthew Bellamy, songwriter (Muse)
TIGHTEN UP - Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney, songwriters (The Black Keys)

Winner: TIGHTEN UP
Alternate: RESISTANCE
Personal Pick: LITTLE LION MAN

Best Rock Album

EMOTION & COMMOTION - Jeff Beck
THE RESISTANCE - Muse
BACKSPACER - Pearl Jam
MOJO - Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
LE NOISE - Neil Young

Winner: THE RESISTANCE - Muse
Alternate: BACKSPACER - Pearl Jam

Best Alternative Music Album

THE SUBURBS - Arcade Fire
INFINITE ARMS - Band Of Horses
BROTHERS - The Black Keys
BROKEN BELLS - Broken Bells
CONTRA - Vampire Weekend

Winner: THE SUBURBS - Arcade Fire
Alternate: BROTHERS - The Black Keys

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance

GONE ALREADY - Faith Evans
BITTERSWEET - Fantasia
EVERYTHING TO ME - Monica
TIRED - Kelly Price
HOLDING YOU DOWN (GOING IN CIRCLES) - Jazmine Sullivan

Winner: GONE ALREADY - Faith Evans
Alternate: BITTERSWEET - Fantasia

Best Male R&B Vocal Performance

SECOND CHANCE - El DeBarge
FINDING MY WAY BACK - Jaheim
WHY WOULD YOU STAY - Kem
WE'RE STILL FRIENDS - (Kirk Whalum &) Musiq Soulchild
THERE GOES MY BABY - Usher

Winner: THERE GOES MY BABY - Usher
Alternate: WHY WOULD YOU STAY - Kem

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals

LOVE - Chuck Brown, Jill Scott & Marcus Miller
TAKE MY TIME - Chris Brown & Tank
YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND - Ronald Isley & Aretha Franklin
SHINE - John Legend & The Roots
SOLDIER OF LOVE - Sade

Winner: YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND - Ronald Isley & Aretha Franklin
Alternate: SOLDIER OF LOVE - Sade

Best R&B Song

BITTERSWEET - Charles Harmon & Claude Kelly, songwriters (Fantasia)
FINDING MY WAY BACK - Ivan "Orthodox" Barias, Curt Chambers, Carvin "Ransum" Haggins, Jaheim Hoagland & Miquel Jontel, songwriters (Jaheim)
SECOND CHANCE - E. Debarge & Mischke, songwriters (El DeBarge)
SHINE - John Stephens, songwriter (John Legend & The Roots)
WHY WOULD YOU STAY - K. Owens, songwriter (Kem)

Winner: SHINE - John Stephens, songwriter (John Legend & The Roots)
Alternate: SECOND CHANCE - E. Debarge & Mischke, songwriters (El DeBarge)

Best Urban Alternative Performance

LITTLE ONE - Bilal
F*** YOU - Cee Lo Green
ORION - Carolyn Malachi
TIGHTROPE - Janelle Monae & Big Boi
STILL - Eric Roberson

Winner: TIGHTROPE - Janelle Monae & Big Boi
Alternate: F*** YOU - Cee Lo Green

Best R&B Album

THE LOVE & WAR MASTERPEACE - Raheem DeVaughn
BACK TO ME - Fantasia
ANOTHER ROUND - Jaheim
WAKE UP! - John Legend & The Roots
STILL STANDING - Monica

Winner: WAKE UP! - John Legend & The Roots
Alternate: STILL STANDING - Monica

Best Contemporary R&B Album

GRAFFITI - Chris Brown
UNTITLED - R. Kelly
TRANSITION - Ryan Leslie
THE ARCHANDROID - Janelle Monáe
RAYMOND V RAYMOND - Usher

Winner: THE ARCHANDROID - Janelle Monáe
Alternate: RAYMOND V RAYMOND - Usher

Best Rap Solo Performance

OVER - Drake
NOT AFRAID - Eminem
HOW LOW - Ludacris
I'M BACK - T.I.
POWER - Kanye West

Winner: NOT AFRAID - Eminem
Alternate: POWER - Kanye West

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

NOTHIN' ON YOU - B.o.B & Bruno Mars
DEUCES - Chris Brown, Tyga & Kevin McCall
LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE - Eminem & Rihanna
EMPIRE STATE OF MIND - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
WAKE UP! EVERYBODY - John Legend, The Roots, Melanie Fiona & Common

Winner: EMPIRE STATE OF MIND - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
Alternate: LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE - Eminem & Rihanna
Personal Pick: NOTHIN' ON YOU - B.o.B & Bruno Mars

Best Rap Song

EMPIRE STATE OF MIND - Shawn Carter, Angela Hunte, Burt Keyes, Alicia Keys, Jane't "Jnay" Sewell-Ulepic & Alexander Shuckburgh, songwriters (Sylvia Robinson, songwriter) (Jay-Z & Alicia Keys)
LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE - Alexander Grant, Holly Hafferman & Marshall Mathers, songwriters (Eminem & Rihanna)
NOT AFRAID - M. Burnett, J. Evans, Marshall Mathers, L. Resto & M. Samuels, songwriters (Eminem)
NOTHIN' ON YOU - Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Bruno Mars & Bobby Simmons Jr., songwriters (B.o.B & Bruno Mars)
ON TO THE NEXT ONE - Shawn Carter, J. Chaton & K. Dean, songwriters (G. Auge & X. De Rosnay, songwriters) (Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz)

Winner: LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE
Alternate: EMPIRE STATE OF MIND
Personal Pick: EMPIRE STATE OF MIND

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

Winner: RECOVERY - Eminem
Alternate: THE BLUEPRINT 3 - Jay-Z

Best Short Form Music Video

AIN'T NO GRAVE / THE JOHNNY CASH PROJECT - Johnny Cash
LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE (EXPLICIT VERSION) - Eminem feat Rihanna
STYLO - Gorillaz
F*** YOU - Cee Lo Green
BAD ROMANCE - Lady GaGa

Winner: BAD ROMANCE - Lady GaGa
Alternate: LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE (EXPLICIT VERSION) - Eminem feat Rihanna
Personal Pick: STYLO - Gorillaz

Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media

DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS - Randy Newman (The Princess and The Frog)
I SEE YOU - Leona Lewis (Avatar)
KISS LIKE YOUR KISS - Lucinda Williams & Elvis Costello (True Blood)
THIS CITY - Steve Earle (Treme)
THE WEARY KIND - Ryan Bingham (Crazy Heart)

Winner: THE WEARY KIND - Ryan Bingham (Crazy Heart)
Alternate: THIS CITY - Steve Earle (Treme)
Personal Pick: THE WEARY KIND - Ryan Bingham (Crazy Heart)


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