By Steve Kandell
Source: SPIN
The 52nd annual Grammy Awards feature an amazing roster of performers, including Green Day, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and many more. (Watch the show Sunday, Jan.31, at 8 p.m. on CBS.) And, it turns out, the Recording Academy is also giving out a few shiny awards.
Below, read our predictions for who should win and who will win. Then post your comment.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Beyonce, I Am Sasha Fierce
Black Eyed Peas, The E.N.D.
Lady Gaga, The Fame
Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey…
Taylor Swift, Fearless
Who Will Win: Taylor Swift. The only thing Grammy voters love as much as very old people is very young people. But don’t count out Lady Gaga — her Best New Artist snub may meet with gaudy overcompensation.
Who Should Win: Though it is somewhat shocking to us at SPIN to see a Grammy best-album discussion that doesn’t involve Animal Collective (not really), the backlash against America’s sweetheart will not begin in this space.
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Poker Face,” Lady Gaga
“Pretty Wings,” Maxwell
“Single Ladies,” Beyonce
“Use Somebody,” Kings of Leon
“You Belong With Me,” Taylor Swift
Who Will Win: Beyonce. Finally, the year’s most irresistible single gets its due.
Who Should Win: Those shaggy Followill boys with their tight jeans might still be a little too edgy for the big awards. But if we’re talking ubiquity, “Use Somebody” has gotta be up there, right?
RECORD OF THE YEAR
“Halo,” Beyonce
“I Gotta Feeling,” Black Eyed Peas
“Use Somebody,” Kings of Leon
“Poker Face,” Lady Gaga
“You Belong With Me,” Taylor Swift
Who Will Win: Still not sure how this is different from Song of the Year, but since three of the five songs are nominated in both, it stands to be one of those. So…Taylor? “Hey grandpa, what’s a ‘record?'”
Who Should Win: Gaga. Fingers crossed for a gown comprised solely of diamond-studded Fozzie Bears.
BEST NEW ARTIST
Zac Brown Band
Keri Hilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings
Who Will Win: Keri Hilson has all the right guest appearances and all the right support, but have you ever heard anyone sound truly excited about her? Exactly — meet your 2010 Best New Artist.
Who Should Win: Although the album came out more than two years ago, MGMT are the closest thing on this list to a burgeoning young rock band that might have their most interesting work in front of them. And as long as we’re nominating acts on their second album — hello, Silversun Pickups — Bat For Lashes and Grizzly Bear deserve an apology letter on NARAS letterhead for the snub. And that Lady Gaga character seems pretty new — it’s too bad she flopped so badly.
BEST RAP ALBUM
Common, Universal Mind Control
Eminem, Relapse
Flo Rida, R.O.O.T.S
Mos Def, The Ecstatic
Q-Tip, The Renaissance
Who Will Win: Eminem. Out of sheer force of habit and little else. Also, Grammy voters love their pills.
Who Should Win: Mos Def may never sell gaudy Jay-Z or Eminem numbers, but he’s a lifer who’s managing to put out some of his best work at a point in his career when he could be coasting off movie roles. And we’re sure there’s a good reason that The Blueprint III can have two singles in the Best Rap Song category, but the album isn’t nominated, but we couldn’t tell you what it is.
BEST RAP SONG
“Best I Ever Had,” Drake
“Day N Nite,” Kid Cudi
“Dead and Gone,” TI and JT
“D.O.A.,” Jay-Z
“Run This Town,” Jay-Z
Who Will Win: “Run This Town” — although the two Jay-Z songs should ostensibly cancel one another out, this one will get the nod over the more gimmicky “D.O.A.” Which we will all forget about until next year, when “Empire State of Mind” somehow wins this category despite being from the same album.
Who Should Win: “Best I Ever Had” felt like the opening gambit in what could be a long, intriguing career, so why not mark it with a trophy? But Kid Cudi feels like a rare progressive inclusion. T-Pain must be pissed.
