My Grammy Predictions

Alright, these aren't my Vegas choices, this is more who I think should win, not who I think is going to win. I know I've already blogged about the Grammys, but hey, it's the Grammys; give me a break.

Let's start with RECORD of the year. In case you're wondering what the difference between Record of the Year and Song of the Year is I'll fill you in. Record of the Year is given to the artist AND the producers/mixers/sound engineers. Song of the Year is purely a songwriters award given to the folks that wrote the track. Alright now that we've got that ironed out, let's look at the nominees:

-Halo, Beyonce
-I Gotta Feeling, Black Eyed Peas
-Use Somebody- Kings of Leon
-Poker Face- Lady Gaga
-You Belong With Me- Taylor Swift

My Pick: Poker Face, Lady Gaga. This chick is awesome. Wanna know why? She can REALLY sing, she can REALLY play the piano and she can REALLY be creative. Maybe too creative? Either way, her strange music videos and wardrobe mostly made of things not meant to be worn make her stand out in a coveryourselfinbloodandhangyourselfattheVMA's kind-of-way. She's a pioneer and has more talent that any other woman in show business in my opinion.

Next up, Album of the Year. Nominees:

I Am...Sasha Fierce, Beyonce
The E.N.D., Black Eyed Peas
The Fame, Lady Gaga
Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King, Dave Matthews Band
Fearless, Taylor Swift

My Pick: Fearless, Taylor Swift. Who am I pulling for? Dave Matthews Band. There is not a more deserving band in the business. after the death of their original saxophone player Leroi Moore, the band put out an incredible CD dedicated in his honor. Their music is not like any other group today. It's involved, with meaningful, cryptic lyrics, and I'd say easily one of the biggest band names of all time. But back to T-Swift. Everyone is tired of her scooping up all the awards, but there's a reason for it. She has an ability to connect with people through her songs all written by her, both music and lyrics. You don't see that too often any more with female soloists. The down side to her music, she's not that good at guitar. Almost all of her songs consist of four chords and all sound, let's be honest, the exact same. Still, I'll admit that I know most of the words to this album and Taylor has had a bigger year than any other artist.

Song of the Year, nominees:

Poker Face, Lady Gaga
Pretty Wings, Maxwell
Use Somebody, Kings of Leon
You Belong With Me, Taylor Swift
Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), Beyonce

My Pick: Use Somebody. If my 2009 was a movie, Use Somebody would be the title track. It's just good. It's a fresh sound, it's put together well, their concert was incredible and you couldn't go into a Jamba Juice without hearing it on their stereo. One of my favorite comments of 2009 was, "Hey, have you heard about that new band, Kings of Leon?" They formed in 1999. These guys are deserving. The End.

Best New Artist, nominees:
Zac Brown Band
Keri Hilson
MGMT
The Ting Ti....alright, I could care less about this category. There's always a stand out group in this category and this year I don't know what to think. MGMT has been together since 2005 and Electric Feel is one of the best songs ever, but they're not a new artist. Zac Brown Band's album is so cheesy they sell it at Kroger next to the Gouda and Monterey Jack. The Ting Tings....their name is The Ting Tings, that's all I got. How about Owl City, Cobra Starship, Kid Cudi? They all had big songs and are actually new artists. None of the nominated artists even had peak songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, unless you want to include Keri Hilson just because she had Kanye and Ne-Yo behind her. Alright, I pick Zac Brown Band.

Don't miss the Grammy's Sunday night CBS 8pm.

-JAI