With
the approach of spring comes the onslaught of celebrity award shows, and
“Music's Biggest Night” is the Grammy Awards. Each year we are treated to a
massively long speech about downloading and the state of music today, obnoxious
fashion, an annual appearance by either Bonnie Raitt or Stevie Wonder, and
scandals, such as in 2009 when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s award
acceptance speech. Then, of course, there are the awards themselves, which
always seem to be an afterthought. This year the Grammys return in full-force,
hosted by LL Cool J. Here, then, is a breakdown of the biggest and most
intriguing categories.
RECORD
OF THE YEAR & SONG OF THE YEAR
Often
times, the nominees for Record of the Year and Song of the Year are near
identical. In the past, recipients of one category have had about a 50 per cent
chance of picking up the other.
This
year, both categories share four nominees: Adele's "Rolling in the
Deep"; Bruno Mars' “Grenade”; Bon Iver's "Holocene"; and Mumford
& Sons' "The Cave". The only difference is that the Song
category, which is awarded to the songwriter, also features Kanye West's
"All of the Lights", whereas the Record category, which is awarded to
the artist and producer, includes Katy Perry's "Firework".
If
the Grammy committee is looking to actually honour the song with the biggest
impact on the musical landscape, they'll give it to Adele. Personally, I'd go
with Bon Iver, but he may be too obscure to scoop this up. Record of the Year is
one of the most versatile categories, with recent winners ranging from Coldplay
to Green Day to Norah Jones. In Song of the Year, West's "Lights"
stands a good chance, given its multiple superstar vocalists, including Rihanna
and Elton John.
All
of the nominees are quite distinct, so all the voters need to choose is which
style to reward, whether soulful (Adele), a use of vocal register ("Grenade"),
or folksy ("The Cave"). But guaranteed, West and his crew are walking
away with this one.
ALBUM
OF THE YEAR
Has
there been a more hyped and promoted album in recent years than Born This
Way, Lady Gaga's
homage to equality and self-appreciation? It's doubtful. This is her third
nomination in a row, being squashed out in 2010 by Taylor Swift, and in 2011
when underdog nominee Arcade Fire took home the prize. However, Adele's 21 was the top selling and most
single-producing, appealing to a much wider audience.
Last
year's win was an upset for major nominees including Eminem and Katy Perry.
This year sees a rock inclusion from Foo Fighters, and other top 40 stars Bruno
Mars and Rihanna. Given that Gaga's singles didn't pan out for any nominations,
I'm betting on seeing a wacky gown up on that stage.
BEST
NEW ARTIST
The
category's title is a bit misleading, and actually rewards "the first
recording which establishes the public identity of that artist", which may
not necessarily be the first release from that artist. Sometimes the winners go
on to make a massive splash, with recipients ranging from The Beatles to Mariah
Carey. Sometimes, an artist like Hootie & the Blowfish, who faded into
obscurity, beats out eventual career artists like Shania Twain and Alanis
Morissette.
This
year, dubstep electronic artist Skrillex, enchanting indie woodsman Bon Iver,
the new First Lady of rap Nicki Minaj, R&B artist J. Cole, and country act
The Band Perry round up the nominations. It may come down to a hair, but I'm betting
on Bon Iver to squeak out a narrow win over Minaj.
BEST
DANCE/ELECTRONICA ALBUM
There
are some solid offerings here, such as Cut Copy's Zonoscope, which would be my personal
choice. The likely pick will be favourite David Guetta, who has literally
collaborated with every major pop and R&B artist in Billboard's Top 100 at
this point. Also featured are Robyn, who has made a massive splash with her
three-album Body Talk project, Skrillex, and the maybe-slightly-passe DJ act
deadmau5.
POP
SOLO PERFORMANCE
Interestingly,
this is the first year that combines genders for the category, and both winners
in the Male and Female Pop Vocal Performance category last year, Lady Gaga and
Bruno Mars, are present among the nominees in this new consolidated category.
Fellow contenders Adele and Katy Perry make the list a competitive one, as all
four of those artists are also represented in the other big categories.
The
pop music radar is surely showing to be a woman's world, at least for the time
being, with Pink tossed in as the fifth nominee here, leaving Mars as the sole
male in the category. Though a pop phenomenon, Gaga's "You and I"
failed to make a mainstream splash, leaving Adele and Perry fighting for the
finish line in this one.
POP
DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
Last
year Bruno Mars shocked viewers by beating Michael Jackson in the only category
he was posthumously nominated for. What will happen to the final nomination for
Amy Winehouse, who is represented here for her duet of "Body and Soul"
with Tony Bennett?
Other
nominated songs in the category were huge chart toppers, including Foster the
People's "Pumped Up Kicks" and Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger".
Coldplay and The Black Keys are also represented here, but it's likely to come
down to either "Jagger" or "Soul", as both feature artists
with previous Grammy wins.
BEST
RAP ALBUM
Before
the nominations for this year were announced, Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark
Twisted Fantasy was
a huge buzz album that made it on essentially every critic's year-end list for
2010. But despite massive critical appeal and chart success, West abandoned the
album early in 2011 and never even toured with it. Instead he focused in on his
Watch The Throne collaborative
album with Jay-Z. Both discs are nominated in this category, and neither of
them are up for best album.
Will
the academy go for West's solo artistic opus or the crunchy duets album? The
real clincher here is the inclusion of rap's artsy bad girl Nicki Minaj with
her Pink Friday release.
Lil Wayne and Lupe Fiasco round out the category, but I'm certain Throne will pull out on top.
//JJ Brewis, art director
//Graphics by Shannon Elliott
//JJ Brewis, art director
//Graphics by Shannon Elliott
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