Here is my take on selected categories for the Grammy Awards, which will be handed out this Sunday at Staples Center in LA. Disagree? Let me know your picks.
Album Of The Year
"The Heist" — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
"Red" — Taylor Swift
>WHO SHOULD WIN: I'd have to go with Sara Bareilles for the insightful songwriting.
Record Of The Year
"Get Lucky" — Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
"Radioactive" — Imagine Dragons
"Royals" — Lorde
"Locked Out Of Heaven" — Bruno Mars
"Blurred Lines" — Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Bruno Mars
Song Of The Year
"Just Give Me A Reason" — Jeff Bhasker, Pink & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Pink Featuring Nate Ruess)
"Locked Out Of Heaven" — Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
"Roar" — Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry & Henry Walter, songwriters (Katy Perry)
"Royals" — Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor, songwriters (Lorde)
"Same Love" — Ben Haggerty, Mary Lambert & Ryan Lewis, songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: "Just Give Me A Reason" and "Locked Out Of Heaven" were both memorable, but I'd give it to Pink
Best New Artist
James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Ed Sheeran
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Kacey Musgraves is the most deserving and actually a newcomer.
Best Pop Solo Performance
"Brave" — Sara Bareilles
"Royals" — Lorde
"When I Was Your Man" — Bruno Mars
"Roar" — Katy Perry
"Mirrors" — Justin Timberlake
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Bruno Mars
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
"Get Lucky" — Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
"Just Give Me A Reason" — Pink Featuring Nate Ruess
"Stay" — Rihanna Featuring Mikky Ekko
"Blurred Lines" — Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams
"Suit & Tie" — Justin Timberlake & Jay Z
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Pink Featuring Nate Ruess
Best Pop Vocal Album
"Paradise" — Lana Del Rey
"Pure Heroine" — Lorde
"Unorthodox Jukebox" — Bruno Mars
"Blurred Lines" — Robin Thicke
"The 20/20 Experience – The Complete Experience" — Justin Timberlake
>WHO SHOULD WIN: "Unorthodox Jukebox" — Bruno Mars
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
"Viva Duets" — Tony Bennett & Various Artists
"To Be Loved" — Michael Bublé
"The Standards" — Gloria Estefan
"Cee Lo's Magic Moment" — Cee Lo Green
"Now" — Dionne Warwick
>WHO SHOULD WIN: "To Be Loved" — Michael Bublé
Best Rock Performance
"Always Alright" — Alabama Shakes
"The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" — David Bowie
"Radioactive" — Imagine Dragons
"Kashmir" (Live) — Led Zeppelin
"My God Is The Sun" — Queens Of The Stone Age
"I'm Shakin'" — Jack White
>WHO SHOULD WIN: David Bowie made a strong return and should be rewarded.
Best Rock Album
"13" — Black Sabbath
"The Next Day" — David Bowie
"Mechanical Bull" — Kings Of Leon
"Celebration Day" — Led Zeppelin
"…Like Clockwork" — Queens Of The Stone Age
"Psychedelic Pill" — Neil Young With Crazy Horse
>WHO SHOULD WIN: This is a tough category, but I'd go again with Bowie
Best Rock Song
"Ain't Messin 'Round" -- Gary Clark Jr., songwriter (Gary Clark Jr.)
"Cut Me Some Slack" -- Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Krist Novoselic & Pat Smear, songwriters (Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear)
"Doom And Gloom" -- Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, songwriters (The Rolling Stones)
"God Is Dead?" -- Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi & Ozzy Osbourne, songwriters (Black Sabbath)
"Panic Station" -- Matthew Bellamy, songwriter (Muse)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Both Muse and Gary Clark Jr. made the most memorable songs here. I'd give it to Muse.
Best Alternative Music Album
"The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You" -- Neko Case
"Trouble Will Find Me" -- The National
"Hesitation Marks" -- Nine Inch Nails
"Lonerism" -- Tame Impala
"Modern Vampires Of The City" -- Vampire Weekend
>WHO SHOULD WIN: A lot of tough competition, but Vampire Weekend released a stunner.
Best Country Solo Performance
"I Drive Your Truck" — Lee Brice
"I Want Crazy" — Hunter Hayes
"Mama's Broken Heart" — Miranda Lambert
"Wagon Wheel" — Darius Rucker
"Mine Would Be You" — Blake Shelton
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Lee Brice's tune is a real tearjerker and should snag it.
Best Country Album
Night Train — Jason Aldean
Two Lanes Of Freedom — Tim McGraw
Same Trailer Different Park — Kacey Musgraves
Based On A True Story — Blake Shelton
Red — Taylor Swift
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Kacey Musgraves' album was the most solid throughout, whereas the others had some filler.
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
"From This Valley"— The Civil Wars
"Don't Rush" — Kelly Clarkson Featuring Vince Gill
"Your Side Of The Bed" — Little Big Town
"Highway Don't Care" — Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift & Keith Urban
"You Can't Make Old Friends" — Kenny Rogers With Dolly Parton
>WHO SHOULD WIN: This is a fairly tough one. I'd go with Kenny & Dolly tender reunion.
Best Country Song (A Songwriters Award)
"Begin Again" — Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
"I Drive Your Truck" — Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington & Jimmy Yeary, songwriters (Lee Brice)
"Mama's Broken Heart" — Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally & Kacey Musgraves, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
"Merry Go 'Round" — Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
"Mine Would Be You" — Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington & Deric Ruttan, songwriters (Blake Shelton)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: This is between Lee Brice (for the reason mentioned above) and Kacey Musgraves. I'd give it to the latter for the shrewd wordplay.
Best Americana Album
Old Yellow Moon — Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Love Has Come For You — Steve Martin & Edie Brickell
Buddy And Jim — Buddy Miller And Jim Lauderdale
One True Vine — Mavis Staples
Songbook — Allen Toussaint
>WHO SHOULD WIN: The reunion between old music partners Harris & Crowell was solid.
Best Song Written For Visual Media
"Atlas" from "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" -- Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay)
"Silver Lining" from "Silver Linings Playbook" -- Diane Warren, songwriter (Jessie J)
"Skyfall" from "Skyfall"-- Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)
"We Both Know" from "Safe Haven" -- Colbie Caillat & Gavin DeGraw, songwriters (Colbie Caillat Featuring Gavin DeGraw)
"Young And Beautiful" from "The Great Gatsby" --Lana Del Rey & Rick Nowels, songwriters (Lana Del Rey)
"You've Got Time" from Orange Is The New Black – Regina Spektor, songwriter (Regina Spektor)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Coldplay
Best Recording Package
Automatic Music Can Be Fun — Mike Brown, Zac Decamp, Brian Grunert & Annie Stoll, art directors (Geneseo)
Long Night Moon — Sarah Dodds & Shauna Dodds, art directors (Reckless Kelly)
Magna Carta... Holy Grail — Brian Roettinger, art director (Jay-Z)
Metallica Through The Never (Music From The Motion Picture) — Bruce Duckworth, Sarah Moffat & David Turner, art directors (Metallica)
The Next Day — Jonathan Barnbrook, art director (David Bowie)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: David Bowie's cover was minimalist recycling at its best. Made you think, 'wait, haven't I seen this before?'
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
The Brussels Affair — Charles Dooher & Scott Sandler, art directors (The Rolling Stones)
How Do You Do (Limited Edition Box Set) — Mayer Hawthorne, art director (Mayer Hawthorne)
The Road To Red Rocks (Special Edition) — Ross Stirling, art director (Mumford & Sons)
The Smith Tapes — Masaki Koike, art director (Various Artists)
Wings Over America (Deluxe Edition) — Simon Earith & James Musgrave, art directors (Paul McCartney and Wings)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Paul McCartney and Wings
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Rob Cavallo — "All That Echoes" (Josh Groban), "Bright Lights" (Gary Clark Jr.). "¡Dos!" (Green Day), "If I Loved You" (Delta Rae featuring Lindsey Buckingham), "Love They Say" (Tegan and Sara), "Things Are Changin'" (Gary Clark Jr.), "¡Tré!" (Green Day), "When My Train Pulls In" (Gary Clark Jr.), "You've Got Time" (Regina Spektor)
Dr. Luke — "Bounce It" (Juicy J Featuring Wale & Trey Songz), "Crazy Kids" (Kesha), "Fall Down (will.i.am featuring Miley Cyrus), "Give It 2 U" (Robin Thicke featuring Kendrick Lamar), "Like Nobody´s Around" (Big Time Rush) , "Roar" (Katy Perry), "Rock Me" (One Direction), "Wrecking Ball" (Miley Cyrus)
Ariel Rechtshaid — "Days Are Gone" (Haim), "Everything Is Embarrassing" (Sky Ferreira), "Lost in My Bedroom" (Sky Ferreira), "Modern Vampires of the City" (Vampire Weekend), "Reincarnated" (Snoop Lion), "True Romance" (Charli XCX), "You're No Good" (Major Lazer featuring Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Danielle Haim and Yasmin)
Jeff Tweedy — "The Invisible Way" (Low), "One True Vine" (Mavis Staples), "Wassaic Way" (Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion)
Pharrell Williams — "BBC" (Jay-Z), "Blurred Lines" (Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell), "Happy" (Pharrell Williams), "I Can't Describe (The Way I Feel)" (Jennifer Hudson featuring T.I.), "Nuclear" (Destiny's Child), "Oceans" (Jay-Z featuring Frank Ocean), "Reach Out Richard" (Mayer Hawthorne), "The Stars Are Ours" (Mayer Hawthorne)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Rob Cavallo had a hand in some of the best 2011-12 albums.
Album Of The Year
"The Blessed Unrest" — Sara Bareilles
"Random Access Memories" — Daft Punk
"Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" — Kendrick Lamar
"The Heist" — Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
"Red" — Taylor Swift
>WHO SHOULD WIN: I'd have to go with Sara Bareilles for the insightful songwriting.
Record Of The Year
"Get Lucky" — Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
"Radioactive" — Imagine Dragons
"Royals" — Lorde
"Locked Out Of Heaven" — Bruno Mars
"Blurred Lines" — Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Bruno Mars
Song Of The Year
"Just Give Me A Reason" — Jeff Bhasker, Pink & Nate Ruess, songwriters (Pink Featuring Nate Ruess)
"Locked Out Of Heaven" — Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
"Roar" — Lukasz Gottwald, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, Katy Perry & Henry Walter, songwriters (Katy Perry)
"Royals" — Joel Little & Ella Yelich O'Connor, songwriters (Lorde)
"Same Love" — Ben Haggerty, Mary Lambert & Ryan Lewis, songwriters (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Mary Lambert)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: "Just Give Me A Reason" and "Locked Out Of Heaven" were both memorable, but I'd give it to Pink
Best New Artist
James Blake
Kendrick Lamar
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Ed Sheeran
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Kacey Musgraves is the most deserving and actually a newcomer.
Best Pop Solo Performance
"Brave" — Sara Bareilles
"Royals" — Lorde
"When I Was Your Man" — Bruno Mars
"Roar" — Katy Perry
"Mirrors" — Justin Timberlake
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Bruno Mars
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
"Get Lucky" — Daft Punk & Pharrell Williams
"Just Give Me A Reason" — Pink Featuring Nate Ruess
"Stay" — Rihanna Featuring Mikky Ekko
"Blurred Lines" — Robin Thicke Featuring T.I. & Pharrell Williams
"Suit & Tie" — Justin Timberlake & Jay Z
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Pink Featuring Nate Ruess
Best Pop Vocal Album
"Paradise" — Lana Del Rey
"Pure Heroine" — Lorde
"Unorthodox Jukebox" — Bruno Mars
"Blurred Lines" — Robin Thicke
"The 20/20 Experience – The Complete Experience" — Justin Timberlake
>WHO SHOULD WIN: "Unorthodox Jukebox" — Bruno Mars
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
"Viva Duets" — Tony Bennett & Various Artists
"To Be Loved" — Michael Bublé
"The Standards" — Gloria Estefan
"Cee Lo's Magic Moment" — Cee Lo Green
"Now" — Dionne Warwick
>WHO SHOULD WIN: "To Be Loved" — Michael Bublé
Best Rock Performance
"Always Alright" — Alabama Shakes
"The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" — David Bowie
"Radioactive" — Imagine Dragons
"Kashmir" (Live) — Led Zeppelin
"My God Is The Sun" — Queens Of The Stone Age
"I'm Shakin'" — Jack White
>WHO SHOULD WIN: David Bowie made a strong return and should be rewarded.
Best Rock Album
"13" — Black Sabbath
"The Next Day" — David Bowie
"Mechanical Bull" — Kings Of Leon
"Celebration Day" — Led Zeppelin
"…Like Clockwork" — Queens Of The Stone Age
"Psychedelic Pill" — Neil Young With Crazy Horse
>WHO SHOULD WIN: This is a tough category, but I'd go again with Bowie
Best Rock Song
"Ain't Messin 'Round" -- Gary Clark Jr., songwriter (Gary Clark Jr.)
"Cut Me Some Slack" -- Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Krist Novoselic & Pat Smear, songwriters (Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear)
"Doom And Gloom" -- Mick Jagger & Keith Richards, songwriters (The Rolling Stones)
"God Is Dead?" -- Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi & Ozzy Osbourne, songwriters (Black Sabbath)
"Panic Station" -- Matthew Bellamy, songwriter (Muse)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Both Muse and Gary Clark Jr. made the most memorable songs here. I'd give it to Muse.
Best Alternative Music Album
"The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You" -- Neko Case
"Trouble Will Find Me" -- The National
"Hesitation Marks" -- Nine Inch Nails
"Lonerism" -- Tame Impala
"Modern Vampires Of The City" -- Vampire Weekend
>WHO SHOULD WIN: A lot of tough competition, but Vampire Weekend released a stunner.
Best Country Solo Performance
"I Drive Your Truck" — Lee Brice
"I Want Crazy" — Hunter Hayes
"Mama's Broken Heart" — Miranda Lambert
"Wagon Wheel" — Darius Rucker
"Mine Would Be You" — Blake Shelton
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Lee Brice's tune is a real tearjerker and should snag it.
Best Country Album
Night Train — Jason Aldean
Two Lanes Of Freedom — Tim McGraw
Same Trailer Different Park — Kacey Musgraves
Based On A True Story — Blake Shelton
Red — Taylor Swift
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Kacey Musgraves' album was the most solid throughout, whereas the others had some filler.
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
"From This Valley"— The Civil Wars
"Don't Rush" — Kelly Clarkson Featuring Vince Gill
"Your Side Of The Bed" — Little Big Town
"Highway Don't Care" — Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift & Keith Urban
"You Can't Make Old Friends" — Kenny Rogers With Dolly Parton
>WHO SHOULD WIN: This is a fairly tough one. I'd go with Kenny & Dolly tender reunion.
Best Country Song (A Songwriters Award)
"Begin Again" — Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
"I Drive Your Truck" — Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington & Jimmy Yeary, songwriters (Lee Brice)
"Mama's Broken Heart" — Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally & Kacey Musgraves, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
"Merry Go 'Round" — Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
"Mine Would Be You" — Jessi Alexander, Connie Harrington & Deric Ruttan, songwriters (Blake Shelton)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: This is between Lee Brice (for the reason mentioned above) and Kacey Musgraves. I'd give it to the latter for the shrewd wordplay.
Best Americana Album
Old Yellow Moon — Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell
Love Has Come For You — Steve Martin & Edie Brickell
Buddy And Jim — Buddy Miller And Jim Lauderdale
One True Vine — Mavis Staples
Songbook — Allen Toussaint
>WHO SHOULD WIN: The reunion between old music partners Harris & Crowell was solid.
Best Song Written For Visual Media
"Atlas" from "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" -- Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters (Coldplay)
"Silver Lining" from "Silver Linings Playbook" -- Diane Warren, songwriter (Jessie J)
"Skyfall" from "Skyfall"-- Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth, songwriters (Adele)
"We Both Know" from "Safe Haven" -- Colbie Caillat & Gavin DeGraw, songwriters (Colbie Caillat Featuring Gavin DeGraw)
"Young And Beautiful" from "The Great Gatsby" --Lana Del Rey & Rick Nowels, songwriters (Lana Del Rey)
"You've Got Time" from Orange Is The New Black – Regina Spektor, songwriter (Regina Spektor)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Coldplay
Best Recording Package
Automatic Music Can Be Fun — Mike Brown, Zac Decamp, Brian Grunert & Annie Stoll, art directors (Geneseo)
Long Night Moon — Sarah Dodds & Shauna Dodds, art directors (Reckless Kelly)
Magna Carta... Holy Grail — Brian Roettinger, art director (Jay-Z)
Metallica Through The Never (Music From The Motion Picture) — Bruce Duckworth, Sarah Moffat & David Turner, art directors (Metallica)
The Next Day — Jonathan Barnbrook, art director (David Bowie)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: David Bowie's cover was minimalist recycling at its best. Made you think, 'wait, haven't I seen this before?'
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
The Brussels Affair — Charles Dooher & Scott Sandler, art directors (The Rolling Stones)
How Do You Do (Limited Edition Box Set) — Mayer Hawthorne, art director (Mayer Hawthorne)
The Road To Red Rocks (Special Edition) — Ross Stirling, art director (Mumford & Sons)
The Smith Tapes — Masaki Koike, art director (Various Artists)
Wings Over America (Deluxe Edition) — Simon Earith & James Musgrave, art directors (Paul McCartney and Wings)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Paul McCartney and Wings
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Rob Cavallo — "All That Echoes" (Josh Groban), "Bright Lights" (Gary Clark Jr.). "¡Dos!" (Green Day), "If I Loved You" (Delta Rae featuring Lindsey Buckingham), "Love They Say" (Tegan and Sara), "Things Are Changin'" (Gary Clark Jr.), "¡Tré!" (Green Day), "When My Train Pulls In" (Gary Clark Jr.), "You've Got Time" (Regina Spektor)
Dr. Luke — "Bounce It" (Juicy J Featuring Wale & Trey Songz), "Crazy Kids" (Kesha), "Fall Down (will.i.am featuring Miley Cyrus), "Give It 2 U" (Robin Thicke featuring Kendrick Lamar), "Like Nobody´s Around" (Big Time Rush) , "Roar" (Katy Perry), "Rock Me" (One Direction), "Wrecking Ball" (Miley Cyrus)
Ariel Rechtshaid — "Days Are Gone" (Haim), "Everything Is Embarrassing" (Sky Ferreira), "Lost in My Bedroom" (Sky Ferreira), "Modern Vampires of the City" (Vampire Weekend), "Reincarnated" (Snoop Lion), "True Romance" (Charli XCX), "You're No Good" (Major Lazer featuring Santigold, Vybz Kartel, Danielle Haim and Yasmin)
Jeff Tweedy — "The Invisible Way" (Low), "One True Vine" (Mavis Staples), "Wassaic Way" (Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion)
Pharrell Williams — "BBC" (Jay-Z), "Blurred Lines" (Robin Thicke featuring T.I. & Pharrell), "Happy" (Pharrell Williams), "I Can't Describe (The Way I Feel)" (Jennifer Hudson featuring T.I.), "Nuclear" (Destiny's Child), "Oceans" (Jay-Z featuring Frank Ocean), "Reach Out Richard" (Mayer Hawthorne), "The Stars Are Ours" (Mayer Hawthorne)
>WHO SHOULD WIN: Rob Cavallo had a hand in some of the best 2011-12 albums.
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