The 54th annual Grammy Awards will be presented February 12, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. The nominees are voted on and winners selected by members of the Recording Academy.
The Grammy Awards give out 78 different trophies. These are my predictions of the winners in the general and pop categories.
General
Record of the Year
- Adele - "Rolling In the Deep"
- Bon Iver - "Holocene"
- Bruno Mars - "Grenade"
- Mumford and Sons - "The Cave"
- Katy Perry - "Firework"
It is hard to imagine Adele losing this category. "Rolling In the Deep" truly is a Record of the Year. It set a record for charting on the most different Billboard radio airplay formats ever. "Rolling In the Deep" appealed to the widest range of music afficionados possible.
Album of the Year
- Adele - 21
- Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
- Lady Gaga - Born This Way
- Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops and Hooligans
- Rihanna - Loud
21 does seem like the Album of the Year. It was nearly universally acclaimed by critics and also received the thumbs up from fans represented by being the biggest selling album in a calendar year since 2004. The 2012 Grammy Awards will probably look like a coronation of Adele, and this is one of the prizes.
Song of the Year
- Adele - "Rolling In the Deep"
- Bon Iver - "Holocene"
- Bruno Mars - "Grenade"
- Mumford and Sons - "The Cave"
- Kanye West - "All Of the Lights"
There is no reason to expect an Adele loss in this category either. With all but one of the nominees being the same as the Record of the Year category, it would seem logical to expect the winner to be the same in both categories.
Best New Artist
- The Band Perry
- Bon Iver
- J. Cole
- Nicki Minaj
- Skrillex
This seems to be a very difficult category to call with any of the nominees capable of winning. I will give the nod to the genre, country music, shut out of the top three major awards.
Pop
Best Pop Solo Performance
- Adele - "Someone Like You"
- Lady Gaga - "You and I"
- Bruno Mars - "Grenade"
- Katy Perry - "Firework"
- Pink - "F**kin' Perfect"
Another easy win for Adele here. Her performance of "Someone Like You" live at the MTV Video Awards helped it sweep to #1. It is a standout vocal performance that manages to even rise above most of the rest of the 21 album.
Best Pop Duo or Group Performance
- Tony Bennett with Amy Winehouse - "Body and Soul"
- The Black Keys - "Dearest"
- Coldplay - "Paradise"
- Foster the People - "Pumped Up Kicks"
- Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera - "Moves Like Jagger"
By giving a victory to this recording of "Body and Soul," Grammy voters can simultaneously recognize the all too short singing career and life of Amy Winehouse and the phenomenal six decades of achievement by Tony Bennett. This is clearly a sentimental favorite.
Best Pop Instrumental Album
- Jenny Oaks Baker - Wish Upon a Star
- Daniel Ho - E Kahe Malie
- Booker T. Jones - The Road From Memphis
- Dave Koz - Hello Tomorrow
- Brian Setzer - Setzer Goes Instru-Mental!
Booker T. Jones is a soul and pop music legend with his band Booker T. and the MGs providing backing for many classic records on the Stax label. This award could shine a light on his highly valuable contributions.
Best Pop Vocal Album
- Adele - 21
- Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
- Lady Gaga - Born This Way
- Bruno Mars - Doo-Wops and Hooligans
- Rihanna - Loud
Adele's album is a master class in pop vocal styling. She should have no difficulty taking home another victory in this category. If anyone has an opportunity to sneak in and take this award away it would likely be Bruno Mars' highly praised vocals.
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
- Tony Bennett and Various Artists - Duets II
- Susan Boyle - The Gift
- Harry Connick, Jr. - In Concert On Broadway
- Seth MacFarlane - Music Is Better Than Words
- Barbra Streisand - What Matters the Most
Duets II brought 85 year old Tony Bennett his very first #1 album. It is a musical event with stellar performances on pop standards by both Tony Bennett and his duet partners. It brought music of this category to the widest possible audience and deserves a victory here.