Wednesday, February 2, 2011

2011 Grammy Predictions


Once again, it’s that time of the year, Grammy time. Every year I watch the Grammys with much anticipation. I look forward to the performances, the awards, and the speeches. It’s a night to celebrate the music we all love and sometimes it’s a celebration of the music we love to hate. The Grammys are a real treat that I enjoy year after year. As in years past, it’s time for my predictions on who will win the Grammy.

Want to see my track record for predictions? Here’s a link to my 2010 predictions, and a link to my recap of the 2009 show. The Grammy awards are on Sunday, February 13th, a mere two weeks away. Tune in to see how your cousin Ryo’s predictions turned out.

Record Of The Year
My first problem with this category is that Empire State Of Mind came out in 2009 if I’m not mistaken. I can remember hearing it being performed during the Yankees celebration parade for winning the 2009 World Series. So then, how is this song nominated for a 2010 Grammy?

Nominees:
Nothin’ On You – B.O.B. featuring Bruno Mars
Love The Way You Lie – Eminem featuring Rhianna
F*** You – Cee Lo Green
Empire State of Mind – Jay Z and Alicia Keys
Need You Now – Lady Antebellum

Ryo Wants:
Empire State Of Mind. Even if it technically shouldn’t be eligible for this category, it is my favorite song of the five. It’s also a song that I can listen to over and over and over again, especially when Alicia Keys kicks it into high.

The Grammy Will Go To:
Eminem. I expect that he will win most of the awards that he is nominated for.

Album Of The Year
This category is stacked and probably the hardest to pick from. There are some excellent albums to choose from by some incredible artists.

Nominees:
The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
Recovery – Eminem
Need You Know – Lady Antebellum
The Fame Monster – Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream – Katy Perry

Ryo Wants:
The Suburbs. Arcade Fire put out an exceptional album that is a large part of my current rotation. If you get one Grammy nominated album before the show, this is the one to buy.

The Grammy Will Go To:
Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster. While I respect that Eminem’s disc will give her a run for her money, I still think this is the album that will take home the trophy.

Song Of The Year
There’s quite a different blend for song of the year. Just seeing Ray Lamontagne nominated makes me feel great. He’s an artist that doesn’t get nearly the amount of recognition he deserves. And of course, Eminem is nominated in this category as well.

Nominees:
Beg Steal or Borrow – Ray Lamontagne
F*** You – Cee Lo Green
The House That Built Me – Miranda Lambert
Love The Way You Lie – Eminem
Need You Now – Lady Antebellum

Ryo Wants:
Beg Steal or Borrow. I love Ray Lamontagne and the rest of the world needs to recognize what a great artist he is.

The Grammy Will Go To:
Eminem, who will win most of the categories he is nominated for. Fans love him. Critics love him. The Grammys will love him too.

Best Hard Rock Performance
This is a category that’s right up my alley. The best hard rock performance is an honor to all those head banging rockers that seem to get a bad rap in the music world. That’s something I never understood. Rock music has been around for a long time, and it would be nice if people would stop being so scared of it. Just because someone listens to Manowar doesn’t mean they are a killer or a stalker. It just means they have great taste in music.

Nominees:
A Looking In View – Alice In Chains
Let Me Hear You Scream – Ozzy Osbourne
Black Rain – Soundgarden
Between The Lines – Stone Temple Pilots
New Fang – Them Crooked Vultures

Ryo Wants:
Let Me Hear You Scream. The Oz man deserves it and this is the best song of the five, hands down.

The Grammy Will Go To:
Most likely Them Crooked Vultures, which is an absolute shame. For a super group, I didn’t think they were that super. Grammy loves stars though, and with a member of Led Zeppelin as part of the band, expect to see them raise the trophy.

Best Metal Performance:
What’s better than the best hard rock performance category? Why, the best metal performance category, of course. Even heavier than its hard rock cousin, metal music is a real motivational tool perfect for getting people to move their ass. Turn up Slayer next time you want to work out and see if your cardio doesn’t raise by a ton!

Nominees:
El Dorado – Iron Maiden
Let The Guilt Go – Korn
In Your Words – Lamb Of God
Sudden Death – Megadeath
World Painted Blood – Slayer

Ryo Wants:
El Dorado by Iron Maiden. This is purely based on my biased love of the band. That doesn’t mean that El Dorado isn’t a great song, because it certainly is, however, I just want to see Maiden walk out with a Grammy.

The Grammy Will Go To:
I have to think that Iron Maiden will win this category. They have the best song to choose from and they are a beloved English band.

Best Rock Song
Ok, let the arguments begin. Yes, some of these songs/artists aren’t really “rock” per se. However, where else could you put them? I’m willing to give Grammy a break here and just roll with the fact that Neil Young and Muse are “rock.” To me, they’re more pop/mainstream, but no one on the board asked for my clarification prior to releasing the nominees.

Nominees:
Angry World - Neil Young
Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons
Radioactive – Kings Of Leon
Resistance – Muse
Tighten Up – The Black Keys

Ryo Wants:
Resistance by Muse. Even If it’s not pure “rock,” it is a great song by an incredible band. The more I hear Muse, the more I really love them.

The Grammy Will Go To:
Angry World. Neil Young wins on reputation alone.

Best Rock Album
This is another category where you could argue if the choices are really “rock.” Add in the fact that Backspacer came out in September of 2009 and Mojo is just an awful record, and I have to wonder who is picking these nominees.

Nominees:
Emotion & Commotion – Jeff Beck
The Resistance – Muse
Backspacer – Pearl Jam
Mojo – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Le Noise – Neil Young

Ryo Wants:
Even though it shouldn’t be in this category, I want to see Pearl Jam win the Grammy. This is another purely biased decision. Backspacer is a fantastic album and Pearl Jam is one of my favorite bands, so why wouldn’t I pick them?

The Grammy Will Go To:
Mr. Young wins again.

And there you have it, my picks for the 2011 Grammys. If you’d like to see a listing of all the categories and bands/songs/records nominated, visit http://www.grammy.com/

Just like last year, I will be tweeting up my thoughts during the Grammy show. Follow me on Twitter and join in the fun! www.twitter.com/ryovie

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

"A Looking In View" by Alice In Chains is my fave out of that bunch. Let's face it, Ozzy should have won a couple of these Grammy's decades ago, when Metal was cursed and scorned by this same "establishment" that now mysteriously embraces it... by just a sliver though.

Good for you Ryo, that you put this together. I admire your willingness and enthusiasm to cover the Grammys. This posting is put together superbly. :)

I just don't have the patience for "artists" such as Lady Gaga or Katy Perry. Katy Perry is better at selling acne creams in my Metal opinion. I'm still waiting for an "Extreme Metal" category to be added to this Grammy list. I guess I'll be waiting forever and a day for that one!

- Stone