2010 Grammy Award Predictions

Here we are again, another Grammy Awards show coming up fast. On Sunday, January 31st, CBS will be airing this year’s Grammy Awards. As I do every year, I’ll be watching and commenting on the program in the days following. I still don’t know what compels to watch every year, but I strap in and do it and will be doing it again come January 31st.

Some interesting nominees are up for awards this year. I’ve listed the major ones below with who I would like to see win and who I think will win. We’ll see how I fair, come the end of the month.

Here are Ryo’s predictions:

Record of the Year
Halo – Beyonce
I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyed Peas
Use Somebody – Kings of Leon
Poker Face – Lady Gaga
You Belong With Me – Taylor Swift

Cousin Ryo wants: The Black Eyed Peas. I’ve always liked them and I Gotta Feeling is a solid song that was (is) a monster hit for the band.

The Grammy will go to: Lady Gaga. Although Taylor Swift is a Grammy favorite, Lady Gaga gets all the buzz this year. She is 2009’s Katie Perry. That’s not meant to be a compliment.


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

Cousin Ryo wants: OK, anyone who knows anything about this site knows that I want Dave Matthews Band to win this one. Not just because I am a huge fan, but also because the record was incredible (it was in my top 10 of 2009). The band worked hard on that album and Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King is one of their best records ever.

The Grammy will go to: Unfortunately, Grammy darling Taylor Swift will win here, to placate the fact that Record of the Year went to Lady Gaga. It’s all a conspiracy! I hope I’m wrong, but my gut says Taylor Swift wins.

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

Cousin Ryo wants: I’ve always liked this award because it recognizes the lyrics of the song rather than the performance (or performer). Here I’d like to see Beyonce win. Single Ladies was a well written song and her co-writers deserve the recognition.

The Grammy will go to: Another Lady Gaga win.

Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals
I Gotta Feeling – The Black Eyed Peas
We Weren’t Born To Follow – Bon Jovi
Never Say Never – The Fray
Sara Smile (Live) – Hall & Oates
Kids – MGMT

Cousin Ryo wants: The Fray, although it’s a tough choice between them and Bon Jovi. Never Say Never is an amazing song though.

The Grammy will go to: The Fray. This song is too good not to win.

Best New Artist
Zac Brown Band
Keri Hilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings

Cousin Ryo Wants: MGMT. Out of these 5, they are the band I know the most.

The Grammy will go to: The Ting Tings. They’ve gotten a lot of recognition this past year and the kids love them.

Best Hard Rock Performance
AC/DC – War Machine
Alice In Chains – Check My Brain
What I’ve Done – Linkin Park
The Unforgiven III – Metallica
Burn It To The Ground – Nickelback

Cousin Ryo Wants: AC/DC. Good song, love this band, and they deserve the recognition, even if they won’t be there to accept their award live (although this year they might be).

The Grammy will go to: Nickelback. Theirs is a great song too, though, so I’ve no complaints here.

Best Rock Song
The Fixer – Pearl Jam
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight – U2
21 Guns – Green Day
Use Somebody – Kings of Leon
Working On A Dream – Bruce Springsteen

Cousin Ryo wants: The Fixer, hands down. One of the best songs I heard in 2009, and I love Pearl Jam.

The Grammy will go to: Bruce. Working On A Dream is a great song on an otherwise lousy album and the Grammy’s love their Bruce Springsteen.

Best Rock Album
Black Ice – AC/DC
Live From Madison Square Garden – Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood
21st Century Breakdown – Green Day
Big Whiskey & The Groogrux King – Dave Matthews Band
No Line On The Horizon – U2

Cousin Ryo wants: This is a close one. I want DMB, but if they win for Record of the Year, then I would rather see this Grammy go to U2. No Line On The Horizon is another incredible CD that was in my top 10 for 2009.

The Grammy will go to: Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood, which is total BS. A live album shouldn’t even be allowed in this category. If they want a live album in there so badly, then the committee should come up with a best live album category. Recording a concert and then releasing it is nowhere near as difficult as recording a brand new album. It’s like nominating a greatest hits album for record of the year. Come on!

Those are my predictions for this year’s major categories. For a complete listing of all the Grammy categories, goo to http://www.grammy.com/nominees.

Comments are open. Feel free to post some.

The Fray - The Fray

What happens when you combine the exquisite sounds of David Gray, Colplay, a dash of U2, and a sprinkling of Oasis? You get The Fray. Their eponymous sophomore release is a blend of cool jazz, modern adult rock, and heartfelt vocals that create a wonderfully satisfying sound. The Fray is one of the better new bands to come out in a while, and their second release does a lot to solidify that statement.

Drenched in radio friendly pop rhythms, one would think that The Fray are on a lightning fast track to “here today, gone tomorrow” hell, but they aren’t. The Fray contains ten exceptional songs that are worthy of multiple listens. This is not a band you hear on the pop radio and say, “Oh, I like that,” and then promptly forget about them. This is a band where you hear their record for the first time, stop, and say, “Oh, my! That’s good!” That was my reaction the first time I played The Fray in its entirety. I played it again right after that, and then again. It received about 6 plays in a row before I finally shut it off for the evening.

The Fray is adult contemporary that your mother will like, your son will like, and they will like enjoying it with you. In other words, it’s music for the entire family. This could be the new incarnation of U2, but I won’t hold up any comparisons this early. I will say this: The Fray is one of the best records that I’ve heard in a long time, and it’s worthy of your time and money.

With fabulous tracks such as You Found Me, Never Say Never, and the absolutely superb Happiness (which ends the album), The Fray is a stunning collection of songs that falls just short of being hailed a perfect album. It is a borderline masterpiece, but pulls up just shy of that perfect rating that only a handful of albums have ever achieved.

The blend of piano, drums, guitars and synthesizers mixed with jazz, rock, pop, and alternative are what make The Fray stand out. They have a better sound than Coldplay, they have well written, complex lyrics that make the listener think, and their songs are fun and snappy. That’s a pure recipe for success. Unfortunately, it’s a recipe that not a lot of bands have been following lately. The Fray did and they served it well. The proof is in the CD, and this one shows just how great this band is.

Ryo’s Rating: 9.5 (out of 10)

Track Listing
Syndicate
Absolute
You Found Me
Say When
Never Say Never
Where The Story Ends
Enough For Now
Ungodly Hour
We Build Then We Break
Happiness