Beyoncé, BEP, Swift likely to get Grammys
By LARRY RODGERS
Arizona Republic
Here are some predictions for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards, which will be handed out Sunday:
RECORD OF THE YEAR
Nominees: "Halo," Beyoncé
"I Gotta Feeling," The Black Eyed Peas
"Use Somebody," Kings of Leon
"Poker Face," Lady Gaga
"You Belong With Me," Taylor Swift
Who should win: Black Eyed Peas. This feel-good anthem was downloaded 4 million times.
Who will win: Peas. When a song gets played at scores of sporting events, it has hit in a big way.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Nominees: "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," Beyoncé
"The E.N.D.," Black Eyed Peas
"The Fame," Lady Gaga
"Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King," Dave Matthews Band
"Fearless," Taylor Swift
Who should win: Beyoncé. The singer showed her versatility and evolution with this two-disc set of ballads and danceable R&B.
Who will win: Swift. Grammy voters can't ignore the fact that this CD was everywhere the past year.
SONG OF THE YEAR
Nominees: "Poker Face," Lady Gaga
"Pretty Wings," Maxwell
"Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," Beyoncé
"Use Somebody," Kings of Leon
"You Belong With Me," Taylor Swift
Who should win: Beyoncé. No other song in the past year generated the viral Web reaction, as well as TV and film parodies, that "Single Ladies" did.
Who will win: Beyoncé. Did we mention that "Single Ladies" is an extremely infectious song, too?
ROCK ALBUM
Nominees: "Black Ice," AC/DC
"Live From Madison Square Garden," Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood
"21st Century Breakdown," Green Day
"Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King," Dave Matthews Band
"No Line on the Horizon," U2
Who should win: Green Day. The pop-punkers follow the massive success of 2004's "American Idiot" with another rock opera that is more focused.
Who will win: U2. Uneven reviews for this CD will make things tighter than usual for this perennial Grammy favorite.
CONTEMPORARY R&B ALBUM
Nominees: "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," Beyoncé
"Intuition," Jamie Foxx
"The Introduction of Marcus Cooper," Pleasure P
"Ready," Trey Songz
"Thr33 Ringz," T-Pain
Who should win: Beyoncé. The superstar challenged herself with her dual-personality album.
Who will win: Beyoncé. She faces one of the weaker fields for this category in a few years.
COUNTRY ALBUM
Nominees: "The Foundation," Zac Brown Band
"Twang," George Strait
"Fearless," Taylor Swift
"Defying Gravity," Keith Urban
"Call Me Crazy," Lee Ann Womack
Who should win: Swift. Her album is just as much pop as country, but it is a 500-pound gorilla either way.
Who will win: Swift, unless the Grammy voters completely lose it.
LATIN POP ALBUM
Nominees: "5to Piso," Ricardo Arjona
"Te Acuerdas ...," Francisco Cespedes
"Sin Frenos," La Quinta Estacion
"Hu Hu Hu," Natalia Lafourcade
"Gran City Pop," Paulina Rubio
Who should win: Lafourcade. She has continued to combine Latin, pop and rock sounds in a highly creative way.
Who will win: La Quinta Estacion. This established, Mexico-based group's latest CD scored high on the charts on both sides of the border.