Beyoncé already has 17 Grammy Awards
to her credit, making her one of Grammy’s most awarded women. But what
has eluded her has been the top prize for album of the year.
Look for her to snag that honor at the 57th Grammy Awards Sunday night.
She, producer-singer Pharrell Williams and singer Sam Smith lead nominations with six apiece.
Here’s how some of the nominations should shake out.
Album of the year
• Beck, “Morning Phase”
• Beyoncé, “Beyonce”
• Ed Sheeran, “X”
• Sam Smith, “In the Lonely Hour”
• Pharrell Williams, “Girl”
Kevin’s pick • Beyoncé’s
self-titled opus was a game-changer, easily her most satisfying project
to date. Williams just won album and record of the year last year for
his work with Daft Punk, so we count him out of the top prize this year.
Smith, Sheeran and Beck are also respectable choices, but don’t look
for an upset.
Record of the year
• Iggy Azalea and Charli XCX, “Fancy”
• Sia, “Chandelier”
• Sam Smith, “Stay With Me” (Darkchild Version)
• Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off”
• Meghan Trainor, “All About That Bass”
Kevin’s pick • What should have been a face-off between Azalea, Smith, Swift and Beyoncé (who isn’t nominated here) is Swift’s to win. Sia could upset. But how is “All About That Bass” on this list?
Song of the year
• “All About That Bass,” Kevin Kadish & Meghan Trainor, songwriters (Meghan Trainor)
• “Chandelier,” Sia Furler & Jesse Shatkin, songwriters (Sia)
• “Shake It Off,” Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
• “Stay With Me,” James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith)
• “Take Me to Church,” Andrew Hozier-Byrne, songwriter (Hozier)
Kevin’s
pick • The Grammys will spread the wealth around at the top, with Smith
taking this prize for his haunting ballad. Again, what’s “All About
That Bass” doing here?
Best new artist
• Iggy Azalea
• Bastille
• Brandy Clark
• Haim
• Sam Smith
Kevin’s pick • This category is a hands-down win for the sensitive Smith. Not even Azalea can upset things here.
Pop solo performance
• John Legend, “All of Me” (Live)
• Sia, “Chandelier”
• Sam Smith, “Stay With Me” (Darkchild Version)
• Taylor Swift, “Shake It Off”
• Pharrell Williams, “Happy” (Live)
Kevin’s pick • A tough category here with a couple of truly deserving winners. Smith wins it narrowly over Swift.
Pop vocal album
• Coldplay, “Ghost Stories”
• Miley Cyrus, “Bangerz”
• Ariana Grande, “My Everything”
• Katy Perry, “Prism”
• Ed Sheeran, “X”
• Sam Smith, “In the Lonely Hour”
Kevin’s
pick • Smith catches a break in the absence of Swift here (her album
was released too late, so look for it to dominate at next year’s
awards), leaving the field open for him.
Rock album
• Ryan Adams, “Ryan Adams”
• Beck, “Morning Phase”
• The Black Keys, “Turn Blue”
• Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, “Hypnotic Eye”
• U2, “Songs of Innocence”
Kevin’s
pick • Grammy won’t favor Beck in the overall album of the year
category, but he should be able to edge out the Black Keys, just barely,
in this category.
Alternative music album
• Alt-J, “This Is All Yours”
• Arcade Fire, “Reflektor”
• Cage the Elephant, “Melophobia”
• St. Vincent, “St. Vincent”
• Jack White, “Lazaretto”
Kevin’s
pick • Arcade Fire and St. Vincent would be fitting choices; White
seemingly belongs in the rock album category. But it’s a win for White.
Dance recording
• Basement Jaxx featuring ETML, “Never Say Never”
• Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne, “Rather Be”
• Disclosure featuring Mary J. Blige, “F For You”
• Duke Dumont featuring Jax Jones, “I Got You”
• Zhu, “Faded”
Kevin’s pick • Voters will be happy to honor both a hip newcomer (Disclosure) and Grammy favorite (Blige) in one fell swoop.
Urban contemporary album
• Jhene Aiko, “Sail Out”
• Beyoncé, “Beyoncé”
• Chris Brown, “X”
• Mali Music, “Mali Is…”
• Pharrell Williams, “Girl”
Kevin’s pick • Beyoncé’s triumph here is one of the night’s most guaranteed wins.
R&B abum
• Bernhoft, “Islander”
• Aloe Blacc, “Lift Your Spirit”
• Toni Braxton and Babyface, “Love, Marriage & Divorce”
• Robert Glasper Experiment, “Black Radio 2”
• Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, “Give the People What They Want”
Kevin’s pick •
It feels like Jones’ time. And her coming off a bout with cancer that
delayed her album and accompanying tour caps a great Grammy story.
Rap performance
• Childish Gambino, “3005”
• Drake, “0 to 100/The Catch Up”
• Eminem, “Rap God”
• Kendrick Lamar, “I”
• Lecrae, “All I Need Is You”
Kevin’s pick • Grammy voters make up for shading Lamar last year with this award.
Rap album
• Iggy Azalea, “The New Classic”
• Childish Gambino, “Because the Internet”
• Common, “Nobody’s Smiling”
• Eminem, “The Marshall Mathers LP2”
• Schoolboy Q, “Oxymoron”
• Wiz Khalifa, “Blacc Hollywood”
Kevin’s
pick • While it would be great to see Common win here, this looks like a
trip to the podium for Azalea. But don’t count out Eminem, who always
does well in this category.
Country solo performance
• Eric Church, “Give Me Back My Hometown”
• Hunter Hayes, “Invisible”
• Miranda Lambert, “Automatic”
• Carrie Underwood, “Something in the Water”
• Keith Urban, “Cop Car”
Kevin’s pick • Church’s rising star will receive some extra shine with this award.
Country album
• Dierks Bentley, “Riser”
• Eric Church, “The Outsiders”
• Brandy Clark, “12 Stories”
• Miranda Lambert, “Platinum”
• Lee Ann Womack, “The Way I’m Living”
Kevin’s
pick • Clark doesn’t stand a chance in the best new artist category,
but a win here would be more than a consolation prize.
‘The 57th Grammy Awards’
When • 7 p.m. Sunday
Where • CBS
Performers
• Performers include Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney, Madonna,
Beck and Chris Martin, Beyonce, Common and John Legend, Katy Perry, Tony
Bennett and Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige, Juanes, Hozier and Annie Lennox,
Jessie J and Tom Jones, and Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani, AC/DC,Eric
Church, Beyonce, Common and John Legend, Ariana Grande, Miranda Lambert,
Usher, Pharrell Williams, Brandy Clark and Dwight Yoakam, Sia, Herbie
Hancock, John Mayer and Questlove and Ed Sheeran, Lang Lang. LL Cool J
hosts.
Live coverage • Join us at STLtoday.com Sunday night for photo galleries and updates on the winners and performances.
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