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Record of the Year
“Halo” – Beyoncé
“I Gotta Feeling” – The Black Eyes Peas
“Use Somebody” – Kings of Leon
“Poker Face” – Lady GaGa
“You Belong with Me” – Taylor Swift
The Record of the Year category serves to reward the greatest songwriter or team of the year, not the most popular single.
Sure, Beyoncé had a heavenly string of hit singles, but in the context of other songs co-written by Ryan Tedder, this one is just another formulaic four minutes of pop.
“You Belong with Me” has Swift reminiscing about high school romance. Her directness and honesty is the song’s biggest appeal, as is Swift herself. Yet, lyrically, “You Belong with Me” doesn’t match the exciting appeal of the Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling.”
However, GaGa’s “Poker Face” is the true winner here. Co-written by GaGa herself, “Poker Face” is simultaneously a metaphor for gambling in love and, more provocatively, a sexual come-on. And you know you were singing along.
Album of the Year
I Am…Sasha Fierce – Beyoncé
The E.N.D. – Black Eyed Peas
Big Whiskey – Dave Matthews Band
The Fame – Lady GaGa
Fearless – Taylor Swift
The competition is stiff between the Peas and GaGa again for album of the year. GaGa made pop music exciting again, churning out hit after hit, but the Peas crossed over into the dance genre while retaining their pop and hip-hop fans. And, in the process, the Peas managed to create the most seamless album of the year.
The biggest upset could come from Taylor Swift. She gained massive momentum and popularity by being everywhere in 2010. From being victimized by Kanye’s mouth run amok to hosting and performing on Saturday Night Live, you can’t talk about 2010 without mentioning Swift.
The Dave Matthews Band may receive this Grammy in recognition of the death of saxophonist and DMB founding member LeRoi Moore. Yet, the Peas’ album raised the bar for a new decade in music and most deserves to be recognized.
Song of the Year
“Single Ladies” – Beyoncé
“Use Somebody” – Kings of Leon
“Poker Face” – Lady GaGa
“Pretty Wings” – Maxwell
“You Belong with Me” – Taylor Swift
It’s OK, we didn’t hear “Pretty Wings” on the radio much either. And how could we? After the single ladies, four kings, a teen queen and a lady finished dominating the airwaves, there wasn’t much room for Maxwell.
That being said, it’s difficult to determine which song deserves to be most recognized for the way in which it changed music.
Kings of Leon broke through to the mainstream with “Use Somebody” after four albums of quality arena-rock music. GaGa changed expectations from a pop entertainer with “Poker Face,” but Swift came out of left field with a home run.
Swift’s smartest move was to record both a country and pop version of the song “You Belong with Me,” ensuring crossover capabilities and a broadening audience. Plus, the radio put Swift into heavy rotation.
New Artist
Keri Hilson
MGMT
Silversun Pickups
The Ting Tings
Zac Brown Band
With a year of quality emerging artists, these five rose above the others by establishing new sounds.
The Ting Tings became the new White Stripes, with a two-person-band dynamic just as tight as that of Meg and Jack White. Keri Hilson, who for years was the go-to songwriter for R&B hits and Timbaland’s inspiration, finally broke with “Knock You Down.” Zac Brown and his band made country ever more mainstream, and Silver Sun picked us up with their alternative rock.
But MGMT turned us on with their electric feel listen after listen. The band, a duo based in Brooklyn, released Oracular Spectacular, an album merging East-Coast cool with hooks made for a night out in Hollywood. “Electric Feel” was a sing-along chant for members of any musical tribe, and “Kids” gave made us revel in our youth.
Pop Performance
“I Gotta Feeling” – Black Eyed Peas
“We Weren’t Born to Follow” – Bon Jovi
“Never Say Never” – The Fray
“Sara Smile” – Daryl Hall and John Oates
“Kids” – MGMT
I gotta feeling that the Black Eyed Peas are going to win with “I Gotta Feeling,” which is as popular as it is catchy.
The rock elder Bon Jovi put up another solid single this year with, “We weren’t born to follow.” However, this is a year for youth, so I wouldn’t anticipate Bon Jovi taking home a Grammy.
Colorado native band The Fray has a really good chance of winning its first Grammy. The band has been robbed in previous years for hits such as “Over My Head (Cable Car)” and “How to Save a Life.” However, don’t put it past the award’s committee to rob another well-deserved Grammy from this popular band.
“Kids” by MGMT could also win the Grammy. The band is the likely winner for best new artist of the year, and it wouldn’t shock anyone to see them take home a second Grammy for their popular hit.
“Sara Smile” by John Oates and Daryl Hall is definitely the dark-horse candidate this year.
Rock Album
Black Ice – AC/DC
Live From Madison Square Garden – Eric Clapton
21st Century Breakdown – Green Day
Big Whiskey – Dave Matthews Band
No Line on the Horizon – U2
Green Day is an unsurprising pick for best rock album of the year. However, 21st Century Breakdown will probably not win. Although it was popular, it was not near as good of an album as the band’s Grammy-award-winning album American Idiot.
Dave Matthews Band may well win it for Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King, which was a fantastic and progressive album this year.
Eric Clapton might also be a popular choice, however, his album is a live album, and normally albums are more likely to win if they are creative and new.
U2’s No Line on the Horizon was a good album, but is probably not under serious consideration.
AC/DC released Black Ice, which was their first album release in nearly 10 years, and they have never won a Grammy although they have been nominated several times. So, this might be an opportunity for the band to receive some much deserved award-winning recognition.
Rap Album
Universal Mind Control – Common
Relapse – Eminem
R.O.O.T.S. – Flo Rida
The Ecstatic – Mos Def
The Renaissance – Q-Tip
The most anticipated rap album of the year was Eminem’s Relapse, which has a real chance of winning.
However, Relapse lacked some of the edginess of Eminem’s earlier work. The controversy surrounding Eminem has become old news, and his award chances may suffer for it.
Mos Def’s album Ecstatic is his first release in more than three years. However, Mos Def is quickly turning from musician to actor, and his latest release seems to show that progression.
R.O.O.T.S. by Flo Rida would be an excellent choice for rap album of the year. He is a new artist with an edge, but his relative youth on the scene will probably hurt his chances against rap legends like Eminem and Mos Def.
Common actually won a Grammy for Rap Performance a year ago.
However, it would be a huge upset if he wins rap album of the year with Universal Mind Control.
Alternative Album
Everything that Happens will Happen Today – David Byrne & Brian Eno
The Open Door – Death Cab for Cutie
Sounds of the Universe – Depeche Mode
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix – Phoenix
It’s Blitz! – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Alternative rock made a big splash in 2010, with comeback albums from veterans Depeche Mode, Death Cab for Cutie and producers-turned-recording-artists David Byrne and Brian Eno.
But Karen O charged led the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to capture the sound of alternative rock’s new direction in a new decade, especially with “Zero.”
Unfortunately, Phoenix did it better. Though this French foursome released its debut a decade ago, it took 10 years for American audiences to take notice. And that they did.
Phoenix was propelled onto playlists everywhere with the party rock sound of “1901,” but the band has more depth than one single may let on. With 10 tracks worthy of airplay on Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, the American public has adopted these foreigners, and the band will be rewarded accordingly.
