Album of the Year, by Frank Raso
After dominating the charts for the vast majority of 2011, it is more than obvious that the eclectically funky, bluesy and agonizingly soulful piano-driven power ballads of Adele's "21" will take home the Grammy for Album of the Year. Die-hard rock fans may prefer to see Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters commended for the angst-ridden screams and heavily distorted, grungy-guitar-drones on "Wasting Light." Hit singles like "Grenade," "Just the Way You Are" and "The Lazy Song," from Bruno Mars's "Doo Wops and Hooligans" may have accomplished a considerable amount of radio play. But the fact remains that neither of these– nor additional nominees Rihanna or Lady Gaga – received the mammoth-like proportions of critical acclaim or fan support that Adele received for enormous singles like "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You."
Frank Raso can be reached at francis.raso@student.shu.edu.
Record of the Year, by Melissa Murray
As it was it was the best-selling single of 2011 and won multiple awards at the MTV Video Music Awards, "Rolling In The Deep" will undoubtedly win the Grammy for Best Song. The only other nominated song that would be able to compete is "Grenade," because it also reached No. 1in the Billboard Top 100. None of the other songs in this category – Kanye West's "All of the Lights," Mumford & Sons' "The Cave" and Bon Iver's "Halocene" – have received high acclaim or have reached so wide an audience as "Rolling in the Deep."
Melissa Murray can be reached at melissa.murray@student.shu.edu.
Best New Artist, Patrice Kubik
Considering the variety of genres this year, it is difficult to predict which new artist will take the Grammy.
Despite Nicki Minaj's accomplishments, there are more talented artists in this category than Minaj, who is famous for her "raps," which sound more like whining. Rapper J. Cole is only a step up in talent from Minaj. His song "Work Out," revamped from Paula Abdul's song "Straight Up," put him on the charts. Skrillex represents the revolutionary form of music: dub step, but the band has failed to impress with their sound. The Band Perry may win this category, as their over-night sensation single is just part of their amazing album.
But the promising winner is folk band Bon Iver, who has a soothing album that is perfection from beginning to end. More often than not, the best artist is usually one that is not all that popular. It is very possible that The Band Perry or Bon Iver will win.
Patrice Kubik can be reached at patrice.kubik@student.shu.edu.
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