Saturday, February 13, 2016

2016 Grammy Predictions: Album of the Year and Record of the Year

Album of the Year
Will Win - Kendrick Lamar "To Pimp a Butterfly"
Could Win - Taylor Swift "1989" or Alabama Shakes "Sound & Color"
Should Win - Kendrick Lamar "To Pimp a Butterfly"
Commentary - Taylor Swift has won here before, and she is the front runner by most people's standards. She sold the most records, got rave reviews, and has managed to keep the album relevant for over a year now. But I just don't see it. Alabama Shakes is my spoiler here. Rave reviews, a ton of nominations, and the most Grammy-friendly of the bunch. But I think Kendrick Lamar is going to pull an upset here. His album has topped almost every Top 10 of 2015 list you can imagine, he has campaigned well over the last couple of months, and there is no need to reward Swift again in this category. Lamar would be a bold and brilliant choice. I hope they take the opportunity.

Record of the Year
Will Win - Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars "Uptown Funk"
Could Win - Taylor Swift "Blank Space" or Ed Sheeran "Thinking Out Loud"
Should Win - Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars "Uptown Funk" or D'Angelo "Really Love"
Commentary - Since D'Angelo has no shot here of winning, my favorite is Uptown Funk, and I think it is going to win. Blank Space and Thinking Out Loud are spoilers, but their voters are probably similar. Uptown Funk reminds me of that Get Lucky win two years ago. It is a fun, infectious, radio-friendly song that also feels old-school. I think Grammy voters will eat that up.

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