2014 Grammy Predictions: Album of the Year

Will Win - Daft Punk "Random Access Memories"

Should Win - Kendrick Lamar "good kid, m.A.A.d city"

Could Win - Taylor Swift "Red" or Macklemore & Ryan Lewis "The Heist"

Commentary - I was so thrilled to see Kendrick Lamar make the cut, one of my favorite albums of the year, but I don't think that he has a shot here. Neither does Sara Bareilles, although she wasn't supposed to be nominated and she pulled it off. But the lack of the Pop Vocal Album nod shows lack of real widespread report. The other three though are in a tough battle. I just really don't think Taylor Swift will win, maybe it's because I really don't want her to. But she really can, although I think that so many people were upset when she won the first time, do the Grammys, who have worked so hard to become cool, go for someone that would inspire such outrage? The answer is definitely yes if they like it enough. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis apparently got pushed back into the Rap field after the committee pushed it out. This probably means that Rap Album will go to Kanye, or maybe Kendrick, since that community seems to not want to embrace it as much (it also makes me wonder about the other categories). But I think it has a real chance here. It is a cross over hit that pushes the boundaries of hip-hip. It would be the first real rap album (Lauryn Hill was a rap/R&B mix), to do so here, but I think that they could be the ones to do it. But I am going out on a limb here and saying that another barrier will be broken when the first dance/electronica album wins. Daft Punk had one of the biggest albums of the year. It could easily benefit from vote splitting (essentially two rap albums cancel each other out, as do the two essentially pop albums). And it is exactly what Grammy voters like. Think Herbie Hancock redoing Joni Mitchell songs, think Adele making old school soulful vibe popular again. Daft Punk took an old sound and made it radio friendly again, had it playing and clubs, and made it update and cool while retaining the integrity of what came before it. It just feels like the Album of the Year winner.