Who will win vs. who should win
We take a look at the field and some highprofile categories.
SONG OF THE YEAR
Alright, Kendrick Duckworth, Kawan Prather, Mark Anthony Spears and Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
Blank Space, Max Martin, Shellback and Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
Girl Crush, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose, songwriters (Little Big Town)
See You Again, Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth and Cameron Thomaz, songwriters (Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth)
Thinking Out Loud,
Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge, songwriters (Ed Sheeran)
WILL/SHOULD WIN:
Blank Space. Alright’s spoken-word element and mind-blowing arrangement, both harsh and lyrical, would make it a bold choice. But Blank Space has its own, more playful fierceness, the kind that can make a young girl or a jaded adult sing along giddily (still) and offers the most solid pop craftsmanship.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Sound & Color,
Alabama Shakes
To Pimp a Butterfly,
Kendrick Lamar
Traveller, Chris Stapleton 1989, Taylor Swift Beauty Behind
the Madness,
The Weeknd WILL/SHOULD WIN: 1989. The last time mutual admirers Swift and Lamar vied in this category, only two years ago, both lost to Daft Punk. This year, the academy is likely to reward Swift’s supremely confident, massively successful pop manifesto over Lamar’s ambitious, jazzy, sobering hip-hop opus. But an upset by Lamar — who won’t leave without a Grammy or two this time — is hardly out of the question.
BEST NEW ARTIST
Courtney Barnett James Bay Sam Hunt
Tori Kelly
Meghan Trainor WILL/SHOULD WIN: James Bay. Trainor’s breakthrough hit, ‘All About That Bass,’ was released in 2014 (before the debut album that qualified her in this category) and got two nods for last year’s Grammys. That’s good news for British singer/songwriter Bay, a genuine talent whose leanings toward preciousness shouldn’t hurt him here. (Though don’t count out the
plucky, endearing Kelly.)
RECORD OF THE YEAR
Really Love, D’Angelo and the Vanguard
Uptown Funk, Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
Thinking Out Loud, Ed Sheeran
Blank Space, Taylor Swift
Can’t Feel My Face, The Weeknd
WILL/SHOULD WIN:
Uptown Funk. Pair two of pop’s most reliably groovy artists, Ronson and Mars, on an upbeat, infectious single that made everyone feel good last year, and what do you have? A pretty good bet that Swift won’t sweep all three of the Big Four categories in which she’s nominated.
BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
Ship To Wreck, Florence + The Machine Sugar, Maroon 5 Uptown Funk, Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
Bad Blood, Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar
See You Again, Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth WILL/SHOULD WIN: Uptown
Funk. Ronson and Mars are again the twosome to beat.
BEST DANCE RECORDING
M We’re All We Need, Above & Beyond featuring Zoë Johnston Go, The Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip
Never Catch Me, Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar Runaway (U& I), Galantis
Where Are Ü Now, Skillrex and Diplo with Justin Bieber SHOULD WIN: The driving, dance-tastic Go WILL WIN: The moodier Never Catch Me
BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
One Man Can Change The World, Big Sean featuring Kanye West and John Legend
Glory, Common and John Legend
Classic Man, Jidenna featuring Roman GianArthur
These Walls, Kendrick Lamar featuring Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat
Only, Nicki Minaj featuring Drake, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown SHOULD/WILL WIN: The majestic, inspirational and topical
Glory, already an Oscar winner for Common and Legend.
BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
Burning House, Cam Traveller, Chris Stapleton
Little Toy Guns, Carrie
Underwood John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16, Keith Urban
Chances Are, Lee Ann Womack SHOULD WIN: Womack’s exquisitely pure, true singing continues to be a marvel, and Chances
Are is an ideal showcase for her understated melancholy. WILL WIN: Traveller. Stapleton’s solo breakthrough — after years of high-profile and highly respected work as a guitarist, singer and songwriter — was one of last year’s most heartening success stories. What’s not to love about a Cinderella in a cowboy hat?