Sure the Grammy Awards were just given out a few weeks ago, but we're actually more than halfway through the eligibility period for next year's awards (assuming they don't change it again). Here are albums and songs released since 9/1/09 that I think might be top contenders for next year:
Jay-Z. This year's Grammy slate was relatively devoid of rap, with Kanye West doing pop (and not getting nominated in the top general categories) and Eminem's album rather bombing. Next year, I expect Jay-Z could turn that around with The Blueprint 3. The album has been quite acclaimed and generated a number of hit singles, including "Run This Town" with Rihanna and "Young Forever" with Mr. Hudson. His collaboration with Alicia Keys is the one I expect to get the most attention. Certainly, it must be a top contender to win Rap/Sung Collaboration, and I could easily see it on the Record of the Year list.
Lady Antebellum. The country threesome has proved to be a potent country and crossover force this year, with Need You Now topping the albums chart and "Need You Now" certain to eventually top the Hot 100 and maybe even at top 40 radio.
Lady Gaga. That other lady. Since The Fame was an Album of the Year nominee last year, I kind of doubt Fame Monster will rally enough support for AOTY. But "Bad Romance" should certainly be a strong contender for Record of the Year, and, "Telephone" could possibly even be, depending on how big it becomes.
Michael Buble. The Canadian adult pop singer scored his biggest hit yet with "Haven't Met You Yet," which, in my mind, makes it a strong contender for Record of the Year next year. His album, Crazy Love, might also be, but I think it's a long shot.
Rihanna. Rihanna is a popular singer who's been around for awhile but was considered a relative lightweight until 2007, when Good Girls Gone Bad became a massive hitmaker-album. She followed it with the rather gutsy Rated R, explicitly addressing her Chris Brown problem, but, as demonstrated by "Russian Roulette," "Hard" and "Rude Boy," was still able to generate the hits. That sounds like Grammy gold to me.
Sade. Soldier of Love gave them another hit album, their first in a long time. I would be seriously surprised to see this as an AOTY nominee, but I'm sure they'll be good for Pop Album, an award they won in 2002 for Lovers Rock.
Train. They were a nominee for ROTY in 2002 for "Drops of Jupiter," and "Hey, Soul Sister" could be their comeback hit.
What's missing? There hasn't been a big rock album yet, and there is ALWAYS a big rock contender. Alternative hasn't really flexed its muscle yet, unless Vampire Weekend shows some major staying power. We'll see. Here's my ranked list of what I think might be top contenders a year from now:
Album of the Year:
Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3
Rihanna - Rated R
Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
Sade - Soldier of Love
Michael Buble - Crazy Love
Record of the Year:
Lady Antebellum - Need You Now
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind
Michael Buble - Haven't Met You Yet
Lady GaGa - Bad Romance
Train - Hey, Soul Sister
6 comments:
Lovin' both the Lady here for different reasons. LOL. Fame Monster should be recognize for its awesomeness. Haha.
Lady A's Need You Now are still going to sound great after years gone by. No joke.
Rihanna lost momentum, and it's rare to see an artist in that predicament get any major nominations. If last year is an indication, I don't think Michael Buble has a chance, either. He's a lock for Pop Male, though.
I think that Them Crooked Vultures may have a chance at a rock nomination: it has people from Nirvana AND Led Zeppelin.
rcLoy - I think "Need You Now" will be a top contender.
John - I have to disagree about Rihanna. I think she's gaining momentum. "Russian Roulette" was short-lived, but I think that was expected. "Hard" was a bigger hit, and now "Rude Boy" even bigger yet.
Matt - I hadn't heard of this, but it sounds interesting. I'll check it out.
I think Corinna Bailey Rae will be a great contender, her album the sea is the good
i think The National's High Violet should be considered for best rock album.
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