2011 Grammy Predictions and Proclamations

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This Sunday night, the 53rd annual Grammy Awards will take place as the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences’ announces it’s choices for the past year’s best music. While this year’s award ceremony has a lot of exciting performances lined up, the Grammys wouldn’t be the Grammys without some mind-baffling (and completely expected) award choices. Granted the nominations are never really indicative of the best music in a given category, but that is what we’re here to do.

Throughout our Grammy analysis, we chime in on who we think will win the biggest categories, who we thought should have received an award out of the nominees and our picks for each category regardless of nominations. In essence, we’ve chosen to call the shots for the 53rd annual Grammys, and here’s what we have decided.

Record of the Year

The Nominees:
“Nothin’ On You” – B.o.B. Featuring Bruno Mars
“Love The Way You Lie” – Eminem Featuring Rihanna
“Fuck You” – Cee Lo Green
“Empire State Of Mind” – Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
“Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum

Who Will Win: “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum
While it may not be the most likely choice for Record of the Year, all of the other nominees are in similar genres. As a result, Lady Antebellum will takes much of the country and pop votes needed to bring home this Grammy.

Who Should Win: “Fuck You” – Cee Lo
“Despite Green’s trademark quirkiness, he’s never sounded so old-school, reveling in Motown nuance, big Hammond organ trills, and crackling drums.” – Ryan Reed

Who Really Should Win: “Tightrope” – Janelle Monae & Big Boi
As Janelle Monae’s profile has risen over the past few years, we hope that her continued success stands as a harbinger of things to come within pop music.

Album of the Year

The Nominees:
The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
Recovery – Eminem
Need You Now – Lady Antebellum
The Fame Monster – Lady Gaga
Teenage Dream – Katy Perry

Who Will Win: Recovery – Eminem
2010’s best-selling album earned the Detroit rapper 10 Grammy nominations, finalizing the hip-hop superstar’s return to form.

Who Should Win: The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
In a year where indie rock truly went mainstream, The Suburbs was the crowning moment of this genre’s rise over the past decade.

Who Really Should Win: This Is Happening – LCD Soundsystem
This Is Happening is, in all respects, LCD’s best album. – Rachel Maddux

Song of the Year

The Nominees:
“Beg, Steal Or Borrow” – Ray Lamontagne, songwriter (Ray LaMontagne And The Pariah Dogs)
“Fuck You” – Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence & Bruno Mars, songwriters
(Cee Lo Green)
“The House That Built Me” – Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin, songwriters (Miranda
Lambert)
“Love The Way You Lie” – Alexander Grant, Holly Hafferman & Marshall Mathers,
songwriters (Eminem Featuring Rihanna)
“Need You Now” – Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott,
songwriters (Lady Antebellum)

Who Will Win: “Love The Way You Lie” – Eminem Featuring Rihanna
Just like with Record of the Year, the country nominees will steal each other’s votes, leaving Eminem to take home one of what be multiple Grammys on Sunday night.

Who Should Win: “Fuck You” – Cee Lo Green
“[Fuck You is] simultaneously foul-mouthed and sweetly naive—one minute, he’s apologizing to his old crush for being broke; the next, he’s casually assaulting her with a cluster of f-bombs, his smooth falsetto and whiney croon stroking soulful pleasure zones untapped since Marvin Gaye’s prime.” – Ryan Reed

Who Really Should Win: “Little Lion Man” – Mumford & Sons
“Little Lion Man” rollick[s] extra-hard as trombone flourishes and banjo chords—jumping around like beads of oil in a deep-fryer—shift frantically over booming bass riffs and drum beasts.” – Rachel Dovey