I love Beyonce but Halo getting a Record of the Year nod instead of Single Ladies seems contrary to the year in pop music (also contrary to good taste). It may not be the Grammys fault though; I heard that B submitted Halo for Record consideration but NOT Single Ladies. Don't ask me why. Maybe she wants to keep Kanye firmly in his seat on Grammy night?
Very happy for Lady Gaga. She totally deserved it. And of this lineup, she'd be my pick for Album and Record of the Year. But she's a dance pop queen doing her best to keep Gay as the New Black and well...ask Madonna how well that worked out for her in the top categories. Even when she behaved, she got skunked by Lauryn Hill (the Grammys still prefer Black as the New Black).
I knew Taylor Swift would make Album, Record and Song of the Year -- it was the one lock I kept predicting -- but still....still...STILL it's hard to swallow. I hate that little twit. I think she has the bland talent of a Michelle Branch, only Swift gets WAY more credit for it. I hope she goes away in the next few years. My only consolation is that The Ingenue (especially if they skew tween) is usually beaten by The Legend in the top categories, so Taylor Swift should lose except...
...who in God's name is she going to lose to?? This might be the most difficult Album of the Year win to predict in recent memory! NONE of the Album of the Year contenders are really Living Legends and if you've forgotten or haven't noticed, I'll explain why this is relevant. In recent years I've beaten my friends in Grammy pools by spotting NARAS' tendency to turn the Album of the Year category into a Career Achievement Award, and cheekily then predicting Bob Dylan, Steely Dan, Ray Charles, U2, Herbie Hancock and Plant/Kraus while everyone else I knew gave me weird looks and insisted that Radiohead, Eminem, Kanye West, Kanye West again, Amy Winehouse and Coldplay would obviously win.
But this year the oldest act is Dave Matthews and...no...just NO! I refuse to think they might actually win by default. Dave Matthews is one of the most overrated bands of all time. Even in their prime they were overrated! They're the quintessential white guy's whitest white white rock band and their new album is not that good.
Barring that catastrophe, might we see an uncommonly good pick like Lady Gaga? Or does the lack of a more appropriate Old Fogey choice lead to the crowning of Beyonce (who has never won a Top 4 Grammy) in recognition of her amazingly potent pop culture status, her banner singles career, and the fact that she seems like someone who has earned it? The New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere Jones once lovingly called her "Pop's A student" for her clean image, especially at a time when most sultry pop singers are flashing their vaginas, getting caught snorting coke far too young (here's looking at you Amy!) and far too old (and you Whitney!), and generally behaving badly in various ways.
In other words, without a proper Geezer in the lineup, Beyonce represents an interesting compromise; she's definitely part of the Establishment now (so that sort of qualifies as Career Achievement, right?) but she's still very, very current. By hailing her, they can simultaneously satisfy their desire to crown an artist who's been here before, while still getting credit for being "hip" and "cool." Of course one could correctly point out that the Grammys idea of hip and cool is giving top awards to U2 for their career-late (and decidedly lesser) work, but even these lame voters have to realize that Dave Matthews is not U2 right? RIGHT? I'm counting on one, two, or all three of the following to steer voters in the right direction:
1. Beyonce's leading 10 nominations
2. John Mayer already has a bunch of Grammys, and he sorta counts as Dave Matthews
3. If they like it then they shoulda putta Grammy ring on it.
If only B's Album were...you know...actually deserving, then I could add a 4th, but let's be real, she's still a Singles Artist. But hey, that didn't stop Whitney from nabbing Album of the Year in 1993 did it? Am I actually comparing B to Whitney you say? (I can hear the queens...er, fans of over-the-top melisma crying foul already) Relax girls, B ain't Whitney. After all Whitney was totally fucking iced by the nominations today!
I'm still not ruling out the terrifying possibility that the nauseating over-abundance of Taylor Swift goodwill (from Kanyegate, natch) will lead to her winning. Let's not forget that NARAS (and America, double natch) finally catching on three years too late that the war in Iraq was bad, resulted in a desire to give Dubya (and Texas) the finger. Or three fingers actually, one for each Dixie Chick or one for each major award they won (Album, Record AND Song of the Year bitches!) depending on your abacus. Don't think for a moment the same show can't play again with Kanye West reprising the Dubya role (oh irony) -- the Grammys DO take place during Reruns after all.
God the possibility of Taylor Branch winning is too horrid. It's almost enough to make me root for Dave Matthews...
(Oh the Black Eyed Peas were also nominated? Yeah, exactly.)