The deadline has passed, the submissions are in, and by the end of the month we will have the nominees for the 2012 Grammy Awards. While who the committee actually nominates is really anybody’s guess, I’m going to give you mine.
In my opinion, this year’s awards are all going to be about one person: Adele. It’s undeniable that she has had a stellar year with her album 21, so far the biggest seller of 2011, and two number one singles, “Rolling In The Deep” and “Someone Like You.” With her extreme popularity and massive critical praise, Adele is likely to see nods in all the major categories, Album, Record, and Song of the Year as well as the Pop categories, but the album really has a chance to win it all.
Adele’s biggest male competition is going to be Kanye West and his critically favored album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which spawned several successful singles including “Power” and “Runaway.” In fact, Kanye is likely to end up competing against himself with his Jay-Z collaboration album, Watch The Throne. Adele’s biggest female competition will come from two heavyweights: Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. Gaga has the potential for her third straight Album of the Year nomination with the successful Born This Way, and mother-to-be Beyoncé is definitely in the running for her album 4, which has seen great critical acclaim.
To represent the rock categories, it will probably be between the Foo Fighters and Bon Iver, and moving on to soul/R&B, Bruno Mars and Jill Scott are strong contenders. Country star Taylor Swift is certainly in the running for the Album of the Year nod with her successful Speak Now. Lil Wayne has a chance of overtaking Kanye to represent hip-hop, with Nicki Minaj in a distant third. Tony Bennett’s Duets II, featuring collaborations with some of the most popular contemporary artists and living legends, including the final song Amy Winehouse recorded, is almost a guaranteed nominee for a few categories. Grammy favorite Allyson Krauss (she’s won more than anyone else) is also seriously in the running for nominations with her latest effort, Paper Airplane.
