Treble’s Grammy Preview: 2013

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

Nominees:
Flo Rida feat. Sia – “Wild Ones” [from Wild Ones] Jay-Z and Kanye West feat. Frank Ocean and The-Dream – “No Church In the Wild” [from Watch the Throne] John Legend feat. Ludacris – “Tonight (Best You Ever Had)” [from Think Like a Man OST] Nas feat. Amy Winehouse – “Cherry Wine” [from Life Is Good] Rihanna feat. Jay-Z – “Talk That Talk” [from Talk That Talk]

One of the more dubious categories, the award came into existence in 2002 and is responsible for Linkin Park’s second Grammy win (for their horrifying collaboration with Jay-Z, “Numb/Encore”). The question of who will win this one is a little harder to say this year than in past years. Given that Jay-Z has already won this award five times and Rihanna and ‘Ye have each won three, it would seem that “Talk That Talk” or “No Church In the Wild” would be the obvious choices. Frank Ocean’s presence and the song’s superiority would give “No Church” the edge. That said, with a posthumous appearance from Grammy favorite Amy Winehouse, “Cherry Wine” will likely prove to be the victor. Who should win? Although “Cherry Wine” is pretty good, “No Church in the Wild” was an easy highlight off of Watch the Throne and definitely most deserving. Truth be told, even though “Talk That Talk” is nothing exceptional, I will gladly accept anything that isn’t “Wild Ones” or “Tonight (Best You Ever Had)”. – CK

Who Will Win? Nas/Amy Winehouse
Who Should Win? Jay-Z and Kanye West/Frank Ocean and The-Dream

Best Rap Album

Nominees:
Drake – Take Care
Lupe Fiasco – Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1
Nas – Life Is Good
The Roots – undun
Rick Ross – God Forgives, I Don’t
2 Chainz – Based on a T.R.U. Story

I’m so, so, so very tired of popular rap — the violence, the misogyny, the egomania. I can take it in moderation, but it’s ultimately sad to watch careers and, in fact, entire companies built on how well you can point out the inferiority of The Other. If these trophies were handed out based on sales and market penetration (looking at you, American Music Awards) I’m certain that Rick Ross would win this one going away. I’m glad they aren’t, and I’m expecting he won’t. Drake is certainly kinder and gentler than Mr. Rozay but he’s also everywhere, and I wonder if his saturation of people’s playlists outside of his own album might work to his disadvantage. At the other end of the spectrum is 2 Chainz, who’s so new—at least with this name—that his most recognizable work might be his guest spot on Nicki Minaj’s “Beez in the Trap.” Critics have a love/hate relationship with Lupe Fiasco’s most recent album, and while they generally have a love/love relationship with the entire Roots catalog you have to wonder just how many Grammy voters think a concept album based on a character from a Sufjan Stevens song truly represents the genre. Meanwhile, Nas’ 10th solo album featured a wealth of personal subject matter and garnered some of the best reviews he’s seen since album #1, Illmatic. – AB

Who will and should win? Nas

Best New Artist

Nominees:
Alabama Shakes
Fun.
Hunter Hayes
Frank Ocean
The Lumineers

This treasured jewel has been bestowed on the likes of Hootie and the Blowfish and Maroon 5. Like most Grammys, it usually goes to someone that’s made a huge impact commercially (although, who is Marc Cohn and how did he win in 1992?). This means fun., with two huge singles and one very successful album, is mostly likely to win this one. I wouldn’t completely count Frank Ocean out, he deserves to win it and he could pull off an upset. There is almost no chance for Alabama Shakes and, one can only hope, Hunter Hayes. The Lumineers, however, also have an outside shot. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for Frank. – CK

Who Will Win? fun. (with Frank possibly pulling an upset)
Who Should Win? Frank Ocean

Song of the Year

Nominees:
Ed Sheeran – “The A Team” [from +] Miguel – “Adorn” [from Kaleidoscope Dream] Carly Rae Jepsen – “Call me Maybe” [from Kiss] Kelly Clarkson – “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” [from Stronger] Fun. feat. Janelle Monáe – “We are Young” [from Some Nights]

A shambling acoustic ballad by a scruffy little Englishman, a solid if standard R&B jam, perhaps the most powerful earworm to torture and delight the masses in about five years, the latest from one of the best pop vocalists of her generation, and a song that sounds like it was written (by REO Speedwagon) in 1984. These are the apples Grammy voters have blindly gnashed out of the bucket. Are any really better than any others? Well, yes, actually. They should probably all be shunted off into more specific genre categories, but some are still clearly more deserving of shiny things than others. Though it’s surprising that Gotye, Rihanna and Taylor Swift were all shut out. – EM

Who Will Win? Carly Rae Jepsen (Resistance is futile)
Who Should Win? Kelly Clarkson

Album of the Year

Nominees:
The Black Keys- El Camino
fun. – Some Nights
Mumford & Sons – Babel
Frank Ocean – Channel Orange
Jack White – Blunderbuss

I host a bar trivia night with a Name-that-Tune component, and since I don’t listen to a lot of Top 40, every once in a while I comb the Billboard charts from the last year or two to find a song the kids are listening to these days. I assume this is more or less how the Grammys select their Album of the Year candidates. It’s such an odd mix (weirdly rock heavy considering rock is neither the most exciting nor commercially successful genre right now, and — like the rest of this year’s show — inexplicably in love with fun.). And yet, in the midst of four albums I’d rank from “not good” to “good, but not great,” they managed to include Frank Ocean’s phenomenal Channel Orange, Treble’s very own selection for 2012 Album of the Year. The mind boggles. – EM

Who Will Win? Mumford & Sons (Grammy voters think it’ll make them seem hip AND relevant, the Holy Grail)
Who Should Win? Frank Ocean (Just listen to it)

Record of the Year

Nominees:
The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy” [from El Camino] Kelly Clarkson – “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” [from Stronger] fun. feat. Janelle Monáe – “We Are Young” [from Some Nights] Gotye – “Somebody That I Used to Know” [from Making Mirrors] Frank Ocean – “Thinkin’ Bout You” [from Channel Orange]

This category more often than not yields to songs that were extremely commercially successful, meaning “Somebody That I Used to Know” seems like a shoe-in. Granted, “We Are Young” was awfully big and definitely has a chance, but most Grammy voters are likely too old to appreciate a youth anthem. Without much in the way of crossover success, “Lonely Boy”’s chances are pretty slim. And one can only hope Kelly Clarkson’s bad cliché perpetuating formulaic pop doesn’t win (let’s be honest, without bringing up anything too depressing, I can think of plenty of things that don’t kill you and certainly don’t make you stronger). Frank Ocean should win this one — “Thinkin’ Bout You” is certainly the best song here — although it most likely won’t. – CK

Who Will Win? Gotye
Who Should Win? Frank Ocean