Your fearless Grammys guru

So the Grammy Awards are this Sunday and the nominees as a whole are actually respectable this year (with the exception of the Pussycat Dolls. C'mon, really?). Look for nominees Carrie Underwood, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Dixie Chicks to walk away with a couple of awards a piece. My big prediction of the night is that Mary J. Blige breaks the record for the most wins in one night by a female artist. Currently it sits at five wins, tied by Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, and Lauryn Hill. Look for Blige to win six of her eight nominations as the night's biggest nominee. You heard it here first (or I could be eating it come Monday morning).

Album of the Year

Taking The Long Way (Dixie Chicks)
St. Elsewhere (Gnarls Barkley)
Continuum (John Mayer)
Stadium Arcadium (Red Hot Chili Peppers)
FutureSex/LoveSounds (Justin Timberlake)

Will Win: Taking The Long Way
Should Win: Continuum

Each year there's always that one nominee in this category that so glaringly doesn't belong. Can you name a track from Gnarls Barkley's album other than "Crazy"? Ya, I didn't think so. I've gotta give credit to JT for creating probably the coolest album of the group and effectively erasing any memories of that goofy white boy afro (well almost). John Mayer's album is his most well-rounded yet from start to finish. Almost every track is brilliant. The race comes down to a duel between the Chili Peppers and the Chicks. The rock act's career-rejuvenating CD is great but ultimately not strong enough to hold back the Dixie Chicks. The female trio have been to this dance twice before and struck out. I have a feeling the third time will be the charm. While not their overall best album in my opinion, I think Grammy voters will cap off their comeback year with the night's biggest prize.

Record of the Year

Be Without You (Mary J. Blige)
You're Beautiful (James Blunt)
Not Ready To Make Nice (Dixie Chicks)
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)
Put Your Records On (Corinne Bailey Rae)

Will Win: Be Without You
Should Win: Put Your Records On

I'll preface this by saying these are good songs but not necessarily the greatest of the last twelve months. I would have preferred the inclusion of Promiscuous, Over My Head (Cable Car), What Hurts The Most, Chasing Cars, Black Horse and the Cherry Tree, or even that love-it or despise-it Sexyback. Out of the five nominated singles, the one that most seems like the biggest of the year is Be Without You. Crazy drives you just what the title says. Is there anyone who still can listen to that over-played James Blunt song? My personal pick would be Corinne Bailey Rae's carefree little ditty, although I'd be happy to see the veteran Blige finally receive some mainstream validation.

Song of the Year (songwriter's award)

Be Without You (Johnta Austin, Mary J. Blige, Bryan-Michael Cox & Jason Perry)
Jesus Take The Wheel (Brett James, Hillary Lindsey & Gordie Sampson)
Not Ready To Make Nice (Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison & Dan Wilson)
Put Your Records On (John Beck, Steve Chrisanthou & Corinne Bailey Rae)
You're Beautiful (James Blunt, Amanda Ghost & Sacha Skarbek)

Will Win: Not Ready To Make Nice
Should Win: Not Ready To Make Nice

It used to be that the winners of the Record of the Year and Song of the Year categories always matched up. It worked out that way for a five year stretch from 1996 (Eric Clapton's Change the World) to 2000 (U2's Beautiful Day). But in the last six years the winners have only matched up once (Norah Jones' Don't Know Why in 2002). I'm going to stick with Mary J. for Record of the Year but pick the Dixie Chicks for Song of the Year. It was a song that made no apologies to the legions of country fans they lost. For Chicks, they sure have a massive set of balls.

New Artist of the Year

James Blunt
Chris Brown
Imogen Heap
Corinne Bailey Rae
Carrie Underwood

Will Win: Carrie Underwood
Should Win: Carrie Underwood

The Grammys had been slow to show love to Idol winners until last year when Kelly Clarkson broke through with two big wins. Typically country acts got nominated for this category but wind up empty handed (Sugarland, Gretchen Wilson, Brad Paisley, Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain). The last country artist to win this award was Leann Rimes in 1997, a young blond girl whose debut album exploded on the charts. Sound familiar? That should bode well for Carrie Underwood. The spoiler in this race could be Corinne Bailey Rae, a British ingénue in the same vain of past New Artist winners Norah Jones, Paula Cole, and Tracy Chapman.