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In November, she became the youngest person ever voted Entertainer of the Year at the Country Music Assn. Awards. Now, she seems destined to become the youngest artist ever to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. The 20-year old country/pop sensation would take that distinction from Alanis Morissette, who was 21 when Jagged Little Pill won the award in 1996.
Kings of Leon and Beyonce are expected to be the other big winners when the 52nd annual Grammy Awards are presented at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Jan. 31. Kings of Leon's rock smash "Use Somebody" is likely to win four awards, including Record and Song of the Year. Grammy voters have demonstrated a comfort level with mainstream pop-rock: Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" won last year as Song of the Year. Santana, U2, Coldplay and Green Day have all won for Record of the Year since 1999.
Beyonce, who led all artists with 10 nominations, has a good chance of winning five awards. That would make her the first female artist ever to win five Grammys twice. She previously took home five awards in 2004.
Beyonce could even become the first female artist ever to win six Grammys in one night. It all hinges on the outcome in the Song of the Year category. Her smash "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" is in a close contest with "Use Somebody." "Single Ladies" was one of the year's most ubiquitous songs. Its profile was boosted by parodies by such varied acts as Justin Timberlake and the Chipettes. But only two R&B songs, Alicia Keys' "Fallin'" and Luther Vandross' "Dance With My Father," have been voted Song of the Year. And they were both elegant ballads, not frisky, danceable tunes.
Lady Gaga would have easily taken Best New Artist, but she was ruled ineligible on the
grounds that "Just Dance," the first single from her album, was nominated for a Grammy (Best Dance Recording) last year. (The same rule disqualified Jennifer Hudson a year ago and threatens the eligibility of Drake and Kid Cudi next year, unless the Grammy Trustees change it.) With Lady Gaga out of the running, country's Zac Brown Band is likely to take home the award.
Colbie Caillat and her father, record producer Ken Caillat, may soon have matching Album of the Year awards. This is due to the Recording Academy's overly generous policy in which artists who are featured on an album receive nominations and awards for Album of the Year, just as if they are the principal artist. Colbie Caillat and Swift teamed for a duet, "Breathe," on Fearless. Ken Caillat won for co-producing Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, which was voted Album of the Year for 1977.
The Caillats wouldn't be the first father and daughter to each win for Album of the Year. Ravi Shankar won as a participant on The Concert For Bangla Desh, the 1972 champ. His daughter, Norah Jones, has taken the award twice, first for her 2002 debut, Come Away With Me, and again as a featured artist on Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters, the 2007 victor.
After this year, Steve Martin will have won as many Grammys for making music as he ever did for telling jokes. Martin's The Crow/New Songs For The Five-String Banjo is a shoo-in to win for Best Bluegrass Album. Eight years ago, Martin won a Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance for playing on "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," a track from Earl Scruggs & Friends. Martin won back-to-back Grammys for Best Comedy Album with Let's Get Small (1977) and A Wild And Crazy Guy (1978).
Here's a preview of key categories.
SOURCE: Yahoo Music - Paul Grein
