The Grammy's

There's nothing like great live music. That's why I'm so excited that the Grammy Awards will air on Sunday on CBS at 8 pm.

Lil Wayne leads the pack with eight nominations, followed by Coldplay with seven noms, and Jay-Z, Ne-Yo, and Kayne West with six nominations.

A personal favorite, Al Green's "Lay It Down" was nominated for multiple awards in the R&B categories.

The Grammy's, the music industry's top prize, bestows awards in 114 categories, recognizing every genre--from reggae to classical to pop. But there are two categories I'll be watching extremely close:

Category 8 Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The nominees are:

"Lesson Learned" Alicia Keys, John Mayer
"4 Minutes" Madonna, Justin Timberlake
"Rich Woman" Allison Krauss, Robert Plant
"If I Never See Your Face" Rihanna, Maroon 5
"No Air" Jordan Sparks, Chris Brown

"No Air" by Jordan and Chris is a very nice song, but may be a little too pop for this pop category. Madonna's "4 Minutes" is nice and booming, but how is it different from other Timbaland productions? Rihanna and Maroon 5. Probably not. It'll come down to "Rich Woman" and "Lesson Learned." Allison Krauss has already won more competitive Grammys than any other woman in history; she and partner Robert Plant will likely win in other categories.

My pick is "Lesson Learned." Alicia Keys and John Mayer have both become Grammy favorites and critical darlings. I don't think the academy will overlook them for this wonderful song. It's a minor tour de force with a wonderful lyric about redemption. When Alicia sings: "It's called the past/ Cause I'm getting past/ I ain't nothing like I was before/ You ought to see me now," it's truly an AMEN moment.




Category 4 . Best New Artist (For a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.) The nominees are:

Adele
Duffy
The Jonas Brothers
Lady Antebellum
Jazmine Sullivan

No doubt about it, The Jonas Brothers have this locked up... if the award were for winning the hearts of tween girls. But a Grammy, I think not. And even though I fear that she might bust the windows in my car, I don't think this is Jazmine Sullivan's year. Sorry,baby girl. Lady Antebellum. Who are you? That leaves us with the two Brits. An Adele-Duffy showdown similar to the Christina Aguilera-Britney Spears showdown at the 2000 awards. Duffy, from Wales, scored with her huge hit "Mercy."

But my personal pick to win is Adele. Although only 20, she showcases ability well beyond her years. Her vocals soar in "Hometown Glory," a song she wrote at 16. She performs it as if she were an old pro.