Up for grabs

With Amy Winehouse no longer attending and a diverse range of performers vying for top honors, Sunday's Grammy Awards are anyone's guess. Globe music critics Joan Anderman and Sarah Rodman recently chatted about who will win - and who will lose.

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Big category, a lot of really diverse names in there. You've got everyone from Beyoncé and Foo Fighters to Rihanna and Justin Timberlake and Amy Winehouse. Certainly very Top 40-friendly songs. What do we think?

Anderman: Does anybody think it's not going to be [Rihanna's] "Umbrella"?

Rodman: (sings) Ella-ella-eh-eh-eh! It has to be "Umbrella." No matter what you think about the song, it was the biggest song of last year. And it was incredibly well-produced. They have to give it to "Umbrella."

Anderman: It's a classic record of the year award. As opposed to an artist award or an album award, the record of the year goes to that big, unforgettable, unavoidable song, and that was it.

Rodman: And this was actually a really good category this year. I mean, every single song in this category was a hit, and they're actually all really representative of the people who performed them too.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

This is certainly the one that was kind of shocking when we all saw the nominations. Vince Gill alongside Herbie Hancock was kind of a surprise.

Anderman: It is a very diverse category, interestingly. It usually isn't this diverse.

Rodman: I actually think it's great.

Anderman: It is great. You know, my knee-jerk is that they're going to give it to Kanye West, because I feel like he's gotta get something. Dude's gotta get an award.

And what about the Foo Fighters, why are they in there?

Anderman: That's a really good question. I think people love the Foo Fighters. I don't think this album is a masterpiece, but I think Foo Fighters are the only youngish rock band in contention.

Rodman: Well, the Foo Fighters are also, it must be noted, very Grammy-friendly. This year, on the awards show, they're going to be doing what Justin Timberlake did last year. They're going to have someone come onstage and perform with them.

Anderman: It's also a very ambitious album. In the space of a handful of songs, they really set out to make a big statement, and I think the Grammy Awards really reward that.

Rodman: Vince Gill is in this category because his record is four CDs. It's probably the most ambitious country record of all time. And if we were giving this award on merit and ambition and absolute success, he would win because there's not a bum song on any one of them.

Anderman: But it's not going to happen.

Rodman: No, no. He'll never win. But that's where the nomination is the award.

SONG OF THE YEAR

"Hey There Delilah" is the one that everyone was maybe surprised to see. It was ubiquitous, but is it really Grammy material?

Anderman: That's such a funny little song to have really turned people's heads and caught people's ears. It's the kind of thing you expect to hear maybe on a college radio station or even the AAA radio station, but not to take fire across the country. It's kind of a little sentimental favorite. I can't imagine it's going to win.

Rodman: It won't. It's really smart counter-programming if you look at it from a radio standpoint when you look at everything else that's very beat-driven, that's very hand-claps and finger-snaps and stuttering grooves and you're like, oh, this catches my ear because it's acoustic and different and melodic, but it won't win. This is where I think it's between "Umbrella" and "Before He Cheats," by Carrie Underwood. I think "Umbrella" is going to win because of the momentum.

BEST NEW ARTIST

This year's big news is probably Feist. I think we were all very surprised to see Feist. We all liked the album, right?

Anderman: I do like the album. I'm not surprised to see her in the new artist category, I guess I'm surprised to see her in all the other categories. I just got an e-mail this morning, and she won the Short List music prize, which is another thing I would expect. She's a real favorite, certainly among indie fans, and I guess beyond. There's another artist we need to talk about who's in this group: Ledisi. Tell us about Ledisi, for those few, few listeners who don't know who Ledisi is. Tell us, Sarah.

Rodman: Most of the other names might be familiar: Feist, the rock band Paramore, country singer Taylor Swift, and Amy Winehouse again. But Ledisi is an R&B soul singer out of New Orleans, and we have no idea how she got into this category.

Anderman: And we have no idea who she is?

Rodman: Ledisi.

Anderman: Let us see.

Rodman: Let us know. But the great thing about this category is, it's all women up for best new artist. I mean, there are boys in Paramore, but it's a female-fronted band, and so we've got four solo artists representing four different kinds of music, plus a female-fronted rock band.

Anderman: Go, girls. But it's between Feist and Amy, I think we probably agree on that.

Rodman: Although people are talking about Taylor Swift making a sort of dark-horse run up the middle, splitting the critical favorite vote, because she had such a huge year. She's a brand new artist and she actually made it into the top-10 bestselling albums of 2007, and she's only 18 years old, and the business side of the industry loves that story. And so there's a possibility that she could be the spoiler there. But I think that Amy Winehouse is going to win. I think that of all the awards she's nominated for, that's the one she's going to win, even just as a matter of encouragement, like, "We want you to do well, Amy! Here's an award!"

Anderman: "Now get clean!"

Rodman: Exactly.

BEST FEMALE POP VOCAL

Anderman: The nominees are Christina Aguilera - there's a name we haven't heard for a while - Feist, Fergie, Nelly Furtado, and Amy Winehouse again. Sarah?

Rodman: This is not about what the critics think or who had the best song, and I know that Fergie, like it or not, had a huge year last year. That song ["Big Girls Don't Cry"] cut across all lines. I'm going to embarrass my boyfriend by saying that he liked it. You know, I think that she actually has a really good shot at winning that.

Anderman: But she doesn't really have a good voice.

Rodman: No, but I don't think that matters. I mean, as a listener I think that matters, but as a Grammy contender, I don't think that matters.

Anderman: You're a cynic!

Joan, you groaned when she said Fergie. What's wrong with her voice?

Anderman: I just think she's overrated. This is a vocal performance award. Call me a dreamer, but I think that people should be judged by that criterion, and I just don't think Fergie gives a great vocal performance. I'm sure she gives other great things, but, um . . .

BEST SOLO ROCK VOCAL

Anderman: We've got Beck, Paul McCartney, John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, and Lucinda Williams.

Rodman: That noted rock singer Lucinda Williams.

Anderman: Yeah, that's kind of a weird. She's in a lot of rock categories this year. As ever, they don't know what to do with Lucinda. Rodman: And also it must be pointed out that it's best solo rock performance, meaning the women and the men were lumped together, which means there weren't enough female competitors to field a best female rock vocal performance. Can we have a moment of silence? And in that respect, sad, but it doesn't matter: This is Bruce's category. And raise your hand if you are not tired of hearing that John Mellencamp song on commercials.

Anderman: I was tired of that John Mellencamp song before I ever heard it, but that's another conversation. I think that Bruce deserves the award. I love "Radio Nowhere," I love the whole new album.

BEST ROCK SONG

Anderman: What are the best new ones? "Come On," Lucinda Williams; "Icky Thump," White Stripes; "It's Not Over," by Daughtry; "The Pretender," by the Foo Fighters; and, again, "Radio Nowhere." Sarah, what do you think?

Rodman: I think that all the rock categories, Bruce is going to win. Because it's their way of saying we didn't give you the big awards, but we still want you to come and maybe play. So I think the only real competition here is "Icky Thump."

Anderman: And I think "Icky Thump" could take it. We were talking yesterday, I guess, about alternative versus mainstream rock and there doesn't seem to be much differentiation now. All the alternative categories, I guess we'll get to that later, seem to have pretty mainstream songs in them.

BEST RAP ALBUM

Anderman: And the nominees for best rap album are . . .

Rodman: "Finding Forever," by Common.

Anderman: "Kingdom Come," by Jay-Z.

Rodman: "Hip-Hop Is Dead," by Nas.

Anderman: "T.I. vs. T.I.P.," by T.I.

Rodman: And "Graduation," by Kanye West. The only real competition here is Jay-Z, and ["Kingdom Come"] is not the comeback record that "American Gangster" was. Now, all the hip-hop heads will say Common made the best record, but that doesn't matter. Everyone knows who Kanye West is, and everyone's going to be checking that name.

He's the easy choice?

Rodman: Absolutely. And who wants to give best rap album to a record called "Hip-Hop Is Dead"?

Anderman: That's such a good point, Sarah.

Rodman: I mean, if you're not even for it, why should we be?

BEST COUNTRY COLLABORATION WITH VOCALS

Anderman: This is an interesting category. Got some old timers [Willie Nelson and Ray Price], some newcomers, a married couple. Two women. They're all over the place. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, Tim [McGraw] and Faith [Hill], Reba [McEntire] and Kelly [Clarkson], and Steve Earle and Allison Moorer, my favorite couple.

Rodman: Now, the only one of these songs that was actually a hit was the Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson version of Kelly's song "Because of You." Tim and Faith have the best name recognition, though. I feel like this is another chance for a part of the academy to say, "Whoa, Willie Nelson, Ray Price! These are legends! These are heroes, these are people we should celebrate before they die." And they'll probably give them the award. And it's a great record that they made together and a great song.

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

Sarah, you've mentioned it before, but why don't we see any women in this category?

Rodman: I have no idea.

Who would you put in there?

Rodman: Lori McKenna.

Anderman: It's not enough of a country album, though.

Rodman: But based on the way they do some of these, is Lucinda Williams really a rock record?

Anderman: Yeah, fair point, but I think Lori's album ["Unglamorous"] is too pop, too folk, too singer-songwritery. Not twangy enough for this category.

Rodman: More twangy than you'd expect from Stoughton [McKenna's hometown], though.

Anderman: True.

Before we go: Michael Jackson - is he going to show up to celebrate the rerelease of "Thriller"?

Rodman: "Thriller" is actually getting inducted into the Hall of Fame as an album, so I would imagine that Michael will be there, whether he performs or not. The Grammys are sort of famous for surprises and surprise pairings, and they are trying to push that Akon version of "Wanna Be Startin' Something," so that could be exciting. Beyoncé's playing, Foo Fighters are playing, Tina Turner is rumored to be coming to do part of the Aretha Franklin tribute

With Beyoncé.

Rodman: Yes, with Beyoncé. Yes, so that could be very exciting and frantic and leggy.

Do you want to go on record and bet money on who has the most correct predictions?

Rodman: I know I do.

Anderman: I bet on Sarah.