Pop
Best Female Pop Vocal
- Chrisina Aguilera - "Candyman"
- Feist - "1,2,3,4"
- Fergie - "Big Girls Don't Cry"
- Nelly Furtado - "Say It Right"
- Amy Winehouse - "Rehab"
If there is any award that Amy Winehouse will take home, it is this category. Her voice is one of the most unique instruments to come along in pop music in some time.
Best Male Pop Vocal
- Michael Buble - "Everything"
- John Mayer - "Belief"
- Paul McCartney - "Dance Tonight"
- Seal - "Amazing"
- Justin Timberlake - "What Goes Around...Comes Around"
Justin Timberlake's performance is a powerful and memorable one. He will have to overcome sentimental support for Paul McCartney, but the rest of the field is relatively weak.
Best Pop Duo or Group With Vocal
- Bon Jovi - "(You Want To) Make a Memory"
- Daughtry - "Home"
- Maroon 5 - "Makes Me Wonder"
- Plain White T's - "Hey There Delilah"
- U2 - "Window in the Skies"
I'm looking for the upset here. I expect Bon Jovi and U2 to split the sentimental vote and Daughtry to just edge Maroon 5 for the award.
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals
- Tony Bennett & Christina Aguilera - "Steppin' Out"
- Beyonce & Shakira - "Beautiful Liar"
- Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)"
- Gwen Stefani & Akon - "The Sweet Escape"
- Timbaland featuring Nelly Furtado & Justin Timberlake - "Give It To Me"
This is a tough category to predict, but few musicians are more well respected than Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant and bluegrass wizard Alison Krauss. I will give them the nod in their odd couple pairing.
Best Pop Instrumental
- Beastie Boys - "Off the Grid"
- Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals - "Paris Sunrise #7"
- Dave Koz - "Over the Rainbow"
- Joni Mitchell - "One Week Last Summer"
- Spyro Gyra - "Simple Pleasures"
Rap pioneers the Beastie Boys took a big risk this year in releasing an all instrumental album. To most ears, it was an unqualified success, and I believe they will walk away with this category.
Best Pop Instrumental Album
- Beastie Boys - The Mix-Up
- Chris Botti - Itaia
- Dave Koz - At the Movies
- Spyro Gyra - Good to Go-Go
- Kirk Whalum - Round Trip
Faced with a field of mostly light pop-jazz competitors, I expect the Beastie Boys to take this award as well.
Best Pop Vocal Album
- Bon Jovi - Lost Highway
- Feist - The Reminder
- Maroon 5 - It Won't Be Soon Before Long
- Paul McCartney - Memory Almost Full
- Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
Look for sentimentality to join with a recognition that this was Sir Paul's best album in many many years to help him take home this prize.
