Grammy Preview: Beyoncé is queen of nominations; Maxwell makes a comeback

The marketing for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards acknowledges the new digital frontier popular music has found itself in, with posters of blurred images of top performers interspersed with snapshots of YouTube messages from ardent fans. As the Grammys evolve with the changing terrain, there are still time honored traditions that viewers can expect from the night: namely, tributes galore to musical giants and artists from all eras coming together to knock it out the ballpark.

Past Grammy shows have featured many memorable fusions--remember Jill Scott and Moby fronting a techno-operatic technicolor extravaganza, or Joss Stone and a bald Melissa Etheridge tearing it up with a Janis Joplin tribute, or a pregnant M.I.A. in a sheer ladybug top bobbing and bouncing, leading a hip-hop Brat Pack consisting of Kanye West, Jay-Z, T.I. and Lil Wayne?

The interesting juxtapositions will continue, particularly considering the increased blending of genres in today's pop music. As many of us bear a heavy heart with the massive loss of life and shelter in Haiti, hip-hop soul queen Mary J. Blige and pop/classical balladeer Andrea Bocelli will come together for a fund-raising tribute to the nation. And the life of pop/soul music's biggest star, the late Michael Jackson, will be honored by Usher in a special 3-D performance.

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As on of the more dignified music awards programs, Grammy has generally managed to balance gravitas and serious concerns with the need for spectacle and partying. This year will continue the trend, with upcoming performances by the likes of Roberta Flack, Elton John, Beyoncé Knowles, T-Pain, The Black Eyed Peas, Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, Slash, Doug E. Fresh, Bon Jovi, Maxwell, and Lady Gaga. (Many of us can only smile in glee as we imagine what she'll wear and do onstage.) The performances tend to upstage the awards themselves, most of which are given at a pre-televised ceremony.

(Most of the r&b and hip-hop awards will be given out at the pre-telecast. Some interesting match-ups can be found there, including Best Rap Album, which pits critical alt darlings Q-Tip, Common and Mos Def against commercial juggernauts like Flo Rida and Eminem.)

The Fiercest One, aka Ms. Knowles, continues to be queen of the pack with her ten Grammy nominations, including the three marquee categories of Record, Album and Song of the Year, yet I suspect that the prize for many of the categories she's featured in will go to other performers. For Record of the Year, Beyoncé is nominated for "Halo" (a timeless anthem of romantic love that's been used to inspire community uplift at live performances), yet it's more likely the Black Eyed Peas will get the award for their "I Gotta Feeling," a dance/pop/rap fusion feel-great song that in a matter of months cemented itself as one of the biggest tracks of the last decade. Call the Peas what you will in terms of their style, but they know how to create ditties that make you move and smile no matter who you are, and Grammy voters will honor them.

For Album of the Year, expect pop-country to take the prize in the form of Taylor Swift's Fearless. Some within the industry believe she's still getting the sympathy vote post-Kanye collision. Yet outside of that, her album was the top seller of 2009, had hits with catchy twee narratives and boasts a congenial songstress who pens her own songs. (To be fair though, Grammy voters have been known to give their album award to left-field contenders. In this case, that would be the Dave Matthew Band's Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King.)

And for Song of the Year, which is a songwriting award, the witty "Single Ladies" could have a shot here, as could the equally witty "Poker Face" from Gaga. Both songs benefit tremendously from accompanying visuals, with Beyoncé's entry boasting one of the best music videos ever created--a testament to simplicity, sexy movement and badass brownness in black and white--and Gaga introducing wildly innovative performance art into a staid pop music scene.

For sheer craftsmanship, however, my vote would have to go to Maxwell's "Pretty Wings," an ethereal moment of mature soul. While all of the contenders for best song are strong this year, "Pretty Wings" truly encapsulates what a song can be, with both restrained and passionate vocals, layered instrumentation that has an autonomous voice, a lingering denouement, and a relationship story that invokes the heavens.

It's for this reason that Maxwell has been sorely missed by the music community, and that it'll be a pleasure to see him perform on the telecast, regardless of who gets what.