It is that time of year again, one that brings with it its usual grousing and celebrations. Awards season is underway with the Oscars this last Sunday (did something happen that was noteworthy?), and it will continue with the Grammy Awards this week. The crème of the music world will arrive in Las Vegas (it was supposed to be held in Los Angeles back in February, but COVID guidelines at that time forced its move) on Sunday night, looking to celebrate the best in their industry (and hopefully not smacking the shit out of each other).

I always look forward to the Grammys, so I do not want to hear a lot of bitching about “rich, successful people patting each other on the back.” OF COURSE, it is rich, successful people patting each other on the back. These people work incredibly hard on their craft, not to mention the songwriters, producers, engineers, and other industry people who put together these musical creations for our entertainment. Why else do you think they give out MVP awards in professional sports? It is their way of honoring the best – and that is what the Grammys do.

Because my knowledge of the industry is in the rock field, I am going to concentrate on those categories first. At the end, I am going to offer my prediction for the four major awards – Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist. SPOILER ALERT!! It is going to be the same person, because…

Wait, I am getting ahead of myself. Here are my predictions for the major rock and metal awards for the Grammys 2022.

Best Rock Performance

“Shot in the Dark,” AC/DC
“Know You Better (Live from Capitol Studio A),” Black Pumas
“Nothing Compares 2 U,” Chris Cornell
“Ohms,” Deftones
“Making a Fire,” Foo Fighters

SHOULD WIN: “Ohms,” Deftones
WILL WIN: “Shot in the Dark,” AC/DC

With the passing of drummer Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters VERY recently, there is going to be a strong call for the group to be feted in some manner. Likewise, the posthumous release of cover songs by Cornell, the former singer for Soundgarden and Audioslave who committed suicide in 2017, is sure to draw some support. “Ohms,” however, was a magnum opus from Deftones and it should win…but it won’t.

That honor is going to go to AC/DC, who has been around now for 50 years and have only once taken home the trophy (for a rather subpar “War Machine” in 2009 for Best Hard Rock Performance). “Shot in the Dark” was an outstanding comeback for the group and it gives the voters in the Recording Academy an opportunity to say “Hey, we’re hip with the hard rock!” I’ll leave out my healthy does of sarcasm on this one!

Best Rock Song

“All My Favorite Songs,” Rivers Cuomo, Ashley Gorley, Ben Johnson and Ilsey Juber, songwriters (Weezer)
“The Bandit,” Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill and Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings of Leon)
“Distance,” Wolfgang Van Halen, songwriter (Mammoth WVH)
“Find My Way,” Paul McCartney, songwriter (Paul McCartney)
“Waiting on a War,” Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffee, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear, songwriters (Foo Fighters)

SHOULD WIN: “Distance”
WILL WIN: “Find My Way”

“Waiting on a War” wasn’t even the best song on Foo Fighters’ “Medicine at Midnight,” so we cannot consider it here. Weezer and Kings of Leon are not going to get the award. It should go to Wolfgang Van Halen for the outstanding ode to his father, the late guitar wizard Eddie Van Halen, from Mammoth WVH’s debut record. It was a masterful piece of work that should be recognized (even though I think “Don’t Back Down” was a better song).

The rule with the Recording Academy is “if you can honor a Beatle, you do it.” And that’s why McCartney will win this award. It was not because it was a great song, it was not because “McCartney III” was a great album. It is simply because McCartney is, well, McCartney. I would love to be proven wrong, however.

Best Rock Album

“Power Up,” AC/DC
“Capitol Cuts – Live from Studio A,” Black Pumas
“No One Sings Like You Anymore Vol. 1,” Chris Cornell
“Medicine at Midnight,” Foo Fighters
“McCartney III,” Paul McCartney

SHOULD WIN: “Power Up”
WILL WIN: “McCartney III”

See above. While I personally believe that “Power Up” was the best record AC/DC has released in some time (arguably since “The Razor’s Edge”), this is where Foo Fighters would be best considered. “Medicine at Midnight” was a complete record, front to back, and this might be where they will slip in.

Unfortunately, McCartney is there too…

Best Metal Performance

“Genesis,” Deftones
“The Alien,” Dream Theater
“Amazonia,” Gojira
“Pushing the Tides,” Mastodon
“The Triumph of King Freak (A Crypt of Preservation and Superstition),” Rob Zombie

SHOULD WIN: “Amazonia”
WILL WIN: “Genesis”

The category is Best METAL Performance and, as such, the only qualifier in these five songs would be Gojira. Gojira was nominated twice in 2017 for Best Metal Performance and Best Metal Album (not awarded any more), and they are more than deserving of recognition for their work. I would like to see Dream Theater or Mastodon get some respect, too, but they may be too much on the peripheral of some voters for consideration.

This one will probably be a makeup call for Deftones not winning in the Best Rock Performance category. Although I have always considered Deftones more on the alternative edge, Grammy voters are not known for their knowledge of musical genre (remember, these voters once “honored” Jethro Tull over Metallica for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance). Thus, this is the place where Deftones will probably be receiving their award.

Now, as to the Big Four…

Last year, it was a bit of a surprise. For the first time in 40 years, the Big Four awards – Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist – were all taken home by the same artist, Billie Eilish. The last time that it occurred was in 1981, when Christopher Cross walked away with a truckload of Grammys for his song “Sailing,” and proceeded to be crushed by the MTV steamroller when it debuted in August of that year.

We’re not going to have to wait as long this time for it to happen. Olivia Rodrigo and “Driver’s License” was a MONSTER through the year, and the album it came from, “Sour,” provided a plethora of top hits. You might be able to question Rodrigo on her propensity for “borrowing” sounds from other artists (Taylor Swift, Hayley Williams of Paramore and Courtney Love of Hole is just a small list), but she has been able to concoct a debut CD that blew up the charts.

If you want to look beyond Rodrigo, there are two choices that are very apparent. The collaboration of Lady Gaga and the legendary Tony Bennett on their CD “Love for Sale” would be good candidates in the Record and Album categories as a sentimental “lifetime achievement” statement for Bennett. Meanwhile, Lil’ Nas X might make a run at a trio of awards (Record, Album, and Song of the Year) with “Montero.”

Unfortunately, a couple of the big favorites pre-Grammys are going to be overlooked. Jon Batiste and H.E.R. both received numerous nominations (eleven for Batiste, eight for H.E.R.), but I do not believe that either will crack through in the Big Four categories (they aren’t eligible for Best New Artist). This is unfortunate as both Batiste and H.E.R. have demonstrated their virtuosity as musicians and should be recognized for their outstanding work.

Set your DVR now if you do not plan on watching the 2022 Grammy Awards live – it is Sunday night at 8PM (EDT), airing on CBS. Musical performances lined up include Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak), Batiste, Eilish, H.E.R., Lil’ Nas X, Rodrigo, Chris Stapleton, John Legend, and Carrie Underwood (Foo Fighters were scheduled to be on the bill, but the death of Hawkins – which will have a “tribute segment” during the ceremonies, according to producers – has caused the band to withdraw). It should be a helluva show!