The Examiner’s Grammy Award picks

“Use Somebody” Kings Of Leon

“Poker Face” Lady Gaga

“You Belong With Me” Taylor Swift

Nancy says: You know how annoyed you feel when the office star receives kudos after you’ve done all the grunt work? Music insiders will tell you that is truly what “Record of the Year” is all about. That’s why you’ll see everyone who even fetched a cup of coffee for the performer crowd the podium during the presentation. The question this year is who the industry wants to honor for music and good deeds. The nod will likely go to Mrs. Jay-Z for her song “Halo,” an apt title for the woman who turned the Kanye West/Taylor Swift disaster at the MTV Video Music Awards into a lovefest for Swift.

Elliot says: This category is a two-horse race between the Peas’ ubiquitous party anthem and “You Belong With Me,” the most relatable pop song of the year. Swift’s ode to unrequited teenage love captured the imagination of music fans across generations, but the subject matter may be a little too kiddy for Grammy voters. “I Gotta Feeling” used a simple, bobbing beat to create a joyous musical experience without the over-the-top hammering bass that makes many Black Eyed Peas songs too forceful to really enjoy.

Album of the Year

“I Am … Sasha Fierce” Beyonce

“The E.N.D.” Black Eyed Peas

“The Fame” Lady Gaga

“Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King” Dave Matthews Band

“Fearless” Taylor Swift

Nancy says: The album’s killer singles — including “Single Ladies,” “Halo” — were on everyone’s play list last year as the onetime pop star showed she’s way beyond her onetime Britney and Christina counterparts. As her alter ego, Sasha Fierce, Beyonce brings all her sexy, sassy urban ‘tude to the game. What a difference from the powerfully controlled, deeply textured vocals of Beyonce the original. As many have noted, Beyonce’s song choices and performances are reminiscent of her idol Barbra Streisand. Both have the heart and range needed to make power ballads come alive.

Elliot says: BEP, Gaga and Swift were all hit factories in 2009, but Beyonce’s album was the most versatile album of the nominees and a big milestone in her evolution as a star. Beyonce picks up comparisons to the smooth voices of Motown and empowered attitude of Madonna, but her smooth use of pushy, sensual alter ego Sasha Fierce evokes David Bowie’s wild Ziggy Stardust and Garth Brooks’ brooding Chris Gaines. Dueling lead singles “If I Were A Boy” and “Single Ladies” showcase not only how far Beyonce has come, but how much more we can expect from her in the coming years and decades.

Song of the Year

“Poker Face” Lady Gaga

“Pretty Wings” Maxwell

“Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” Beyonce

“Use Somebody” Kings of Leon

“You Belong With Me” Taylor Swift

Nancy says: Swift is only just beyond childhood, but her writing and performances prove she’s an old soul musically. There’s just nothing negative to say about “You Belong With Me,” a song Swift co-wrote about loving someone who is in a bad relationship. What makes this song genius for Swift is it not only works for her musically, but bolsters her “real girl” persona, too with lyrics such as “She wears short skirts, I wear T-shirts …” Who doesn’t want the gorgeous, yet humble, diva that was publicly dumped by Joe Jonas and embarrassed by Kanye West to succeed?

Elliot says: The nominations of Estelle’s “American Boy” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella” the last two years may open the door for “Single Ladies,” but upbeat songs simply don’t fare well in this category. “Pretty Wings” is the perfect storm for Song of the Year: a sensitive, understated song; a critically acclaimed but under-the-radar performer; and a long time since that performer’s last release.

Best New Artist

Zac Brown Band

Keri Hilson

MGMT

Silversun Pickups

The Ting Tings

Nancy says: These guys sprung out of nowhere with these toe-tapping tunes they had fine-tuned almost a decade ago when they were playing gigs at the restaurant Brown ran with his dad outside of Atlanta. Some of Brown’s first songs — including “Country Fried” — were among the first the band recorded way back in the early part of the last decade. Sure, the songs became hits only after the band signed with Atlantic Records and had its almighty publicity machine behind it, but this band is nobody’s studio creation. They truly deserve the nod.

Elliot says: It seems odd MGMT would be nominated as a new artist, considering Justice’s remix of MGMT’s “Electric Feel” won a Grammy last year, but here they are. The brooding, psychedelic haze of tracks like “Kids” and “Time to Pretend” evokes a timelessness that speaks to the tradition of college kids experimenting (with music, among other things), which is just how MGMT was formed. Hilson carries the advantage of having paid her dues for years as a songwriter while not having a long history of recordings that belies the New Artist category. Voters may find that, and Hilson’s energetic bounce, irresistible.

Best Rock Song

“The Fixer” Pearl Jam

“I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” U2

“21 Guns” Green Day

“Use Somebody” Kings Of Leon

“Working On a Dream” Bruce Springsteen

Nancy says: Anyone who doubts these awards are as much about Hollywood’s social conscience as they are about music likely still believes Tinkerbell flies around the Disney Castle. It’s disheartening to watch musicians try to tip judges’ scales in their favor by suddenly adopting the cause du jour. One guy who’s always remained true to his beliefs — and makes some of the best music on the planet — is Springsteen. The Boss’ “Working on a Dream” is everything you want in a Springsteen song — full-bodied lyrics, unbridled playing and the passion of a live performance. Nobody does rock better.

Elliot says: The nominee list features “The Best Band on the Planet,” past and future editions, in U2 and Green Day, but each of their entries are surprisingly plain songs. The Boss’ heartfelt “Working On A Dream,” in all its acoustic working-class passion, is the kind of thing voters lap up. But no one owned the rock airwaves like Kings of Leon this year. Caleb Followill’s lonely, longing vocals, the Springsteenesque whoa-ohs and crashing cymbals all come together to form something past a rock song and more like a religious experience.

Best R&B Song

“Blame It” Jamie Foxx and T-Pain

“Lions, Tigers and Bears” Jazmine Sullivan

“Pretty Wings” Maxwell

“Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” Beyonce

“Under” Pleasure P

Nancy says: It’s tough on those who love the Motown and Stax sounds to accept some contemporary R&B. Many of the genre’s songs are so filled with rock, pop and hip-hop influences, it’s difficult to define them as R&B. Not so with “Single Ladies” by Beyonce. Sure, it has elements of pop and hip-hop, but the swinging, street-smart delivery tackling the age-old “love me or leave me” issue is right on the R&B track. If The Supremes were recording today, they’d want to add this song to their catalogue.

Best Rap Song

“Best I Ever Had” Drake

“Day ‘n’ Nite” Kid Cudi

“Dead and Gone” T.I. and Justin Timberlake

“D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)” Jay-Z

“Run This Town” Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West

Elliot says: When three of the biggest stars in hip-hop come together for one track, it’s hard to go wrong. Jay-Z was back with a vengeance on 2009’s “The Blueprint 3,” shedding his reserved confidence for the kind of aggressiveness that first made him a juggernaut around the turn of the century. Jay takes it to the reader on “Run This Town,” only to be upstaged by West, who always seems to save his most clever jibes for when he’s sharing the mic with Jay. Factor in all the attention surrounding the song’s principles, from Jay’s renaissance to Kanye’s awards show meltdown to Rihanna’s public drama, and this song will be what everyone thinks of when they look back at 2009 in rap.

Best Country Song

“All I Ask For Anymore” Trace Adkins

“High Cost of Living” Jamey Johnson

“I Run To You” Lady Antebellum

“People Are Crazy” Billy Currington

“White Horse” Taylor Swift

Nancy says: The tough thing about assessing country is that, like R&B, the genre has changed dramatically in recent years. Go to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville and you’ll see paintings with odes to its various incarnations, usually divided by decade. With Lady Antebellum, Adkins and Swift competing in this category, Johnson truly is an outside chance. “High Cost of Living,” though, is everything a classic country song should be. Johnson’s world-weary, craggy vocals, accompanied by steel guitar, tell the most heartbreaking tale of redemption this side of Johnny Cash. Listen and you’ll hear just how country built its loyal following.

Best Dance Recording

“Boom Boom Pow” Black Eyed Peas

“When Love Takes Over” David Guetta and Kelly Rowland

“Poker Face” Lady Gaga

“Celebration” Madonna

“Womanizer” Britney Spears

Elliot says: Lady Gaga owned 2009 in pop music, and this will be where she gets recognition for the most memorable song of the year. “Poker Face” moves like a tiger, thick and graceful with a big bounce. Gaga’s lyrics only add to the effect, mixing sex, coyness and dance-floor swagger into one strong cocktail. Britney also deserves notice for finding a level of moderation that long eluded her, pairing a slithering Goldfrappesque beat with teasing-but-stern lyrics.