HOW DID GREIN DO? MORE HITS THAN MISSES

Grammy whisperer Paul Grein went 8 up and 5 down with his predictions in the major and genre-album categories. He accurately picked Sam Smith’s Record, Song and New Artist wins, and though he had Sam sweeping the big four, he cleverly hedged in the Album of the Year category. “Smith’s tightest race is probably going to be Album of the Year,” he noted. “Beck’s Morning Phase could manage an upset, since it’s the only rock or alternative album in the finals.”

Three of five of Grein’s misses could be considered upsets: Pharrell over Beyoncé for Urban Contemporary album, Aphex Twin over Deadmau5 for Dance/Electronic Album and the aforementioned Beck Album of the Year win. The other two were more viewed as being more closely contested: Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga over Grein’s pick, Barbra Streisand, for Traditional Pop Album, and St. Vincent over White’s Lazaretto for Alternative Album, which Grein missed but Karen Glauber’s Alternative-radio panel nailed.