2022 Grammy Awards: Predicted Winners and Personal Picks

After taking a pass on this year’s ACM Awards, the CU team is back with award show predictions and personal favorites.   Here’s what we think will win and should win at this weekend’s Grammy Awards.

GENERAL FIELD

Record of the Year

Predicted Winner:

• ABBA, “I Still Have Faith in You”
• Jon Batiste, “Freedom”
• Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, “I Get a Kick Out of You” – KJC
• Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Cesar & Giveon, “Peaches”
• Brandi Carlile, “Right On Time”
• Doja Cat featuring SZA, “Kiss Me More”
• Billie Eilish, “Happier Than Ever” – JK
• Lil Nas X, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)”
• Olivia Rodrigo, “drivers license”
• Silk Sonic, “Leave the Door Open”

 

Personal Picks:

• ABBA, “I Still Have Faith in You”
• Jon Batiste, “Freedom”
• Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, “I Get a Kick Out of You”
• Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Cesar & Giveon, “Peaches”
• Brandi Carlile, “Right On Time”
• Doja Cat featuring SZA, “Kiss Me More”
• Billie Eilish, “Happier Than Ever”
• Lil Nas X, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – KJC, JK
• Olivia Rodrigo, “drivers license”
• Silk Sonic, “Leave the Door Open”

 

JK: The first question I always ask in the General Field categories is, “Who are The Olds of NARAS going to vote for?” Usually, there’s one obvious answer that points to the eventual winner, but, thanks to the expanded nominee list, that isn’t the case this year. I do think the Bennett & Gaga cover could win, but I also think there’s reason to expect some vote-siphoning from ABBA, Batiste, and Carlile. I’m not 100% sure who the beneficiary will be, but current Grammy darling Eilish seems like a fairly safe bet. Far worse singles than “Happier Than Ever” have won this award, but my vote would go to Lil Nas X’s astonishing bit of self-mythologizing over a flawless hook.

KJC:  Let me start with my assumption that Tony Bennett will win every category he’s nominated in this year. He’s already a Grammy favorite, this album is a big hit, and it’s a chance to honor him while he is still able to appreciate it.

I could make a case for nearly every one of these records. I’m very tempted by the ABBA comeback, but I have to put my weight behind “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).”  After nearly four decades of hearing, “__________  is the next Madonna,” Lil Nas X is the first artist to truly understand how she used audio and video together to challenge embedded prejudices through the sheer audacity of taking up space and refusing to be less to be loved. Like Madonna before him, Nas X is wielding the weapon of flawless pop hooks to clear the path for himself and those who will come up behind him.  You can’t do it without the hooks. 

 

Album of the Year

Predicted Winner:

• Jon Batiste, We Are – JK
• Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, Love for Sale – KJC
• Justin Bieber, Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)
• Doja Cat, Planet Her (Deluxe)
• Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever
• H.E.R., Back of My Mind
• Lil Nas X, Montero
• Olivia Rodrigo, Sour
• Taylor Swift, evermore
• Kanye West, Donda

Personal Picks:

• Jon Batiste, We Are – KJC
• Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, Love for Sale
• Justin Bieber, Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)
• Doja Cat, Planet Her (Deluxe)
• Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever
• H.E.R., Back of My Mind
• Lil Nas X, Montero
• Olivia Rodrigo, Sour – JK
• Taylor Swift, evermore
• Kanye West, Donda

JK: This one comes down to how significantly Bennett & Gaga split votes with Batiste; I think one of those two albums is the most likely winner. Since Kevin picked Love for Sale, I’ll go with We Are to increase our odds of a correct prediction. This is a solid line-up. Rodrigo’s SOUR was wildly under-estimated– and written about in really gross, rockist ways– and is a fascinating glimpse into what the next generation of singer-songwriters can do. It was truly one of the year’s best albums, though I also like the offerings here from Swift (“champagne problems” and “ivy” are two of her very best songs), Lil Nas X, Batiste, and Eilish. 

KJC:  There are many strong albums here with a distinctive perspective and sound.  Swift and West are batting above their own high averages.  H.E.R., Lil Nas X, and Olivia Rodrigo established themselves early as albums artists.  Eilish improved on her debut set, and Bieber has been consistently good for a very long time, and is getting kinda overdue for some major Grammy love.

For me, the best album of the bunch is Jon Batiste’s We Are, which thematically explores the black experience while bringing so many different forms of black music together, with elements of hip-hop, jazz, funk, blues, and soul forming a compelling musical mosaic.  It’s an album for the ages while also being very much of its time. 

 

Song of the Year

Predicted Winner:

• “Bad Habits” – Fred Gibson, Johnny McDaid, and Ed Sheeran
• “A Beautiful Noise” – Ruby Amanfu, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, Alicia Keys, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry, and Hailey Whitters
• “drivers license” – Daniel Nigro and Olivia Rodrigo – KJC
• “Fight For You” – Dernst Emile II, H.E.R., and Tiara Thomas – JK
• “Kiss Me More” – Roget Chahayed, Amala Zandile Dlamini, Lukasz Gottwald, Carter Lang, Gerard A. Powell II, Solana Rowe, and David Sprecher
• “Leave the Door Open” – Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II, and Bruno Mars
• “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Denzel Baptiste, David Biral, Omer Fedi, Montero Hill, and Roy Lenzo
• “Peaches” – Louis Bell, Justin Bieber, Giveon Dezmann Evans, Bernard Harvey, Felisha “Fury” King, Matthew Sean Leon, Luis Manuel Martinez Jr., Aaron Simmonds, Ashton Simmonds, Andrew Wotman, and Keavan Yazdini
• “Right On Time” – Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth, and Tim Hanseroth

 

Personal Picks:

• “Bad Habits” – Fred Gibson, Johnny McDaid, and Ed Sheeran
• “A Beautiful Noise” – Ruby Amanfu, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, Alicia Keys, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry, and Hailey Whitters
• “drivers license” – Daniel Nigro and Olivia Rodrigo – JK
• “Fight For You” – Dernst Emile II, H.E.R., and Tiara Thomas – KJC
• “Kiss Me More” – Roget Chahayed, Amala Zandile Dlamini, Lukasz Gottwald, Carter Lang, Gerard A. Powell II, Solana Rowe, and David Sprecher
• “Leave the Door Open” – Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II, and Bruno Mars
• “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Denzel Baptiste, David Biral, Omer Fedi, Montero Hill, and Roy Lenzo
• “Peaches” – Louis Bell, Justin Bieber, Giveon Dezmann Evans, Bernard Harvey, Felisha “Fury” King, Matthew Sean Leon, Luis Manuel Martinez Jr., Aaron Simmonds, Ashton Simmonds, Andrew Wotman, and Keavan Yazdini
• “Right On Time” – Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth, and Tim Hanseroth

 

JK: As a composition, I love the wild swings, both melodically and thematically, of “driver’s license.” It’s the sound of a singer-songwriter who learned all of the best lessons from Taylor Swift without being beholden to Swift’s most common tropes. I’m expecting H.E.R. and friends to continue running their awards-circuit gamut with their very fine song. Would love to see an upset, on principle, for that army of writers behind “A Beautiful Noise.”

KJC: This feels like the obvious place to acknowledge Rodrigo’s massive hit, which had folks out in the streets crying like Adele did back in the day.  “Fight For You” is far and away the best composition here, and I think it deserves a Grammy to go along with its Oscar and Golden Globe awards for Best Original Song. 

Best New Artist

Predicted Winner:

• Arooj Aftab
• Jimmie Allen
• Baby Keem
• FINNEAS
• Glass Animals
• Japanese Breakfast
• The Kid LAROI
• Arlo Parks
• Olivia Rodrigo – KJC, JK
• Saweetie

 

Personal Picks:

• Arooj Aftab
• Jimmie Allen – KJC
• Baby Keem
• FINNEAS
• Glass Animals
• Japanese Breakfast 
• The Kid LAROI
• Arlo Parks
• Olivia Rodrigo – JK
• Saweetie

JK: It’s possible Rodrigo could end the night as the Grammy’s new It Girl– which, clearly, I’d support– but I think this is her safest bet. My runner-up would be Japanese Breakfast, whose melodic, moody pop is some of the most captivating music on the market. Allen can take comfort in the fact that his nomination solved racism in country music, while a win for FINNEAS, which I don’t think is out of the realm of possibility, would be one hell of a coat-tail ride. He makes fantastic music with his sister, and we know how much NARAS loves her, but his solo output to date has been dreadful.

KJC:  Rooting for the home team here, as it’s been too long since a country artist won this award and Allen seems to have finally broken through this year on a larger scale. I think it’s Rodrigo’s to lose.

COUNTRY

Best Country Solo Performance

Predicted Winner:

• Luke Combs, “Forever After All”
• Mickey Guyton, “Remember Her Name”
• Jason Isbell, “All I Do is Drive”
• Kacey Musgraves, “camera roll” – JK
• Chris Stapleton, “You Should Probably Leave” – KJC, ZK

 

Personal Picks:

• Luke Combs, “Forever After All”
• Mickey Guyton, “Remember Her Name” – KJC, JK
• Jason Isbell, “All I Do is Drive”
• Kacey Musgraves, “camera roll”
• Chris Stapleton, “You Should Probably Leave” – ZK

 

JK: I do not love this line-up. It’s possible Guyton will sweep the country field– and the backlash from certain circles will be a complete shit-show if she does– and this is the category that I think would be her most deserving win. NARAS does like a pop crossover star in the country categories, which I think gives Musgraves just enough of an edge to pull out a win over Stapleton and Guyton. 

ZK: Yeah, I also don’t really love this field, even if I like every artist here. I’d normally bet on Musgraves here for the easy win, and I’m not sure the following statement I’m about to make would hold up in court by any means, but I’m not sure if star-crossed has really stuck much in the public consciousness since its release. “You Should Probably Leave” is probably the song I like most from this field, but this feels like a case of picking easy artists over better songs (or better songs from said artists, ’cause they have ’em). 

KJC: The three Grammy favorites here – Isbell, Musgraves, and Stapleton – all have several trophies to their names.  I’m thinking that Stapleton edges into a win because of more support from Music Row voters than the other two will get.  I’d personally give the trophy to Guyton in this category. 

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

Predicted Winner:

• Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood, “If I Didn’t Love You”
• Brothers Osborne, “Younger Me” – KJC, ZK
• Dan + Shay, “Glad You Exist” – JK
• Ryan Hurd & Maren Morris, “Chasing After You” 
• Elle King & Miranda Lambert, “Drunk (and I Don’t Wanna Go Home)”

 

Personal Picks:

• Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood, “If I Didn’t Love You”
• Brothers Osborne, “Younger Me” – KJC, JK, ZK
• Dan + Shay, “Glad You Exist”
• Ryan Hurd & Maren Morris, “Chasing After You”
• Elle King & Miranda Lambert, “Drunk (and I Don’t Wanna Go Home)”

 

JK: Three commercially successful duets to split the votes among themselves– I do like “Drunk,” for the record, and have been fully on-board with King as a country act since seeing her open for The Chicks a few years back– against two duos. The collapse of Dan + Shay within the country industry is the kind of thing NARAS historically picks up on far too late; I think they eke out another win here over the more deserving BrOs. Really hope I’m wrong. Really hope Blackface Aldean doesn’t win.

ZK: Ditto what Kevin says below. I like seeing the King and Lambert duet here, but the only impactful one worthy of the win is Brothers Osborne, hands down. Just don’t give it to the song that’s a glorified screaming match or the dudes trying to make the seventy-bajillionth version of “Tequila” and we’re good. 

KJC: Brothers Osborne’s record is the only one of these that I voluntarily listen to on a regular basis.  I think their awards show hot streak will continue here. 

Best Country Song

Predicted Winner:

• “Better Than We Found It” – Jessie Jo Dillon, Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, and Laura Veltz
• “camera roll” – Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves, and Daniel Tashian
• “Cold” – David Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon, and Chris Stapleton
• “Country Again” – Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley, and Thomas Rhett
• “Fancy Like” – Cameron Bartolini, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins, and Shane Stevens – KJC
• “Remember Her Name” – Mickey Guyton, Blake Hubbard, Jarrod Ingram, and Parker Welling – JK, ZK

 

Personal Picks:

• “Better Than We Found It” – Jessie Jo Dillon, Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, and Laura Veltz – KJC
• “camera roll” – Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves, and Daniel Tashian
• “Cold” – David Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon, and Chris Stapleton – JK
• “Country Again” – Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley, and Thomas Rhett
• “Fancy Like” – Cameron Bartolini, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins, and Shane Stevens
• “Remember Her Name” – Mickey Guyton, Blake Hubbard, Jarrod Ingram, and Parker Welling – ZK

 

JK: I have no idea what to make of this category, which is as random as the Grammys have ever assembled. I don’t think “Fancy Like” will win as a song, of all things, but… I also don’t know which of these is a more obvious winner. I like “Cold” the best from a songwriting standpoint, though the Morris single is one of her very best. Morris, Musgraves, and Stapleton are all Grammy favorites, too… but does that benefit Guyton here?

ZK: My word, this category is terrible. Utterly terrible. We need to stop making a painfully limited performer like Hayes more than just the novelty he and his song is, and I pray to God the Grammys have some sense in that. I agree that the deck is stacked against Guyton, which sucks, given that I’d say “Remember Her Name” is great and easily the best of this bunch. If that doesn’t win, I don’t see a true winner for this category. Sorry. 

KJC:  “Better Than We Found It” is the first song I’ve really liked from Maren Morris.  “Fancy Like” seems like an obvious winner to me due to its omnipresence, and I won’t be disappointed if it wins.  I think the song’s hilarious. 

Best Country Album

Predicted Winner:

• Brothers Osborne, Skeletons
• Mickey Guyton, Remember Her Name – JK, ZK
• Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall & Jack Ingram, The Marfa Tapes
• Sturgill Simpson, The Ballad of Dood & Juanita
• Chris Stapleton, Starting Over   – KJC

 

Personal Picks:

• Brothers Osborne, Skeletons – KJC
• Mickey Guyton, Remember Her Name
• Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall & Jack Ingram, The Marfa Tapes – ZK
• Sturgill Simpson, The Ballad of Dood & Juanita – JK
• Chris Stapleton, Starting Over

JK: Another case with some likely vote-siphoners: I think Marfa and Sturg pull enough from Stapleton to allow Guyton to win. Of these, Dood & Juanita was the only one to make my 2021 year-end ballot. I found both the BrOs and Guyton albums especially disappointing, despite a few strong moments apiece. If Marfa manages to win, I’ll just pretend it’s a make-up award for Lambert’s canon-ready Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jon Randall’s What You Don’t Know.

ZK: Well, this is strange. I like The Marfa Tapes here most – though I won’t object to hearing studio versions of its best material – and Skeletons is the first Brothers Osborne album I’ve enjoyed, even if I’m aware I’m in the minority on that. But they’re the least likely here to win. The rest I found to be slight disappointments from artists I really like, though I certainly won’t be mad if Mickey Guyton takes this, like, at all. 

KJC: Again, Chris Stapleton feels like the default winner because he has both mainstream and Americana voter pools to draw from.  I’m not over the moon about any of these albums but I’ve revisited the Brothers Osborne set the most. 

AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC

Best American Roots Performance

Predicted Winner:

• Jon Batiste, “Cry” – JK, KJC
• Billy Strings, “Love and Regret”
• The Blind Boys of Alabama and Bela Fleck, “I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to Be Free”
• Brandy Clark featuring Brandi Carlile, “Same Devil”
• Allison Russell, “Nightflyer”

 

Personal Picks:

• Jon Batiste, “Cry” – KJC
• Billy Strings, “Love and Regret”
• The Blind Boys of Alabama and Bela Fleck, “I Wish I Knew How it Would Feel to Be Free”
• Brandy Clark featuring Brandi Carlile, “Same Devil”
• Allison Russell, “Nightflyer” – JK

 

JK: Batiste is the General Field nominee, so conventional wisdom dictates that he’ll win these genre fields. Russell made my favorite album of 2021 by some margin and would get my vote, easily, though I also love “Same Devil” and that Billy Strings cut. A very strong group here.

KJC:  Batiste gives the strongest performance here, and his presence in the general categories suggests a wide appeal among voters. 

Best American Roots Song

Predicted Winner:

• “Avalon” – Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson, and Francesco Turrisi
• “Call Me a Fool” – Valerie June
• “Cry” – Jon Batiste and Steve McEwan – JK, KJC
• “Diamond Studded Shoes” – Dan Auerbach, Natalie Hemby, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and Yola
• “Nightflyer” – Jeremy Lindsay and Allison Russell

 

Personal Picks:

• “Avalon” – Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson, and Francesco Turrisi
• “Call Me a Fool” – Valerie June
• “Cry” – Jon Batiste and Steve McEwan – KJC
• “Diamond Studded Shoes” – Dan Auerbach, Natalie Hemby, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and Yola 
• “Nightflyer” – Jeremy Lindsay and Allison Russell – JK

 

JK: I really like the most likely winner here, “Cry,” and absolutely love the other four nominees. This category is one of the best I’ve ever seen at the Grammys, full-stop. These are simply tremendous songs by some of the best acts in the game. Tyler Childers’ “A Long Violent History” (see below!) is missing here, but I honestly don’t know who I’d have cut to make room for it.

KJC: This is as stacked a year for the American Roots field as I’ve ever seen, and I’d be okay with any of the five nominees winning.  “Cry” is my personal favorite of the field. 

Best Americana Album

Predicted Winner:

• Jackson Browne, Downhill From Everywhere – JK
• John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band, Leftover Feelings
• Los Lobos, Native Sons 
• Allison Russell, Outside Child
• Yola, Stand For Myself – KJC

 

Personal Picks:

• Jackson Browne, Downhill From Everywhere
• John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band, Leftover Feelings
• Los Lobos, Native Sons
• Allison Russell, Outside Child – JK, KJC
• Yola, Stand For Myself

JK: Browne is going to win a career-recognition award in this category at the expense of albums that are more deserving of this exact award. Again, Russell made my personal Album Of The Year, but I love Yola’s set and liked the Hiatt and Los Lobos albums well enough. But I’ll be stunned if any of them beat Browne.

KJC:  How crazy is it that Jackson Browne still doesn’t have a Grammy?  I’m thinking that voters will make up for a more recent slight over a recurring one and give belated Grammy love to Yola.  Russell’s album is the best of the field. 

Best Bluegrass Album

Predicted Winner:

• Billy Strings, Renewal – JK, KJC
• Bela Fleck, My Bluegrass Heart
• The Infamous Stringdusters, A Tribute to Bill Monroe
• Sturgill Simpson, Cuttin’ Grass – Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions)
• Rhonda Vincent, Music is What I See

 

Personal Picks:

• Billy Strings, Renewal – JK
• Bela Fleck, My Bluegrass Heart
• The Infamous Stringdusters, A Tribute to Bill Monroe
• Sturgill Simpson, Cuttin’ Grass – Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions)
• Rhonda Vincent, Music is What I See

 

JK: A murderer’s row, and any of the five would be a fantastic and deserving winner. When Rhonda Vincent– Rhonda Vincent! The Queen of Bluegrass!– has arguably the weakest nominee for Best Bluegrass Album, you know it’s been an unprecedented year for the genre and that NARAS was actually paying attention. I do think Strings will repeat, and he did have what I believe to be the strongest Album here, but I just loved Fleck’s album, too, and I loved what Simpson accomplished on his Cuttin’ Grass projects. This is the strongest category on the entire Grammy ballot this year.

KJC:  Billy Strings won last year, and there’s no reason to think he won’t repeat, unless cross-genre voters give a boost to Sturgill.

 

Best Folk Album

Predicted Winner:

• Mary Chapin Carpenter, One Lonely Night (Live)
• Tyler Childers, Long Violent History
• Madison Cunningham, Wednesday (Extended Edition)
• Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi, They’re Calling Me Home – KJC
• Sarah Jarosz, Blue Heron Suite JK

 

Personal Picks:

• Mary Chapin Carpenter, One Lonely Night (Live)
• Tyler Childers, Long Violent History
• Madison Cunningham, Wednesday (Extended Edition)
• Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi, They’re Calling Me Home – JK, KJC
• Sarah Jarosz, Blue Heron Suite

JK: God, I want Giddens to win this. Her collaborations with Turrisi are just next-level work. I think Jarosz is a safer bet, given that Giddens has never been the Grammy magnet she ought to be. Childers’ “A Long Violent History” should’ve been nominated as a song and performance, but I think the album nomination is a bit of a stretch.

KJC: I’m going to will Rhiannon Giddens wins into existence until she catches up with Alison Krauss. 

 

POP

Best Pop Solo Vocal Performance

Predicted Winner:

• Justin Bieber, “Anyone”
• Brandi Carlile, “Right On Time” – JK
• Billie Eilish, “Happier Than Ever”
• Ariana Grande, “Positions”
• Olivia Rodrigo, “drivers license” – KJC

Personal Picks:

• Justin Bieber, “Anyone” – KJC
• Brandi Carlile, “Right On Time”
• Billie Eilish, “Happier Than Ever”
• Ariana Grande, “Positions”
• Olivia Rodrigo, “drivers license” – JK

JK: I love the fearlessness and utter lack of guile in Rodrigo’s vocal performance on “Driver’s License.” I think the four current CHR stars will split the votes in this category, allowing Carlile, also a General Field nominee, to pull off the upset.

KJC: Again, “drivers license” seems like the obvious winner.  I think all five of these are strong records.  “Anyone” is my personal favorite. 

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Predicted Winner:

• Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, Love For Sale  – JK, KJC
• Norah Jones, Til We Meet Again (Live)
• Tori Kelly, A Tori Kelly Christmas
• Ledisi, Ledisi Sings Nina
• Willie Nelson, That’s Life
• Dolly Parton, A Holly Dolly Christmas

Personal Picks:

• Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, Love For Sale
• Norah Jones, Til We Meet Again (Live) – JK
• Tori Kelly, A Tori Kelly Christmas
• Ledisi, Ledisi Sings Nina
• Willie Nelson, That’s Life
• Dolly Parton, A Holly Dolly Christmas

JK: I agree that the holiday albums need their own category. Dolly’s Christmas album was fine but not anything that really needs a Grammy. Jones’ live album is a fantastic testament to the under-appreciated breadth of her career; she’s made some fantastic and often country-adjacent albums since people stopped paying attention to her. Ledisi’s tribute to Nina Simone was solid, as well. It’s inevitable that Bennett & Gaga will win.

KJC: I just don’t have a strong opinion on this one, perhaps because the Bennett/Gaga win is so inevitable.  It might be time for a standalone Christmas category.  

 

GOSPEL/CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC

Best Roots Gospel Album

Predicted Winner:

• Harry Connick, Jr., Alone With My Faith
• Gaither Vocal Band, That’s Gospel, Brother
• Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, Keeping On
• The Isaacs, Songs For the Times
• Carrie Underwood, My Savior – JK, KJC

Personal Picks:

• Harry Connick, Jr., Alone With My Faith
• Gaither Vocal Band, That’s Gospel, Brother
• Ernie Haase & Signature Sound, Keeping On
• The Isaacs, Songs For the Times
• Carrie Underwood, My Savior – JK, KJC

JK: I’m always in favor of artists being recognized for what’s actually their best work, and My Savior is handily a career-best from Underwood. Hopefully, her win isn’t dismissed as being due to her star power relative to the other nominees: It’s a legitimately great gospel record.

KJC: Carrie Underwood’s best set of vocal performances should bring her a well-deserved win here.