Who will walk away with a Grammy? Our predictions

Will win: "Chasing Pavements." Easily the strongest song here, buttressed by a simple, surging arrangement. Plus, Adele's soulful vocal delivery gives the song just the right amount of emotional heft.

Should win: "Chasing Pavements"

Best New Artist

Adele

Duffy

Jonas Brothers

Lady Antebellum

Jazmine Sullivan

Will win: Over the years, this award has been the kiss of death for several careers - The Starland Vocal Band, anyone? It wouldn't be a shock if the ubiquitous Jonas Brothers walk away with this one.

Should win: Adele. Amy Winehouse aside, Adele is the most promising of the recent invasion of British female pop artists.

Best Pop Vocal Album

Detours, Sheryl Crow

Rockferry, Duffy

Long Road Out of Eden, Eagles

Spirit, Leona Lewis

Covers, James Taylor

Will win: Sheryl Crow. She has long been a Grammy darling, and Detours is one of her best efforts.

Should win: Sheryl Crow

Best Rock Album

Viva La Vida, Coldplay

Rock N Roll Jesus, Kid Rock

Only by the Night, Kings of Leon

Death Magnetic, Metallica

Consolers of the Lonely, the Raconteurs

Will win: Coldplay. If the guys don't clean up in the major categories, they are a shoo-in for this one.

Should win: The Raconteurs. The album is deliciously defiant, mixing slivers of blues and progressive rock, without settling anywhere. It's all kinetic and the songs hold together well.

Best R&B Album

Love & Life, Eric Benet

Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA, Boyz II Men

Lay It Down, Al Green

Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson

The Way I See It, Raphael Saadiq

Will win: Jennifer Hudson. Although her album is the weakest of the bunch, the Oscar winner may take home the gold gramophone.

Should win: Al Green. Lay It Down tastefully updates Green's signature sound without sacrificing any of the Saturday-night sensuality and Sunday-morning sanctification that cemented his legend in the 1970s.

Best Rap Album

American Gangster, Jay-Z

Tha Carter III, Lil' Wayne

The Cool, Lupe Fiasco

Nas, Nas

Paper Trail, T.I.

Will win: Lil' Wayne. The quirky rapper was the unlikely breakout star of 2008, selling the most albums (more than 3 million) of any pop act. His CD is uneven, but many of its catchy moments were some of the most memorable of any mainstream hip-hop album last year.

Should win: Lil' Wayne