The 2014 Grammy Nominees Revealed … <i>Possibly</i>

On Friday night, LL Cool J will take a voluntary leave of absence from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to man a ship of a different sort: CBS’s annual Grammy nominations concert.

But whose names will Admiral Cool J call out? There are some sure bets: Justin Timberlake — who essentially kicked off his comeback at the 55th Grammys — is sure to be a favorite at the 56th, and the same goes for Robin Thicke and his “Blurred Lines” compadre, Pharrell.

Breakout stars like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Lorde seem like shoo-ins for a spate of nominations, too, and thanks to the Grammy eligibility requirements (only albums or singles released between October 1, 2012 and September 30, 2013 can be nominated), artists who just missed the deadline for the 55th awards should make big splashes this year … meaning you can expect plenty of nods for the likes of Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar.

Still, you can never underestimate the wiles of Grammy voters, who always seem to champion a dark horse or two. Can Kendrick’s critically lauded good kid, m.A.A.d. city sneak into a crowded Album of the Year field? Can One Direction convince folks over the age of 12 that they deserve a Best New Artist nod? How many TVs will Kanye break if Yeezus gets shut out? Your guess is as good as mine.

Oh, and speaking of, here are my guesses for the nominees in the Grammy’s “Big Four” categories. As in previous years, my accuracy is never guaranteed, but my enthusiasm remains as strong as ever. What can I say? I love LL Cool J.

Album of the Year

» Bruno Mars, Unorthodox Jukebox
» Daft Punk, Random Access Memories
» Justin Timberlake, The 20/20 Experience
» Kendrick Lamar, good kid, m.A.A.d. city
» Taylor Swift, Red

In reality, four of these seem like no-brainers. Timberlake’s 20/20 is the kind of commercially successful, classically influenced album Grammy voters love, Red is the best-selling album released during the eligibility period (and Taylor picked up a courtesy Record of the Year nom for it at the 55th Grammys) and though Unorthodox Jukebox wasn’t released until December, it’s sold well, and Mars already has one AOTY nod to his name. Random Access Memories sold well, had a huge single, and was critically loved. My fifth pick is a bit of a wild-card: Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, which gives voters a chance at honoring what has come to be recognized as one of the most important hip-hop albums of recent times.

If, for some reason, one of those five don’t make it, I wouldn’t be surprised if Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ The Heist gets a nomination here (and it would definitely replace Kendrick if it does). As for longshots? How about Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City, Elton John’s The Diving Board or West’s Yeezus. Sorry, Kanye.

Record of the Year

» Adele, “Skyfall”
» Daft Punk, “Get Lucky”
» Justin Timberlake, “Mirrors”
» Lorde, “Royals”
» Robin Thicke, “Blurred Lines”

The award given to the artist, producer, engineer and/or mixer of a track, this one always tends to honor songs that skew towards “classic” compositions, which probably explains why no hip-hop song has ever won Record of the Year. JT’s and Thicke’s seem like locks, given both their sentiment and their sensibilities, and Daft Punk will likely ride Nile Rodgers supporters to a nod too. Lorde’s fits here, too, if only because voters might be hesitant to shower an artist this young with so may awards. In the fifth slot, I’m taking Adele’s “Skyfall,” because it’s already won a Golden Globe, a Brit and an Oscar (and Adele’s got some history with Grammy voters)

I can’t begin to understand the actual release dates behind Macklemore & Lewis’ “Thrift Shop” and “Same Love” — they came out in 2012, but were subsequently re-released, and both keep getting mentioned as favorites — so let’s just consider them as sneaky picks here, possibly knocking out Adele. It’s the Grammys … it’s not supposed to make sense.

Song of the Year

» Bruno Mars, “Locked Out Of Heaven”
» Justin Timberlake, “Mirrors”
» Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, “Can’t Hold Us”
» Robin Thicke, “Blurred Lines”
» Taylor Swift, “I Knew You Were Trouble”

The award given to the actual songwriter (or songwriters), in recent years, it’s become one of the toughest to predict — last year Ed Sheeran’s “The A Team” and Miguel’s “Adorn” were nominated alongside ubiquitous hits like “Call Me Maybe” and “We Are Young.” It’s also where voters tend to give some shine to the year’s most popular songs, which means #1 hits “Blurred Lines,” “Can’t Hold Us” (which originally came out in 2011 but was re-released during this year’s eligibility period), and all seem like safe bets. In the fifth slot, I’m taking JT once again, mostly because “Mirrors” just feels like a SOTY nominee.

Of course, don’t discount Pink and Nate Ruess’ sleeper hit or Katy Perry’s either. Dark horse contenders include Lady Antebellum’s “Downtown,” or Lana Del Rey’s Or, who knows, perhaps Fun.’s earns them a second-straight nomination here.