By david burger

| The Salt Lake Tribune

In 2011, Grammy Awards were awarded in 109 categories. This year, that number has been slashed to 78.

Paradoxically, the televised length of the program will stay the same.

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At a glance

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Music lovers unite

The 54th annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast on KUTV-Channel 2 Sunday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m. Follow David Burger’s live tweets from the awards ceremony at @dburger.

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Many of the changes to the music awards elicit head-scratching.

In the Classical music category, the main award, Best Classical Album, has been discontinued. Classical recordings are now eligible to be nominated for the overall Album of the Year category — like that will ever happen.

Since last year, the distinction between male and female soloists in various pop, rock, R&B, country and rap has been eliminated. Which would make sense, if we could all agree that music fans have become a truly gender-neutral global community.

Getting respect this year is Kanye West, who tops the nominations with seven, despite receiving no nominations for Record of the Year or Album of the Year.

Adele, the Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars each garnered six nods, while Lil Wayne and Skrillex each got five. Drake, Paul Epworth, Cee-Lo Green, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, Nicki Minaj, Mumford & Sons, Radiohead, Rihanna and Bon Iver each received four.

But to West’s probable dismay, it will likely be Adele who walks away with the most awards. In addition, she will perform during the ceremony for the first time in the five months — due to her recent vocal-cord surgery — which should produce the show’s most talked-about moment. Especially if she tanks it.

Here are The Tribune’s predictions of which music will most likely earn rewards, as well as what music we’d rather hear on the radio as we drive home today.

Record of the Year

"Rolling in the Deep" » Adele

"Holocene" » Bon Iver

"Grenade" » Bruno Mars

"The Cave" » Mumford & Sons

"Firework" » Katy Perry

Will win » "Rolling in the Deep" was an overwhelming commercial hit that also earned critical praise for its neo-soul stylings. Surprisingly, this proved a particularly strong category this year, with the only stinker being Katy Perry’s "Firework," which contains the worst vocals ever recorded on a No. 1 album. So what if it has an inspirational message? It doesn’t eliminate the fact that she oversings throughout.

What I’d rather listen to » Bon Iver is the black sheep this year, since most people have no idea who Justin Vernon is and why he sounds as if he’s been castrated. "Holocene" is a geological epoch that began at the end of the Pleistocene, which Vernon has said the song was partly named after. In addition, the song is partly named for a bar in Portland where he had a rough night. Well, I think he’ll have a rough night at the Grammys, so I predict that soon he will release the song "Pliocene."

Album of the Year

"21" » Adele

"Wasting Light" » Foo Fighters

"Born This Way" » Lady Gaga

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