Album of the Year Grammys 2018:
D'Angelo, Black Messiah
Bob Dylan, Shadows in the Night
Mark Ronson, Uptown Special
Taylor Swift, 1989
Kanye West, TBA
Winner: Taylor Swift.
Just to keep things interesting, let's stick with the assumption that Adele's album doesn't come out before the September 30 deadline. Who gets this Grammy instead? Of the music that's already out, 1989 is the easiest to pencil in, and Uptown Special's throwback appeal should be enough to earn it a nod. Black Messiah and Shadows in the Night might be unconventional choices, but each has a narrative — D'Angelo is back! Dylan covers Sinatra! — that could prove irresistible to voters. For the albums that haven't come out yet, we're going with Kanye West, whose 2016 output has been as warm and accessible as Yeezus wasn't. Of the five, we're betting on 1989, a win that would make up for the quasi-snub of Red and be fitting recognition for one of the music industry's few remaining blockbusters.