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This morning (6 December, 2012) saw the announcement of the BRITs 2013 Critic's Choice Award, the ceremony's annual award which honours the most promising new artist on the music scene in the UK.
Unsurprisingly the BRITs stayed true to their time honoured format of two fairly middle of the road artists and one slightly more underground act. Previous winners have included Adele, Florence + The Machine, Jessie J and Emeli Sande - and we all know how their stories turned out.
Tom Odell, Laura Mvula and AlunaGeorge were the three to get the nod, with many already certain that the hugely tipped singer/songwriter Tom Odell will be the one to take the honour.
But while we're fine with the hugely talented Tom Odell taking the award, we'd be keen to see the BRITs take a risk for once and give it to the fantastically innovative AlunaGeorge. The London duo sound fiercely original in their chosen genre, with the R&B scene overwhelmed wihth club beats, 'Pound The Alarms' and Chris Brown.
But more often than not, the winner of the Critic's Choice Award is someone that's going to do well regardless, and giving it to a band who need a genre overturned would be a risky step for an awards show that celebrates success and sales.
Last year Jessie J won it over the Vaccines, with James Blake filling the space in between.
The year before Ellie Goulding took the honour, with Delphic left to place just their nomination on their mantelpiece.
Like Jessie J and Ellie Goulding before him, Odell's success is fairly secure already. An appearance last month on Later...With Jools Holland and a Guardian piece pondering whether he might pick up Jeff Buckley's mantel have done enough in terms of bringing his name to the masses, and his stirring, soulful music will be on many Christmas playlists this year.
AlunaGeorge, by contrast, have carved their own path through the London music scene. A blend of digitalised, glitchy rhythms and slinky R&B vocals have earned them the respect of hoards of music enthusiasts. They just need that little push into the mainstream consciousness.
While many are predicting that AlunaGeorge will be big in 2013, it's a prediction made with hope and excitement, rather than the seeming certainty with which Odell's success is prophesised.
If the BRITs were genuinely looking to further British music, to help new artists carry it in exciting new directions, AlunaGeorge would be the obvious choice from the list of three.
But rather than having any encouraging impact on the music scene, the BRITs have come to be seen simply as following trends rather than trying to set them, stepping in safe footsteps and tipping artists secure and already shining in their chosen genre.
Yes, Tom Odell will probably win, and he's songwriting will probably bring pleasure to many, many listeners. But if any of the three are going to do anything actual musical interest in the future, it'll be AlunaGeorge.
But even if they don't, it's not as if James Blake or Delphic have done too badly for themselves, we'd just like to see AlunaGeorge shake things up a little bit.
