The Country Music Association Awards will be airing live on ABC tonight. I may watch the program and I may not. It depends on how long I have to wait before the four artists featured for whom I actually have some respect take the stage. Anyway, below are the nominees for each category and also my nominees for each category. Please don’t look at this as a year-end list as I’m focusing only on country music and not the entire roots music spectrum. The year end list is coming in December and will be quite a bit different.
Without further adieu, here are your nominees along with the winner I would have picked if I had control over the nominations. Any legitimate artists who somehow slipped in under the noses of the CMA are listed in bold letters. They are the ones to support if you wish to support any mainstream Nashville artist.
Entertainer of the Year
CMA Picks:
Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban
The Zac Brown Band
My winner: Jamey Johnson
Female Vocalist of the Year
CMA Picks:
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
My winner: Elizabeth Cook
Male Vocalist of the Year
Dierks Bentley
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Keith Urban
My winner: Justin Townes Earle
New Artist of the Year
Luke Bryan
Easton Corbin
Jerrod Niemann
Chris Young
Zac Brown Band
My winner: The Secret Sisters
Vocal Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band
My winner: Deer Tick
Vocal Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland
My winner: The Court Yard Hounds
Single of the Year
“A Little More Country Than That”- Easton Corbin
“Hillbilly Bone”- Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
“Need You Now”- Lady Antebellum
“The House That Built Me”- Miranda Lambert
“White Liar”- Miranda Lambert
My winner: “Playing the Part” by Jamey Johnson
Album of the Year
Need You Now– Lady Antebellum
Play On– Carrie Underwood
Revolution– Miranda Lambert
Twang -George Strait
Up On The Ridge -Dierks Bentley
My winner: Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions by Marty Stuart
Song of the Year
“A Little More Country Than That”
“Need You Now”
“The House That Built Me”
“Toes”
“White Liar”
My winner: “I’ve Seen it Go Away” by Merle Haggard
Musical Event of the Year
“Bad Angel”- Dierks Bentley feat. Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson
“Can’t You See”- Zac Brown Band feat. Kid Rock
“Hillbilly Bone”- Blake Shelton feat. Trace Adkins
“I’m Alive”- Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews
“Till The End”- Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack
My winner: “Sea of Heartbreak”- Rosanne Cash feat. Bruce Springsteen
Music Video of the Year
“Hillbilly Bone” -Blake Shelton feat. Trace Adkins
“Need You Now”- Lady Antebellum
“The House That Built Me” -Miranda Lambert
“Water” -Brad Paisley
“White Liar”- Miranda Lambert
My winner: “Ain’t No Grave” by Johnny Cash
In closing, I think that great artists are beginning to hit Nashville once again, although the crap still outweighs the gold ten to one. I neglected to mention Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley as good artists above because one great album doesn’t make a great artist. I loved Up on the Ridge, but hated some of his earlier efforts. With Brad, I consider his guitar instrumental album to be one of the best things to come out of Nashville in over 20 years. Too bad he keeps releasing mediocre pop instead of continuing in that vein. And if you’re wondering why I respect Alan Jackson and George Strait, look no further than the video below taken from the 1999 CMA Awards.
