The final set of CMA Awards nominees are out and there are a few surprises to an otherwise ‘ho-hum’ or ‘standard’ list of nominees. What’s interesting this year is that artists who had relatively low-profiles – like Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift – didn’t get nominated just because of who they are (Swift’s female vocalist nom is her only one this year). The biggest surprise is that Miranda Lambert set a record for CMA Award Nominations with nine, including a slot in the Entertainer of the Year category, joining hold-overs Brad Paisley and Keith Urban and being joined by Lady Antebellum and Zac Brown Band in this category.
The Female Vocalist of the Year category features Lambert, and four previous winners in Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, Swift and Reba McEntire. If Carrie were to win this category this year, she’d tie Reba and Martina as four-time winners while last year’s winner Swift is not likely in contention as this award is really going to be won by Miranda or Carrie. The Male Vocalist of the Year category features long-time staples – and previous winners – George Strait, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban along with previously nominated Dierks Bentley and this year’s newcomer to the category, Blake Shelton who definitely has rode hits like “Hillbilly Bone” and “All About Tonight” to his best year ever and scored three more nominations for “Hillbilly Bone” with duet partner Trace Adkins (they are “Single,” “Video” and “Vocal Event”).
This year’s Album of the Year category finds the expected albums Play On from Underwood, Twang from Strait and Need You Now from Lady Antebellum being joined by Lambert’s Revolution and Dierks Bentley’s Up On The Ridge. The latter three albums are likely the top contenders for this tile. Joining “Hillbilly Bone” in the Vocal Event category is “Bad Angel” from Dierks Bentley’s Up On The Ridge album. It features Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson. The live “Can’t You See” scored the Zac Brown Band and Kid Rock a surprise nomination (likely over Shelton and Miranda Lambert’s “Bare-Skin Rug”). Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews’ “I’m Alive” and the fantastic duet “Till The End” from Alan Jackson’s Freight Train scored a nomination (for AJ and duet partner Lee Ann Womack).
The New Artist of the Year category allows artists to be nominated in this category twice and honestly it shouldn’t have ever lost the ‘Horizon Award’ name as this award has never been about only the newest artists and it isn’t here as only Easton Corbin and Jerrod Niemann are still working singles from their debut albums to country radio. Still, they have no chance of beating the other three nominees in Chris Young, Luke Bryan or the Zac Brown Band. It’s possible that ‘block voting’ from labels will preclude the NY label based Zac Brown Band from getting this award (they already got the Grammy “Best New Artist”) so I have a feeling that Luke Bryan will take this just like he did the ACM Award one (although that was a ‘fan-voted’ one).
The rest of the awards are pretty standard with The Band Perry replacing The Lost Trailers in the Vocal Group of the Year category this year. The Vocal Duo of the Year category has gone 14 times to Brooks & Dunn over the years and the retiring duo is likely gonna garner this award one more time before Sugarland or Steel Magnolia duke it out for it over the next couple of years as Montgomery Gentry seems to be heading past their prime as hitmakers while Joey + Rory (despite being favorites on Roughstock) have virtually no shot at winning this award.
The only real surprise in the Single of the Year category this year is “White Liar.” Still all five songs were chart-toppers this year but really, only “Need You Now” and “The House That Built Me” stand a chance of getting the award as “A Little More Country Than That,” “Hillbilly Bone” and “White Lair” look to just be ‘category filler for the two juggernaut singles of this year. “Hillbilly Bone” is replaced by the Zac Brown Band’s “Toes” in the Song of the Year category (this goes to the songwriters) but it really stands no shot of winning as “House” and “Need You Now” really are the highlights of this category again, although I’d love to see “A Little More Country Than That” give Rory Feek, Don Poythress and Wynn Varble the award. Still, my hunch is that Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin will win this award for “House That Built Me.”
Music Video of the Year features “Hillbilly Bone,” “Need You Now,” “The House That Built Me,” Water” and “White Liar.” Like the single and song categories I have a feeling this one could go to Lambert or Lady A. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Paisley walk away with this award.
The Final Nominees for "The 44th Annual CMA Awards" are:
Entertainer of the Year
Lady Antebellum
Miranda Lambert
Brad Paisley
Keith Urban
Zac Brown Band
Female Vocalist of the Year
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Reba McEntire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist of the Year
Dierks Bentley
Brad Paisley
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Keith Urban
Album of the Year
(Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))
Need You Now
Lady Antebellum
Produced by Paul Worley and Lady Antebellum
Capitol Records Nashville
Play On
Carrie Underwood
Produced by Mark Bright and Max Martin
19 Recordings Limited/Arista Nashville
Revolution
Miranda Lambert
Produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke
Columbia Nashville
Twang
George Strait
Produced by Tony Brown and George Strait
MCA Nashville
Up On The Ridge
Dierks Bentley
Produced by Jon Randall Stewart
Capitol Records Nashville
Musical Event of the Year
(Award goes to each Artist)
"Bad Angel"
Dierks Bentley featuring Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson
Capitol Records Nashville
"Can't You See"
Zac Brown Band featuring Kid Rock
Southern Ground/Atlantic Records
"Hillbilly Bone"
Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
Reprise Records
"I'm Alive"
Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews
BNA Records
"Till The End"
Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack
Arista Nashville
Previously Announced in Nashville:
New Artist of the Year
Luke Bryan
Easton Corbin
Jerrod Niemann
Chris Young
Zac Brown Band
Vocal Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band
Vocal Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Steel Magnolia
Sugarland
Single of the Year
(Award goes to Artist and Producer(s))
"A Little More Country Than That"
Easton Corbin
Produced by Carson Chamberlain
Mercury Nashville
"Hillbilly Bone"
Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
Produced by Scott Hendricks
Reprise Records
"Need You Now"
Lady Antebellum
Produced by Paul Worley and Lady Antebellum
Capitol Records Nashville
"The House That Built Me"
Miranda Lambert
Produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke
Columbia Nashville
"White Liar"
Miranda Lambert
Produced by Frank Liddell and Mike Wrucke
Columbia Nashville
Song of the Year
(Award goes to Songwriter(s))
"A Little More Country Than That"
Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress, and Wynn Varble
"Need You Now"
Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Josh Kear
"The House That Built Me"
Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin
"Toes"
Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, John Driskell Hopkins, and Shawn Mullins
"White Liar"
Miranda Lambert and Natalie Hemby
Music Video of the Year
(Award goes to Artist and Director)
"Hillbilly Bone"
Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
Directed by Roman White
"Need You Now"
Lady Antebellum
Directed by David McClister
"The House That Built Me"
Miranda Lambert
Directed by Trey Fanjoy
"Water"
Brad Paisley
Directed by Jim Shea
"White Liar"
Miranda Lambert
Directed by Chris Hicky
Musician of the Year
Paul Franklin - Steel Guitar
Dann Huff - Guitar
Brent Mason - Guitar
Mac McAnally - Guitar
Randy Scruggs - Guitar
0 Comments