Even though I do not regularly comment on mainstream country radio/artists here on TDC, I do enjoy some of the music and do my best to stay informed. My friend Kasey Stone from Hitting All The Right Notes and I have been sharing our predictions for a few years now and we've finalized our picks for who we think will and should win on November 2nd when the 50th CMA Awards airs on ABC. Read our choices below and be sure to share your thoughts on who you think deserves to take home the trophy. ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR Garth Brooks Luke Bryan Chris Stapleton Carrie Underwood Keith Urban KASEY'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: I'm incredibly surprised to see Chris on this list and will be even more surprised if he wins. Luke is arguably the one to beat and whilst Carrie's inclusion is intriguing I can't see anything stopping Luke's run this year. WHO SHOULD WIN: I'm feeling a little under-inspired by this category...a Keith win would be nice though! TARA'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: I have seen all of these artists live except Brooks, and whether you like their music or not, they all do truly entertain. That said, voters typically love to give awards to established artists who have a “come-back” of any sort, so I am going to guess that Garth walks away with this one. WHO SHOULD WIN: I must admit it’s really quite nice to see Keith and Carrie in this category. Both are engaging, energetic and entertaining live, but I, for one, would like to see Carrie walk away with this award. FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini Miranda Lambert Maren Morris Kacey Musgraves Carrie Underwood KASEY'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: I really question Kacey's inclusion on the list here, her name doesn't seem to have come up much this year and it leaves me wondering why her and not other female artists like Martina or Cam (both of whom certainly deserved to be on this list). Maren is arguably a strong contender here but I can't see her taking this and it seems Kelsea is even more unlikely considering the other names on the list. As usual, this ultimately comes down to Miranda or Carrie and this year I can actually see Carrie taking this. Her entertainer nomination is intriguing to see and she has had a very successful tour and album. WHO SHOULD WIN: Unfortunately, as with the entertainer category I feel a little uninspired by this category this time around. It'd actually be quite nice to see a surprising win from Kelsea but I'm not particularly drawn to any of these artists. TARA'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: Like Kasey, Kacey’s nomination here seems out of place. Kelsea had a huge year, and Maren is the new “it” girl, but I don’t personally see either one being deserving of this award. It comes down to Miranda and Carrie. And the voters love Miranda. WHO SHOULD WIN: Miranda is great, but I would love to see Carrie win. She is a strong vocalist who has long been overlooked by the CMAs, even though she has been co-hosting the show for what seems like forever. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR Dierks Bentley Eric Church Tim McGraw Chris Stapleton Keith Urban KASEY'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: More than likely that this goes to Chris. It doesn't feel as though he's had quite as big a year this year but I can't (unfortunately) see any of the other artists here challenging him. WHO SHOULD WIN: I'm disappointed that Kip Moore has slipped out of the new artist category and doesn't appear here and that there's no recognition for Josh Kelley after his brilliant album earlier this year but I'd love to see Eric take this. Mr Misunderstood is a brilliant album and Eric is a very talented artist who deserves much more recognition than he actually gets - equally it'd be nice to see Keith win. TARA'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: Pretty obvious. WHO SHOULD WIN: Eric and Dierks are two of my favorite mainstream country artists, but is either a fantastic vocalist? Chris is undeniably talented, but I feel like Tim should take this one home, he returned to form with a record setting song and made me remember why I liked him to begin with. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR Lady Antebellum Little Big Town Old Dominion Rascal Flatts Zac Brown Band KASEY'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN/WHO SHOULD WIN: This has to go to Little Big Town. Whilst they haven't had such a big year this year as they have in other instances, the only group that could come close to challenging them here would be Old Dominion in my opinion and I'm not convinced that they have enough behind them to win it this year. Whilst Little Big Town aren't headlining a tour at the moment and in terms of music they don't have any current country releases, they are without a doubt still an incredibly talented group. TARA'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: Little Big Town WHO SHOULD WIN: This category is tiring. No one here released anything that proved they were award worthy, but I am going to agree with Kasey, in terms of true vocal talent, LBT is unmatched. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR Brothers Osborne Dan + Shay Florida Georgia Line Joey & Rory Maddie & Tae KASEY'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: I would actually argue that Brothers Osborne stand a strong chance here - which is nice to see! I still don't think they will stop Florida Georgia Line's winning streak though. WHO SHOULD WIN: From my point of view I would have liked to have seen American Young here but It'd definitely be lovely to see Joey & Rory take this and would be a touching memorial to Joey from her peers. TARA'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN/WHO SHOULD WIN: Joey & Rory. They deserve it…I just wish they paid the husband and wife duo more attention and gave them their due when Joey was still with us rather than wait until she passed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR Kelsea Ballerini Brothers Osborne Maren Morris Old Dominion Cole Swindell KASEY'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: Arguably one the most interesting categories of this year's awards with three very strong contenders (Brothers Osborne, Maren Morris and Old Dominion), this surely goes to Maren on her 'breakthrough' year. WHO SHOULD WIN: I'm not particularly a fan of Maren's so in my opinion it'd be quite nice to see Brothers Osborne or Old Dominion take this. Both have had impressive years with very strong albums. TARA'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: All of the artists have had strong years, Kelsea in particular. Now, who has career longevity in terms of still being around ten years from now should they win….probably Brothers Osborne. But that’s not how people vote, so I’m gonna say they give it to Maren. WHO SHOULD WIN: Meh. Not invested enough to have a strong opinion one way or the other. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ALBUM OF THE YEAR Black - Dierks Bentley Hero - Maren Morris Mr. Misunderstood - Eric Church Ripcord - Keith Urban Storyteller - Carrie Underwood KASEY'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: Carrie has always been a fan favourite and has a huge fan-base, it feels as though Dierks and Keith get nominated for awards like this but rarely win so this seemingly goes to Maren. Hero has had (and still gets) an incredible response from fans and the music industry alike and has seemingly cemented Maren's appeal to both. WHO SHOULD WIN: This definitely deserves to go to Mr. Misunderstood. Arguably Eric's strongest album, the whole album is full of really strong tracks and showcases Eric at his best. Whilst Eric has won album of the year before I'm not sure whether it will happen this year considering the rest of the nominees. TARA'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN/WHO SHOULD WIN: If they give it to anyone but Eric, you’ll be hearing me scream at my television no matter where you’re watching. Black was most definitely not Dierks best album (can he just give us an UOTR 2 already?), Maren’s was nothing heroic, and while Carrie’s and Keith’s were strong, nothing compares to EC’s surprise album which should have won last year if not for Traveller. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SINGLE OF THE YEAR Die A Happy Man - Thomas Rhett Humble And Kind - Tim McGraw My Church - Maren Morris Nobody To Blame - Chris Stapleton Record Year - Eric Church KASEY'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: This is going to be close between Chris and Maren but I think Maren takes it. There was very positive response to both tracks when they were first released but it feels as though the buzz about My Church is still continuing and, in line with Maren's other nominations and her year as a whole, it seems to be logical that she takes this. WHO SHOULD WIN: Eric or Tim would be nice! Both Humble And Kind and Record Year are great tracks and the artists deserve recognition for them. TARA'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: Good grief this one is HARD. Say what you will about Thomas Rhett, but DAHM is a well-written song, as are “Humble and Kind” and “Record Year.” With the overall tone and message of “Humble and Kind,” I have to say Tim for the win. WHO SHOULD WIN: I wouldn’t mind if any of the three I mentioned above won, but I truly think “Humble and Kind” should win. It packs that emotional punch that I love in a song. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SONG OF THE YEAR Burning House - Camaron 'Cam' Ochs, Tyler Johnson, Jeff Bhasker Die A Happy Man - Sean Douglas, Thomas Rhett, Joe Spargur Humble And Kind - Lori McKenna Record Year - Eric Church, Jeff Hyde My Church - busbee, Maren Morris KASEY'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN: Interestingly the only solo song-writer on this list, Lori is also the one who wins this in my opinion. Humble And Kind is a great song with a really strong sentiment behind it. WHO SHOULD WIN: I would really love to see Burning House win this. Gorgeous track that has been delivered really well, the song-writing combination clearly works and it deserves recognition (as does Cam!) TARA'S PICKS Explain to me why they swapped out “Nobody To Blame” for “Burning House”? Like, if you’re good enough for song, why not single? That's saying the singer is strong, but the lyrics aren't? And vice versa, if the lyrics are great, then are you saying the singer isn’t? This stumps me. WHO WILL WIN/WHO SHOULD WIN: “Humble and Kind” Lori McKenna ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR Different For Girls - Dierks Bentley featuring Elle King Home Alone Tonight - Luke Bryan featuring Karen Fairchild The Fighter - Keith Urban featuring Carrie Underwood Think Of You - Chris Young (duet with Cassadee Pope) You Are My Sunshine - Morgane Stapleton with Chris Stapleton KASEY'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN/WHO SHOULD WIN: Keith has won this award for the past two years and he is nominated again so is arguably the one to beat. I'm not sure entirely convinced that the award goes to Keith and Carrie though, it feels as though the main contenders are Chris/Cassadee and Morgane/Chris with it ultimately (deservedly) going to Morgane/Chris. Their cover of You Are My Sunshine is brilliant and turns the spotlight on a great vocal from Morgane as well, it'd be nice recognition for her as an artist. TARA'S PICKS Who Will Win: Come on, I don’t have to write it. Who Should Win: People bash “Different For Girls” but relationships (and heck, life in general) ARE different for girls. Dierks pairing up with Elle (who I liked long before this duet) was brilliant. She’s ballsy and badass yet brings a vulnerability to her vocals that’s pure perfection. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR Burning House - Cam Fire Away - Chris Stapleton Humble And Kind - Tim McGraw Record Year - Eric Church Somewhere On A Beach - Dierks Bentley KASEY'S PICKS WHO WILL WIN/WHO SHOULD WIN: There is often a case with music videos where some really draw you in and then others just pass you by. The video for Humble And Kind deserves this award, it's a great complement to the track and touching in its relative simplicity. TARA'S PICKS Ditto what Kasey said, BUT funny always gets me, so even though I didn’t love the song, I wouldn’t be upset if “Somewhere On A Beach” won.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
BLOGROLL
B-Sides and Badlands Hitting All The Right Notes Key Music News Dreamspider's Blog Farce the Music TJ Music Archives
February 2020
|