Carrie Underwood - "Dirty Laundry" @ CMA's 2016
w all female band and BGVs including Lindsay Ell, Runaway June, just to name a few.
Yet another reason/example to why she should be in the EOTY Category!!
Happy CMA Week Music Lovers!! Are you as ready as I am to watch some red carpet coverage of the 2017 CMA Awards? I have fashion, performance, as well as winner predictions ready for you. If you follow my Glam Bag posts on Instagram, then you have already seen some of my red carpet suggestions for some of our favorite females. Head to @StacieTennessee to check out those past posts!!
For today, we are gonna discuss performance and winner predictions. Starting with Maren Morris and Niall Horan's duet slated for the live show. The duo has a song on Niall's recently released album, "Flicker", and it already has done rather well on the iTunes charts. Considering no official video has been dropped and I haven't heard it on radio it speaks to the power of name and reputation. Maren will join Niall in 2018 on tour. I'm not sure if "Seeing Blind", is gonna be a single for Niall or what, but it is a interesting step for this former One Direction-er. Especially considering Kacey Musgraves will be touring in Summer 2018 with Harry Styles, also a former One Direction member. Styles also recently performed at the Rhyman in Nash and his cover of Little Big Town's, "Girl Crush", crushed it and is charting online as it he made the live performance cut of it avail for fans everywhere!! Now, you all know that normally I raise kinds of cane over cross-genre awards show performances. I am making an acception as Maren has flat out ROCKED every duet she has done thus far. "I'll Be The Moon" w Dierks, "Craving You" w T. Rhett, with Alicia Keys on the Grammy's, I mean.....girl can do no wrong. So, I am amped to see this performance and have high expectations for it.
Niall Horan w Maren Morris - "Seeing Blind"
from "Flicker"
Other performers include Co-Host for the evening, Carrie Underwood, Garth Brooks, Little Big Town, Queen Ran, Brothers Osborne, Jon Pardi and many more. I am of course disappointed to not see artists like Maggie Rose, RaeLynn, Aubrie Sellers, Kip Moore, The Cadillac Three, and Drake White on the list of performers or nominee's. Kip's, "More Girls Like You" has been number one for the last two weeks on the country charts. If for no other reason that alone should have assured the Slowhearts a last minute add to the performance or presenter list. That's just New Music Monday's opinion on the matter. Nominee's this year is a mixed bag, per usual. A lot of folks who should be nominated, aren't, and some who maybe shouldn't, are. Let's begin the predicting.....
New Artist of the Year -
The only female in the category and in my opinion the most deserved for a win, my vote for best new goes to American Idol runner up, Lauren Alaina. She got her first number one this year with, "Road Less Traveled", debuted her acting chops in a film, dropped her full length album both of the same title. I really think it's her turn and it is earned and deserved.
Lauren Alaina
Old Dominion
Luke Combs
Brett Young
Jon Pardi
Thomas Rhett w Maren Morris - "Craving You"
I am torn!! I love both Bros Oz and T. Rhett w Maren's video's. They were just SO AWESOME!! Can we call a tie?! Watch both and share in the comments who get's your vote.
Thomas Rhett and Maren Morris - Craving You
Brothers Osborne - It Ain't My Fault
Little Big Town - Better Man
Keith Urban - Blue Ain't Your Color
Miranda Lambert - Vice
Brothers Osborne - "It Ain't My Fault"
Musical Event of the Year -
So, this will be the first live performance with both Kenny and Pink, of their hit, "Setting the World on Fire". This track was the last track added to Chesney's latest album. Subsequently it has been nominated at all awards shows for best country single and/or duet. It has yet to win a trophy, but this very well could be the setting for that. I love Pink so, I am interested to see how this performance goes live. While I love Pink and Kenny is from my neck of the woods, the song it's self is one that I felt was a toss in. I question if the duo has ever even met in person prior to the rehearsals for this. I think it was added simply for the publicity of a cross-genre collab and the publicity it might get. Added in with the fact that "Noise", the first single off the album, did not do as well as Team Chesney more than likely expected. We will See.
I would like to see Faith and Tim Win or Glenn and Willie.
Glenn Campbell w Willie NelsonFaith Hill and Tim McGraw
Thomas Rhett w Maren Morris
Eric Church w Rhiannon Giddens
Kenny Chesney w Pink
Duo of the Year -
Last year the awards show gods regained a bit of my affection by giving this win to the Brothers Osborne instead of the expected and already won enough times, Florida Georgia Line. My feelings have not changed. I would like to see the Bro's take it or Maddie and Tae. Both duo's would be well earned and deserved wins in my opinion. It's been a minute since a female duo has taken this category so for history's sake I would really love to see Maddie and Tae win.
Maddie and Tae
Brothers Osborne
Dan+Shay
Florida Georgia Line
LOCASH
Group of the Year -
For me this is either LBT or Lady A's win. Both produced stellar albums, tours, and varied performances through out 2017 that has truly served the country music community well. I think it is too soon for Old Dominion, the Flatts have a shelf full, and ZBB while still an amazing band, I feel they haven't been "seen" much in 2017. To me those kinds of things are apart of the equation for an awards show.
Little Big Town
Lady Antebellum
Old Dominion
Zac Brown Band
Rascal Flatts
Dierks Bentley - "Black"
Male Vocalist of the Year -
When it comes to Male and Female of the year the category is usually stacked with those deserving of the title. I think that it is truly hard to guess who will win, but I would LOVE to see Dierks get this one. It's been a long time coming and again, I think it is earned as well as deserved. I however probably won't be mad about any of these fella's adding to their trophy collection with this one.
Dierks Bentley
Chris Stapelton
Keith Urban
Eric Church
Thomas Rhett
Female Vocalist of the Year -
Again, a category full of deserving nominiee's. Reba, Carrie and Ran have all taken this trophy home before so, it is very feasible to think they might again. I think that even Miranda is kind of tired of winning. I know that sounds crazy, but girl has won, like, one million times in a row!! I truly believe she would be perfectly fine staying in her seat this go 'round. I am incline to think that this is going to be Maren or Kelsea's category this year simply because neither can be stopped right now. Both with number one's under their belts, records broken, Grammy nominated, representing the genre on a variety of stages, both with new music in the foreseeable future. Ballerini actually just dropped, "Unapologetically" her second full length album, this weekend. It is currently charting number 2 in all genre on iTunes behind Sam Smith. Kelsea will also be performing her single, "Legends" with a fellow nominiee and legend herself, Reba!! I am looking forward to this performance and feel anything will be better than the Nick Jonas incident with "Peter Pan". Again, I would not be bad about any of these ladies winning, but my prediction is Maren or Kelsea.
Maren Morris
Kelsea Ballerini
Carrie Underwood
Miranda Lambert
Reba McEntire
Kelsea Ballerini - "Miss Me More"
fr - "Unapologetically"
Sam Hunt - "Body Like a Back Road"
Song of the Year -
Song of the Year goes to the writers of a track. Sometimes that is the artist, sometimes that is the artist plus a few writers and sometimes it is an entire team of writers. Sam Hunt's, "Body Like a Back Road" has four writers credited including Shane McAnally, Josh Osbourne, Zach Crowell and Hunt himself. "Body Like a Back Road" has broken so many records that I would need to write a post about only that one song to fit it all in. I loved this tune immediately. I love Sam's delivery of it and his past awards show performance of it which included a trip into the audience to snuggle his new wife, Hannah. I do not see how this single will not win. All the tunes are great in this category and I love that Taylor Swift wrote "Better Man" with no collaborators, but, I just think this is "Body's" win this year.
Sam Hunt - Body Like a Back Road
Little Big Town - Better Man
Keith Urban - Blue Ain't Your Color
Miranda Lambert - Tin Man
Jon Pardi - Dust on My Boots
Album of the Year -
O.K. this is where it gets tricky. Jason Isbell's nomination is one for the history books. Similar to Sturgill Simpson in that he does his own thing and radio be damned. He is Grammy nominated, has a fan following that is fierce, and his nomination is historic considering radio basically never plays him. When it comes to "main stream", Isbell could not be further from popular. That said, this could be the Stapelton-esq dark horse win that keeps music lovers like myself watching awards shows and listening to radio instead of just streaming or downloading. Given Jason's lack of pop culture presence I think that Queen Ran could take a second Album of the Year trophy for "The Weight of These Wings". All of these albums are awesome so idk there is such a thing as a loser here.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Nashville Sound
Miranda Lambert - The Weight of These Wings
Little Big Town - Breaker
Lady Antebellum - Heart Break
Chris Stapelton - From a Room Vol. 1
Jason Isbell - "Cover Me Up"
@ Austin City Limits
Little Big Town - "Better Man"
fr "Breaker" Written by Taylor Swift
Single of the Year - See Also my Explanation for Song of the Year
Sam Hunt - Body Like a Back Road
Little Big Town - Better Man
Keith Urban - Blue Ain't Your Color
Jon Pardi - Dust on My Boots
Miranda Lambert - Tin Man
Entertainer of the Year -
It is of my opinion that 1. Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert both deserve a spot in this category. 2. While all these gentlemen are stage professionals, had killer albums, represented the genre in a variety of venues this award is Eric Church's. Brother did a SOLO TOUR!!! No openers. nearly 3 hour set all in all, sold out back to back Red Rocks performances and so much more. Church has been in in this category before and it passed him by. I think, once again, that this should be his!!
Eric Church
Chris Stapelton
Keith Urban
Garth Brooks
Luke Bryan
Eric Church - "Holdin' My Own"
at Red Rocks
The CMA's air THIS Wednesday so, check your local listings for stations and time. I of course will be Tweeting in real time my own commentary. Please feel free to follow me @StacieTennessee to watch with or comment on the show!! Who are your predicted winners??!! Feel free to share in the comments!
Check you next week for another New Music Monday!!
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