Here are this year’s nominees for the ACM Awards. Biggest surprises: Lady Antebellum, Carrie Underwood and Zac Brown Band not up for Entertainer; Rascal Flatts out of the Vocal Group race; Jason Aldean finally scores major nominations, both Entertainer and Male Vocalist.
Entertainer of the Year
- Jason Aldean
- Toby Keith
- Miranda Lambert
- Brad Paisley
- Taylor Swift
- Keith Urban
Top Male Vocalist of the Year
- Jason Aldean
- Brad Paisley
- Blake Shelton
- George Strait
- Keith Urban
Top Female Vocalist of the Year
- Miranda Lambert
- Reba McEntire
- Taylor Swift
- Carrie Underwood
- Lee Ann Womack
Top Vocal Group of the Year
- Lady Antebellum
- Little Big Town
- Randy Rogers Band
- The Band Perry
- Zac Brown Band
Top Vocal Duo of the Year
- The JaneDear Girls
- Joey + Rory
- Montgomery Gentry
- Steel Magnolia
- Sugarland
Top New Solo Vocalist of the Year
- Eric Church
- Easton Corbin
- Randy Houser
Top New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year
- The Band Perry
- The JaneDear Girls
- Steel Magnolia
Album of the Year
- Dierks Bentley, Up on the Ridge
- Kenny Chesney, Hemingway’s Whiskey
- Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
- Jamey Johnson, The Guitar Song
- Taylor Swift, Speak Now
- Zac Brown Band, You Get What You Give
Single Record of the Year
- Easton Corbin, “A Little More Country Than That”
- Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”
- Kenny Chesney, ‘The Boys of Fall”
- Lee Brice, “Love Like Crazy”
- Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me”
Song of the Year
- “A Little More Country Than That” – written by Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress, Wynn Varble; performed by Easton Corbin
- “As She’s Walking Away” – written by Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrettey; performed by Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson
- “The House That Built Me” – written by Tom Douglas, Allen Shamblin; performed by Miranda Lambert
- “If I Die Young” – written by Kimberly Perry; performed by The Band Perry
- “Love Like Crazy” – written by Tim James, Doug Johnson; performed by Lee Brice
Video of the Year
- “The Boys of Fall” – Kenny Chesney
- “Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
- “The House That Built Me” – Miranda Lambert
- “Only Prettier” – Miranda Lambert
- “Stuck Like Glue” – Sugarland
Vocal Event of the Year
- “As She’s Walking Away” – Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson
- “Blue Sky” – Emily West featuring Keith Urban
- “Coal Miner’s Daughter” – Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow, and Miranda Lambert
- “Cold Beer” – Colt Ford featuring Jamey Johnson
- “Good to Be Me” – Uncle Kracker featuring Kid Rock
Thoughts?
Big joke the ACM got a case of the CMA’s Blake and Miranda band wagon. stunned!
I’m just not going to say anything. I think that this is the best way to deal with this whatever the heck you call it.
I’m still digesting all this, but I’ll go ahead and say I had to double-check the list to make sure George Strait was still alive and well.
I do not know what to say. If it weren’t surprising, ACM follows suit on CMA wrongs.
Sigh.
Seriously? This is almost saddening. I’m wondering if there is a Carrie backlash right now. Poor girl keeps getting snubbed!
Did they explain the decision to change the number of Entertainer of the Year nominees to 6? It’s like they cannot make up their mind, 5 nominees….then 8 nominees…..then 6. What’s with that?
It’s because Carrie’s the seventh and they can’t take it that Carrie’s winning her third in this prestigious (till last night) awards show. I don’t really know.
Snubs happen all the time, from the Grammys to the Oscars to the high school homecoming queen. It seems country music can’t find itself with both hands right now. No consistency whatsoever. Defining the genre, in my opinion, has never been so difficult.
I agree Diamond. However, usually someone doesn’t get completely snubbed. CMAs may snub, but ACM picks up. Or vice versa. Both snubbing you? It’s telling. I say Carrie talks with Fox and has a special the same day of the ACMs. That’ll show them. /vindictive
Nice idea!
Uncle Kracker and Kid Rock are up for Vocal Event of the Year?!!! Good Lord…
From acmcountry.com
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
This award is presented to the individual, duo or group who showed the most overall success in the country music industry during
the prior calendar year of December 1
st
to November 30
th
The factors to be considered include, but are not limited to, success at .
radio, sales of pre-recorded music, success of music videos, vocal performances, live concert ticket sales, artistic merit, appearances
on television, appearances in films, songwriting, success in digital media, and contributions to the country music industry. The
nominees shall be determined by a nomination ballot(s) and are subject to the approval of the Board. The final nominees are voted
on by the ACM professional membership with the winner being determined by a combination of votes from the professional
membership of the ACM and fan voting (online and/or text). Based on the top vote getters, there will be up to 8 (eight) final
nominees. If there is a tie for the eighth slot, there will only be 7 (seven) final nominees.
The JaneDear Girls nomination invalidates this entire list. Seriously? Interesting that Lee Brice is up for Single and Record of the Year, but isn’t nominated for Top New Solo Vocalist.
I’ve given up on Country music awards shows.
Honestly, WHERE IS CARRIE?! Why the hell is Toby Keith in EOTY ahead of Carrie? Why is Miranda in there when she didn’t even have a headlining tour? Why is Taylor in there when she had HALF of a great year?
The politics involved in these shows truly stuns me. I’m annoyed beyond words by this. Carrie deserved multiple nods, and she got ONE that she will not win. I guess the ACMs had to jump on the Miranda and Blake bandwagon. Disgusted beyond belief.
I think the ACMs validity came into question when they started having the ‘new vocalist’ races be fan-voted, and even MORE so when they had EOTY be fan voted (which was, unfortunately, probably the only way Underwood could’ve won… considering her lack of noms at the CMAs) and THEN expanded EOTY to more than 5 nominations…. I know that this ceremony is supposed to award record & sales moreso than artistic achievement, but in recent years I have come to question the Academy.
So, you earn a nomination for earning a top 20 hit with a crappy song? What’s frightening is that they are behind Sugarland for possible winners (Sugarland being the front runner).
Furthermore, I love Lee Ann WOmack, but what did she do in the past year to constitute a nomination? Her “duet” with Alan barely even cracked the top 30.
Guess I know what I’m not watching this year.
I could really care less about Carrie’s “snub”, but I can’t remember ever actively disliking so many nominees. At best, the selections are puzzling to me. Touching on Kevin’s well written post from yesterday, I just feel old and out of touch with today’s “country”. In the middle of an identity crisis, they have lost me as a listener and a purchaser. I’ve spent more in the last year on older (90s) downloads than on new music.
In the midst of the mass hysteria of the Underwood fans, I think the most surprising thing I saw was Rascal Flatts not getting a best vocal group nomination. I can’t say that I’m really a fan of their work, and I think they’d be my fifth favorite in the category even if they were nominated in place of the Randy Rogers Band. Still…I don’t know that the Randy Rogers Band has ever had a top 40 hit. I know the Flatts boys don’t really have too many friends among the CMA or ACM, but even I’m surprised with their snub in this category, especially considering they were up for the entertainer trophy a few years ago.
Glad to see Emily West get nominated for something even though it’s a minor category and her chances of winning are very slim.
All I can say is WOW. Only 3 of those EOTY nominees have earned it. Tim McGraw and Carrie Underwood left off? They are arguably the MOST qualified (based on the requirements for the award) and they were not even nominated. These awards shows are turning into a joke. Gonna miss it this year.
I forgot to mention the Group nominees – really NO RASCAL FLATTS?????
Also – why only 6 EOTY nominees? The criteria is 8 unless a tie and then 7. Seems like they are changing the rules to match what THEY want. No wonder Tim and Faith rarely attend any more.
Jane Dear Girls?????? PUHLEEZE
How on earth is Carrie Underwood not nominated for Entertainer of the Year? She was the top female touring artist of 2010, her Play On tour visited over 100 cities (including a sell-out show at the famed Hollywood Bowl), she had 3 top 2 singles (two hit #1), sold over 2 million albums, etc etc.
I’m sorry, but there is simply no excuse for the ACM’s to snub her for this. I don’t care if they were worried about her winning for a third time, there is no reason to snub someone who is so completely deserving. It is a slap in the face to Carrie and everyone who worked on her hugely successful tour.
The ACM’s just lost me as a viewer.
And what doesn’t even fit is that the criteria shows 8 nominees. There are 6. Did they seriously believe it would not go unnoticed? 5,6,8,???? They don’t even follow their own criteria?
And seriously folks, just consider this:
Carrie Underwood TIED for number of nominations with KID ROCK? You have truly gotta be kiddin me!!!!!
These must be the worst nominations an award show has seen since Mili Vanili’s 1990 Grammy nods. Every year, every award show there is always a questionable nomination, but this year, with every category you’re left scratching your head and wondering if these are the 5 most deserving nominees or another sign of the 2012 apocalypse. Is it a rough draft? Do these people even care about or follow mainstream country in a given year or just accept bribes instead?
If they don’t want Carrie Underwood to win entertainer, there’s a simple solution, don’t make it fan voted.
I’m a big Lee Ann Womack fan and I’m sober when I say this but even I would have added Jewel before her. Acutally I would have made Sara Evans the 5th wheel for publicity for her upcoming album.
Dierks Bentley has something none of the 5 male vocalist nominees have this year, artistic merit.
Not a fan of Rascal Flatts but there success can’t be denied. Note to the ACM, they’re headliners.
I guess the true crime thats been commited here isn’t The JaneDear Girls name. It’s Colt Ford, Kid Rock, and Uncle Cracker got nominations in the collaboration category over Alan Jackson/Lee Ann Womack’s Till The End. Someone add another nail to country musics coffin.
I would have probably subbed in Evans considering her rising chart success with “A Little Bit Stronger” instead of Lee Ann. But hey, Album of The Year was bumped up to 6, why not just nominate every eligible piece of work in the time period?!
I too must question the exclusion of Rascal Flatts, at the very least they should be up for Vocal Group, though with that exclusion, I’m hoping LBT will take the win… even though they are up against Lady A.
I’m speechless. Being a big Carrie fan, of course I’m extremely puzzled as to how she got left off EOTY. She more than qualified for AT LEAST a nomination – this smacks of manipulation to keep her off the ballot because fans would probably vote her a 3rd ACM EOTY win. However, I don’t want to make this post all about Carrie. Across the board the nominations make absolutely no sense to me. Ever since the Blake/Miranda/Lady A bloc started taking control, everything has been totally screwed up (at the CMAs and now the ACMs). I sense the Country Music ship is floundering badly and will have to take drastic steps to right itself. And don’t even get me started on pop princess Taylor Swift. If she’s ‘country’ then I’m a billionaire.
“Snubs happen all the time, from the Grammys to the Oscars to the high school homecoming queen. It seems country music can’t find itself with both hands right now. No consistency whatsoever. Defining the genre, in my opinion, has never been so difficult.”
I’d put the Oscars (and maybe the Tonys) in a different league as award shows go; I think its mistakes are generally far fewer and less glaring, which I’d guess is because it has fewer works to survey and because it doesn’t get as wrapped up in commercial concerns. But I agree with the rest of the comment.
Another thing I’d say: the ACMs, to me, are like the CMA’s Golden Globes – an interesting but fairly frivolous precursor to the event people actually care about. Like the Globes, the ACMs can be more inclined to make unorthodox choices, which sometimes allows worthy acts to gain recognition that CMA has snubbed them on (Carrie for Entertainer, Miranda for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) and sometimes gives CMA good ideas for the fall that it might otherwise be too stuck in its ways to try (an upstart act like Zac Brown Band for Entertainer). And also like the Globes, the ACMs’ choices are sometimes just bizarre, often with political undertones – why is Toby Keith always up for Entertainer? Why the obsession with Heidi Newfield? And let’s not forget those Crystal Milestone awards.
So yeah, it’s a fun event, but not worth taking seriously. For an artist, any kind of recognition is nice, but as history goes, I think a CMA is still a good deal more prestigious any day of the week.
Mostly I just CANNOT WAIT to hear Rascal Flatts’ reaction to this.
Quote by Ben Foster:
Uncle Kracker and Kid Rock are up for Vocal Event of the Year?!!! Good Lord…
Ditto.
Rascal Flatts didn’t get in Vocal Group, but Randy Rogers Band did?
Ugh. Bye-bye, ACMs.
The fact that “The Boys Of Fall” and its god awful video is nominated for anything is embarrassing.
Eric Church and Randy Houser are both on their second albums. How are they new?
So Carrie Underwood is snubbed again, and this time, there is no doubt! 8 to 6 slots??? Come on, Carrie fans are smart enough to know that one of those spots were Carrie’s and because she has no competition when it comes to fan votes. It’s just ridiculous and unfair! That’s was Carrie’s slot, and to intentionally snub her is wrong in all regards. The only way they could possibly think of making this up to Carrie fans is giving her Female Vocalist of Miranda, but that’s not likely… So disappointed in the ACMs…
Quote By: Dan Milliken
“Mostly I just CANNOT WAIT to hear Rascal Flatts’ reaction to this.”
Yeah, this should be good. They used to complain when they would just lose at awards shows, or not be nominated for entertainer. The hair gel must be melting due to the steam coming out of their ears after this news.
As for the rest of the ACM Nominees, it’s pretty typical compared to most years. There are the usual odd announcements (LeeAnn Womack, Randy Rogers Band, Uncle Kracker w/ Kid Rock), but I think they generally got most of the peripheral categories right. To me, the two most interesting categories are Entertainer and Male Vocalist.
The Entertainer category is just…strange. It’s not that I can even say that most of the people there don’t deserve to be nominated, because they all have their own merits. But Miranda and Taylor are the only artists there that I can say truly dominated country music in the past year, and even Swift didn’t go out on the road too much. The contrast between this group and the CMA’s nominees is pretty startling. This group just feels like a hodgepodge of nominees that were promoted via different voting blocs, and there doesn’t seem to be any consistency here at all. With Underwood not here, it will be interesting to see who does win. For once, I think just about all of the nominees have a shot.
As for Male Vocalist, the only thing of interest here is Aldean being nominated. Commercially, he’s probably got the strongest numbers of the five nominees, which means he’s got a shot here. But, will the academy voters put a check next to his name based on his music? Outside of “The Truth” and a couple of his early singles, most of his singles have sounded exactly the same, and haven’t been all that interesting.
I don’t care if you like Rascal Flatts or not, but to not include them when they’ve had a top 10 and a number one this past year and instead put up Randy Rogers Band? Really? Even LBT can’t claim as much ‘success’ as the Flatts this year.
And the “New Artist” award is a joke. Just pencil in whoever you think should have won it this year for 2 or 3 years down the road.
Carrie Underwood not being nominated for entertainer of the year is such a joke!! She was the best female touring artist of 2010 and did so many other things this past year to deserve this award, let alone a nomination!! Also, no nomination for Rascal Flatts, but Randy Rogers Band gets a nomination?! No nominations for Tim McGraw? This is pathetic.
I know that people might be annoyed by the Miranda Blake support, but I think it’s great that they have really paid their dues. They’ve both been really slowly building their careers. I think they deserve their nominations. They are not overnight sensations, and I find that refreshing.
I am shocked that Dierks Bentley isn’t nominated for male vocalist.
Also, I think it’s interesting how Jamey Johnson had such critical acclaim, and yet isn’t up for male vocalist. His career reminds me a lot of Steve Earle’s Guitar Town period where the establishment wanted him was also totally freaked out by him at the same time.
I’ve got nothing to add to the glaring oddities about this ballot, so I’ll just move on to my predictions.
Entertainer of the Year – Taylor Swift
Top Male Vocalist of the Year – Blake Shelton
Top Female Vocalist of the Year – Miranda Lambert
Top Vocal Duo of the Year – Sugarland
Top Vocal Group of the Year – Zac Brown Band
Top New Solo Vocalist of the Year – Easton Corbin
Top New Vocal Duo or Vocal Group of the Year – The Band Perry
Album of the Year – Up on the Ridge, Dierks Bentley
Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Video of the Year – “The House That Built Me,” Miranda Lambert
Vocal Event of the Year – “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Loretta Lynn, Sheryl Crow and Miranda Lambert
If you care about my reasoning for any of these picks, they’re all explained on my blog: http://travismcclain.blogspot.com/2011/02/46th-academy-of-country-music-awards.html.
Also, I’d really love to actually have a vote in this terribly schizophrenic year. It seems like half the ballot was meant to send the message, “We’re not predictable!” The problem is that when that many nominees are so unlikely as to be laughable, it makes it a lot easier to hone in on the more serious nominees in each category.
“Mostly I just CANNOT WAIT to hear Rascal Flatts’ reaction to this.”
Yeah, this should be good. They used to complain when they would just lose at awards shows, or not be nominated for entertainer. The hair gel must be melting due to the steam coming out of their ears after this news.
Oh for goodness sakes, is there a need to be so disrespectful?? Rascal Flatts made ONE comment to the press, which was was taken so out of context.
They were asked about how the felt, and gave an honest answer. Maybe it could’ve been said in a classier manner, but the people that criticized them read way too into the comment.
Toby Keith has said so many awful, rude comments about these awards shows over the years, and he’s NEVER been criticized for it.
They’re not the only artists who’ve spoken about about it either- anyone ever seen the video of various artists saying the nominees were a little off for an award last year??
Frankly, they have EVERY right to be disappointed, and they were not arrogant about it.
I’m glad y’all think you’re so objective; what you said was incredibly disrespectful, and way out of line. To single them out for ONE comment is simply insane.
You should do your research before you speak next time.
Oh, hush up, Carrie die hards. I’m so tired of all your complaining about this supposed “snubbing”! For God’s sake, she’s not country. Now, for the record, neither are many of the other artists on here, but still. Play On wasn’t that great, I’m sorry! It just wasn’t! Full of cliches and nonsensical lyrics! What’s popular isn’t always good, y’know. Then again, If you disagree, I can’t blame you, this coming from a Lambert diehard…
Reagan – Do you even realize where the Carrie fans are coming from in this situation?
-Superbowl National Anthem performance
-“How I Met Your Mother” appearance
-3 #1 singles (“Cowboy Casanova”, “Temporary Home”, “Undo It”)
-1 #2 single (“Mama’s Song”)
-Over 2 million albums sold
-2x Platinum album (“Play On”)
-3x Platinum album (“Carnival Ride”)
-6 American Country Awards won (became the first-ever Artist of the Year)
-Honored as one of CMT’s Artist of the Year
-2 Platinum singles (“Cowboy Casanova”, “Undo It”)
-1 Gold single (“Temporary Home”)
-3x Platinum single (“Before He Cheats”)
-Golden Globe nomination (Best Original Song for “There’s a Place for Us”)
-Co-hosted the CMAs for the 3rd year in a row with Brad Paisley
-CMA Festival performance
-Won two CMT Awards including Video of the Year and Performance of the Year (“Cowboy Casanova”, “Temporary Home” from her Invitation Only)
-2x ACM EOTY award (became first female to ever win twice, as well as consecutively)
-5th Grammy Award (Best Country Collaboration with Vocals for “I Told You So” feat. Randy Travis)
-Hand-selected by the Jackson family themselves for Michael Jackson’s Grammy tribute
-“Play On Tour” ranked at the 18th Top tour of North America, and 31st Top tour of the World. It played to over 1 million fans and raked in over $40 million, and contributed over $150,000 to Save the Children Foundation
That’s not even all of it. Carrie deserved the EOTY nod, whether you like it or not. There’s no denying it, and it doesn’t matter how much you dislike her. She had an impeccable year, and it’s so tragic as to how unrecognized it’s gone by the two biggest associations in Country music.
If Miranda’s album is so great why did it sell less than play on?? bottom line is that Carrie has more country fans and lot of them will not be watching this award show or maybe they will just give their support to someone like Keith or Brad, both deserve eoty more than Miranda or Taylor.
Hmmmmm….let’s see…. I quote myself:
“What’s popular isn’t always good, y’know”
We could sit here all night and discuss quality over quantity, (or the other way around) but that’s just my opinion. Leave it at that. (But I will admit those stats are nothing to be sneezed at)
Rather than admonish anyone for their indignity on behalf of specific artists, I think the only question worth exploring is: what do the awards really mean? Prestige for the artists who win them, certainly, but from whom? The industry that relies on them for its income? Fans who want to see their favorites validated? Are the awards meant to reflect our collective taste?
The answers to these questions aren’t clear, but they do explain why different people have different reactions. For better or worse, fans personalize their favorite artists. There’s something intimate about the way a song written and recorded by people we’ll never meet can perfectly capture our own experiences and articulate our innermost thoughts. That endears them to us in a unique way that artists in other media cannot replicate.
The danger of awards, aside from the fact that they reduce art to a popularity contest, is that the implication of not being nominated–is that the artist and/or work was beneath consideration. Surely even fans who literally pay no regard to the awards can appreciate why that might irk others?
Reagan says: Hmmmmm….let’s see…. I quote myself:
“What’s popular isn’t always good, y’know”
Pretty much what I’ve been saying about Taylor Swift since she first opened her mouth. Truer words were never spoken in that regard IMHO. So explain why Carrie Underwood (a stellar ambassador and promoter of country music) didn’t receive an EOTY nomination and Taylor (what’s popular isn’t always good, y’know) did? Hmmm?
The ACM awards are weird in the Entertainer category. They’ve frequently nominated artists when they’re way past their peak of popularity, almost randomly. I remember Sawyer Brown getting a nomination in like 1997 or 1998.
The omission of Underwood is getting all of the outrage upthread, and it’s understandable. But at least she didn’t put out a new album this year. The omission of Lady Antebellum is the biggest surprise to me, and I’m very surprised that Zac Brown Band isn’t nominated.
”The omission of Underwood is getting all of the outrage upthread, and it’s understandable. But at least she didn’t put out a new album this year. The omission of Lady Antebellum is the biggest surprise to me, and I’m very surprised that Zac Brown Band isn’t nominated.”
But Carrie’s album and Lady A’s album came out within two months of each other. One at the end of 2009 and the other in Jan 2010. So Carrie’s snub is still the big surprise here, especially considering the fact that apart from album sales Carrie had it over Lady A in every possible way.
For the record, I dislike Taylor as well, probably more than I dislike Carrie. Over the years I’ve learned to accept her inclusion on every freakin awards ballot, so I figured complaining about that is sort of a given. And I completely agree with Travis, the awards ARE nothing but a popularity contest.
The reason that Carrie snub is the most surprising is cause of the tour she put on in the eligibility period, only Brad had one to compare.
The amount of dates and tickets sold compared to Jason (who opened for Tim), Taylor who barely toured, and is only nominated for her album sales at the very end of the period and Miranda is the most shocking to me.
I truly believe Miranda earned the nominations but not the ETOY. I’ve seen her show, she stands, sings, plays guitar and occasionally jumps around and swings her hair. Also she is not very personable on stage. but I do enjoy her but she is not at ETOY calibre. Her album is great, but she only had one #1 and Only Prettier was a flop.
Carrie’s tour was quit the production to perform over 100 times in less then a year. If there ever was a year that Carrie deserved to win it would be this past one, even more so then last year. I think it is the typical Country Music Industry way with women young ones are hot (not that she is old but is a veteran accolade wise) and the veterans just fill in. Where as for the men it is the opposite the new or even not so new and note worthy can’t get in past the men who should’ve been out for yearss now i.e George Strait, King or not shouldn’t have been nominated the last few years.
ETOY has always been more focused on touring and radio then album sales, now it seems like who ever is cool at the moment will be nominated.
I really do wish the Academy provided some sort of explanation when there is so much controversy. I will bet my house they didn’t want Carrie in a partial fan voted category cause her fans do vote. And she has the most fans that will vote, so she would probably always win that portion of the category.
Also the New Artist categories never make sense, people who have multiple albums, have been nominated before, people who get nominated for song or single but not NA.
Putting aside personal taste completely, if I was going to make a list of six Entertainer nominees based on the criteria of the ACM, they would be:
Jason Aldean
Miranda Lambert
Sugarland
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Zac Brown Band
To be brutally honest, I just don’t care that all the deserving people weren’t nominated. I understand that people like RF and Carrie Underwood were deserving of nominations that they didn’t get, but I can’t muster any outrage. I realize this is because I don’t like any of the most commercially viable artists at this point. My list of mainstream artists that I do like is depressingly short. I should add that I’m not one of those people who don’t like artists just because they become popular, unless I hear their music changing too much (I’m looking at you, Pat Green).
I acknowledge that Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Lady A, Jason Aldean, Little Big Town are the most deserving artists for awards at this point. It’s just too bad that I mostly dislike the music from all of these people…the face of country music.
This goes with Kevin’s “Identity Crisis” editorial, but I don’t want to stop saying that I’m a country music fan, but I’m seriously at a crossroads right now. Whenever I say that I love country music, I’m also forced to qualify it by saying that I don’t like the country music that you’d hear on the radio. I miss the time when I didn’t have to clarify that. I’m not even 30 yet and this is how I feel. Yuck
If there ever was a year that Carrie deserved to win it would be this past one, even more so then last year.
Yep. I’m very curious to see the direction of the next “era” after Play On. She’s going to have to take a different approach in order to really make an impact. Personally, I think she’s got the entertainer part down – it’s all about song selection moving forward.
Dan’s comment on Jason Aldean (on some reason post?) really struck a chord with me. I’m struggling with whether or not my opinion of his music is unbiased, or if it’s tied to my distaste for his brand of country-rock. So I’m not sure what to think of his EOTY nomination. Maybe it’s deserved.
K said: “Toby Keith has said so many awful, rude comments about these awards shows over the years, and he’s NEVER been criticized for it.”
It’s funny that it seems that you’re suggesting that we’re strictly anti-Rascal Flatts, but unfairly forgiving toward Toby Keith. Toby has certainly been criticized and made fun of here, including regarding his reaction to lack of nominations. I will say that he’s deserved nominations that he hasn’t gotten for sure, however.
Regarding Miranda Lambert: I’m a big fan of her records, but I’ll have to agree that her live show isn’t particularly impressive. In the fall, I had a chance to attend both Alan Jackson and Miranda Lambert concerts. We had terrible seats for the Jackson concert and very good seats for Lambert. Jackson’s concert was by far the bettershow. He managed to connect with the audience the way that Lambert absolutely could not. Maybe it was an off night, but I heard a lot of justified complaining around me at her concert that was completely nonexistent at the Jackson show. I was, frankly, surprised. The consolation is that the Eric Church opening show was even worse, though the audience liked it much better.
I’ve only seen Miranda Lambert once, and that was several years ago when she was the opening act for George Strait. She played five or six songs as I recall, and seemed disappointed and even a tad irritated that most of the audience remained seated throughout her set. She kept urging us to stand and clap along and most ignored her pleas. I’d seen that behavior before in Chris Cagle, only he went so far as to make a few remarks about how the audience being lifeless. It’s very off-putting.
I think living in the era of TV concerts has taught too many younger performers that by virtue of being on stage they, too, will get the Garth Brooks treatment. Like Kinky Friedman noted, many of these younger artists couldn’t go on the road again, as they were never there in the first place. They just go from being “discovered” to being presented as stars.
Speaking of George Strait, I agree that 2010 was a weak year by his standards; “The Breath You Take” has already been properly chastised elsewhere on Country Universe. I would not agree, however, that he should have been dropped from the ballot “years” ago. The thing about King George is and always has been his consistency. It’s easy to take him for granted. His albums rarely display much creative experimentation, that’s true, but even a rote Strait album is generally enjoyable.
Consider also that in 30 years he’s never embarrassed country music (“All My Ex’s Live in Texas” became a punchline, but it was meant in humor anyway), which is far more than I can say for quite a lot of other nominees.
One more remark I’d like to make is how gratifying it is for me to have found this site. I used to frequent the country message board on USENET, but after AOL quit offering its members access many of the regulars quit posting and it was left to the trolls. There are times when I hear current country music and wonder whether I’ve “aged out” of the genre, which is terribly discouraging as country was always the one genre I thought addressed older listeners. It was a genre you grew up with, and later grew into the songs.
I have been at that crossroads, Leeann, for quite a while now. Having Crohn’s disease has all but completely stopped my once-habitual concert attendance, which has really detracted from my enjoyment of music. Also, I quit listening to radio years ago (though periodically we’ll tune in if we’re out and about just running errands). I miss radio, but even if I tuned into the airwaves today I wouldn’t find that anymore. To paraphrase President Reagan, I don’t know if my I left my genre or if my genre left me!
Which brings me to Country Universe. It’s heartening to find kindred spirits, and it seems rare today to find a group of discerning, articulate fans of country music willing to actually be critical of it. I’d just like to say thanks for cultivating this sense of community.
Travis,
You’re welcome. Thank you for the kind words. I love the diversity here, even when I don’t agree. The great thing about blogs is that I can still learn about and listen to great country music without ever turning on the radio. I just wish I could turn on the radio sometimes.
I’ll always be a country music fan, I’m sure, just not the kind who won’t have to qualify my love of it anymore, which sometimes makes me not even want to go there at all in casual encounters. I used to be proud to love country music without having to go through great lengths to defend or explain myself.
As for Miranda, she was very gracious for the show that I attended and didn’t try to force the audience to do anything. It’s just that she mostly didn’t connect with us, except for “The House that Built Me” which prompted an easy sing-along event that was nice.
Yeah, if you’re looking strictly at live shows, then I don’t think Miranda should be nominated, either. Honestly, as much as I dislike them, Rascal Flatts can put on a HECK of a live show.
Reagan, I saw Rascal Flatts in 2003 when they were on the Brooks & Dunn Neon Circus & Wild West Show tour. They sounded horrible, and it really exposed to my mind just how much their studio recordings benefit from engineering.
It still would rank as one of the worst shows I’ve ever endured had they sounded exactly like their processed recordings because between every song they made sure to shout, “St. Louis!” in one sentence or another just to elicit a wave of applause. It worked every time, but it was ridiculous how often they went back to that cheap well. The crowd ate ’em up, though I suspect it was a case of willful denial. Of course, that was almost eight years ago. I’d like to think they’ve learned something about showmanship in those intervening years.
Oh, they have, somewhat. Gary still doesn’t sound quite like the records, but he’s not too far off. They really connected with the crowd and had nearly KISS level pyro goin on. And like you said, the crowd absolutely gobbled it up.
K, it’s not at all surprising to me Rascal Flatts would get snubbed for one comment. It’s all a popularity contest & these things are used to keep or put ppl in their places. This certainly is not the first time (nor the biggest time) one seemingly dumb, insignificant comment was blown up by the country music establishment.
Finally, I think Miranda and Taylor have well-deserved their nominations this year. Lady A, Sugarland, and The Band Perry as well have well deserved nominations.
As for the ridiculousness of the JaneDear Girls being nominated, this is based on what’s played on radio. There truly aren’t that many duos currently out there in the mainstream. So, while I detest the chance they will be given an award for their music, I understand that in order to round out the numbers, they were included.
My guesses:
Entertainer of the Year — Miranda Lambert
Top Male Vocalist — Keith Urban
Top Female Vocalist — Reba
Top Vocal Group — Lady Antebellum
Top Vocal Duo — Sugarland
Top New Solo — Eastin Corbin
Top New Duo/Group — The Band Perry
Album of the Year — ZBB (I truly think Taylor should win though, not country, but awesome)
Single of the Year — Miranda Lambert
Song of the Year — The Band Perry
Video of the Year — Sugarland
Vocal Event of the Year — “As She’s Walking Away” (I wish “Coal Miner’s Daughter” however)
If it were about live shows, ZBB would win every time in my book. I’m sure its not everyones cup of tea, but I don’t think you can deny the awesomeness.
Quote by K:
“Oh for goodness sakes, is there a need to be so disrespectful?? Rascal Flatts made ONE comment to the press, which was was taken so out of context.
They were asked about how they felt, and gave an honest answer. Maybe it could’ve been said in a classier manner, but the people that criticized them read way too into the comment.”
K, I think I’ve read those comments that you’re talking about, and I don’t think there was really much to read into. They basically said they were frustrated about not getting the entertainer award, due to their touring stats in the last five or six years. Yeah, they were asked a question about it, and were honest…but there’s no misinterpreting those quotes. They felt jobbed, and thought they deserved an award that they didn’t get.
Furthermore, it’s not the first time they’ve been critical of the awards shows. Here’s an example of Levox criticizing one of the awards shows after they lost album of the year for Me and My Gang:
https://www.countryuniverse.net/2007/08/20/say-what-gary-levox-of-rascal-flatts/
As for the “disrespectful” hair gel joke, I’ll admit that it was a bit of a jab. Quite frankly, I find it absolutely ridiculous when artists take these shows this seriously, and gripe about not winning awards, whether it be RF, or anyone else. I didn’t even really like it when Reba came out cricizing the CMA Entertainer nominees last year. There’s such a political element to these awards shows, with voting blocs for various record labels, and the different whims and trends of the voters, that it just seems bizarre to take offense at something that artists can’t really do anything about. I think Rascal Flatts would feel much better if they just rolled their eyes, continued to do what they want to do, and moved on. If they really like the profession they’re in and the music they’re recording, they shouldn’t care about getting validation for it from the Academy of Country Music.
PSU Mike– Reba was not the only one who criticized the nominations for CMAs 2010 (but she was probably the only one who was quoted)… but understandably, she probably felt that there were other veterans (as she said) who didn’t get noms that she felt did well. (she even listed some like George Strait & Carrie Underwood)
Lambert and Lady A both went on record (in the same article) saying that they felt their EOTY noms were premature.
Personally, I don’t like it when music artists criticize award shows for their nominations. I think there is a different story when it comes to acting… you generally don’t see many actors/actresses complaining about the nominations at the Oscars or Emmys (though the Daytime Emmys are a different story).
(I don’t know what qualifies Underwood as a veteran, but I do see her point that there were more deserving artists)
Zack, the reason that music awards are different than acting awards is that an actor will only make the movie once and then move on. Most movies are shot in two to three months and actors are scheduled to get as many of them in and out as quickly as possible so they can move onto another performance. By the time awards are handed out, an actor may have shot several other movies.
Instead of moving on, though, musicians have to live with their material every day. Old hits are expected at every concert. Many write their own material, further personalizing their work for them.
I think most entertainers want to win awards, because it’s a validation of their work. Sales figures are nice, as are positive reviews, but there’s something “legitimate” about an award. I can appreciate how a musician would take awards so personally as to be upset over being snubbed, which is a lot more insulting than being nominated and not winning.
I understand why awards are meaningful to artists. I even expect them to feel bad if they aren’t nominated or don’t win, since I expect them to be genuinely happy if they do.
I see your point Travis. I suppose just being nominated (from an actor’s view) for an Oscar/Emmy/Tony is enough recognition considering that these are highly prestigious award shows. Plus, they are usually filled with a variety of nominations every year, so (with the exception of the Emmys) I’m sure many an actor doesn’t expect to be nominated again.
Yet, with music award shows, artists might expect to see themselves nominated time and time again. So, I guess It would be hard to lose out to a ‘new face.’
I guess I figure that awards should be more about the artistic merit compared to sales and radio play (which is why I can’t stand fan-voted awards or even the ACMs)– but I guess the ACMs do get it right sometimes (they were one of the first Award shows to validate Twain’s artistry by awarding her Album Of The Year for The Woman In me, and I was thrilled when Sara Evans FINALLY won a vocalist award, and I can’t deny that they’ve been giving Lambert great credit long before the CMAs).
I love it when my favorite artists win, but I’m at the point now where I don’t really care who wins, but it’s always nice to see your favorites win. I am sure that it is many a musician’s (or even any entertainer’s) dream to be recognized for their work, I just think being nominated would be thrill enough (though after a couple of losses I’d understand why they might feel a twinge of jealousy).
Zack,
You’re definitely right on the Reba thing, and I didn’t mean to come off like I was just singling her out. I remember both Lady A and Miranda saying they weren’t voting for themselves, and I think Jason Aldean went on record with comments on the matter as well. I’m sure a lot of the artists that toured more than Lady A, Miranda, ZBB, and even Urban in the last year weren’t happy about the CMA nominees.
I guess I just felt the comments made about the snubs in the entertainer category seemed to be a bit insulting to the people who were nominated, whether they felt they deserved it or not. Even if you’re just touting the accomplishments of other artists, you’re still basically arguing that they deserve to be there in another person’s place. I don’t there was any malicious intent by Reba or anyone else that commented on the issue, and I can definitely understand the arguments made for other artists, but it just didn’t seem like it was the right thing to say in public.
In regards to the snubs, I’m not sure that the CMAs or ACMs have any consistent criteria that they actually vote on, or whether they focus more on album sales, touring, number one hits, money made, influence, etc. I’m sure they have guidelines and rules on their website, but even if they do, I don’t know that they consistently follow the same criteria ever year to award artists. For example, when Chesney was on that streak of winning entertainer awards mainly for his tours, I think a lot of other acts felt that touring well would be enough to get an entertainer nod. I think that’s why so many country acts feel they’re deserving…there’s so much different criteria to weigh, and I don’t know that it’s weighed equally every year. Combine this with record label politics, and I think you get some unhappy, confused people when their names aren’t called.
As for the awards being seen as validation for entertainers, I guess I can see that point. Obviously, I’m not a big music star (which is a probably a good thing for society), so I don’t know how a major country music star thinks. I think awards can be seen as acceptance for some people (Shania Twain, Blake Shelton, Hank Williams Jr., Alison Krauss) to the industry, and I imagine that’s a pretty good feeling for them. Plus, I’m sure it’s gratifying to be complimented and praised for your work. But, I just don’t see the point of artists getting completely wrapped up in them, especially when many of them know how the music industry works. All in all, the awards are based on other people’s opinions, and they’re out of that artist’s control.
Re: Rascal Flatts – I think there’s something actually pretty refreshing about artists speaking honestly about industry activities, potentially including award shows. I just think, given the circumstances in which they’ve spoken about award shows (and they’ve spoken about them a good number of times, across different years), they come off as self-impressed and whiny. This is an act which has won more Vocal Group awards than any in country music history. If they were advocating for some artist they admire to get recognition, or speaking generally about the awards like Carrie Underwood did regarding women, I’d applaud them. Balking aloud at their lack of recognition for Entertainer or Lady A taking the win after their six-year run? Gimme a break. Tacky.
…what a subversive bunch this acm-lot. not nominating carrie underwood – quite rightly so – because her music was boring beyond belief, her album barely worth a spin and getting married luckily still not a criteria for a nomination for eoty. rascal flatts is finally seen as what they are – yesterday’s pop. why should they be considered by the acm? the janedear girls’ nomination should be a reason for widespread drug testing in acm-circles.
Ditto to Dan.
lololol, Zack, you just made me flash back to Susan Lucci’s incredulous run at losing at the Daytime Emmy Awards….seriously though, THOSE awards are indeed a crock and mean nothing. Actors vote based on network and not talent.
I was very vocal about my Miranda support during CMA season, and since Brad ended up taking Entertainer, I’m hoping that this is where Miranda gets it. She was the one who represented country music best in 2010.
Since you brought it up:
The Susan Lucci thing is fascinating now because I don’t think it could happen again. The internet builds hype waves exponentially faster. Remember how Kate Winslet won that Oscar for The Reader because the buzz became that it was time for her to be anointed, kind of regardless of role? (For the record, I thought she was incredible in that movie, aside from a few minutes of unconvincing old-lady voice.)
the janedear girls’ nomination should be a reason for widespread drug testing in acm-circles. -Tom
^^ This made me crack up.
KatieR: it was unfortunately blown out of proportion and made bigger than what it was. Award show politics is hideous, and I loved Mo’Nique’s Oscar winning speech last year, which addressed the issue (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxxqA4NhQM4). Alas, The Daytime Emmys are another discussion entirely, and one I don’t want to get into here.
Kate Winslet was overdue, even though Meryl Streep killed it in Doubt.
Nothing will ever top Kathy Bates winning for Misery, though. I wish they would acknowledge a great performance in a B-film like that again.
Dan,
I can see your point, and I agree to a certain extent.
At the same time, I can see where Rascal Flatts could be coming from too.
At their height of popularity, their success/influence in country music couldn’t be denied. Before Carrie and Taylor, Rascal Flatts were the act that helped make country music more mainstream.
They absolutely deserved the nominations, and the sales figures & influence of their two biggest albums should’ve been recognized as well.
I see nothing wrong if they want to voice thier disappointment; their influence over the entire genre during 2005-2006, was undeniable, and, I also think speaking out about that furthur elevates the ongoing issue of politics with awards voters.
Was it a big arrogant? Maybe. BUT it was also honest. I would assume they were asked to give a reaction after losing one of the night’s biggest awards, so the comments were spoken in the heat of the moment.
They have been very supportive of their peers, too. They were the first artists to support Carrie Underwood before she became a star, they took a chance on Taylor Swift when she was new to the genre, and they have given Toby Keith numerous thanks for giving them their big break.
They have always thanked everyone that took a chance on them, and are generous to new artists too.
I guess my overall point is this: What they said could be seen as arrogant, but it’s honest. These award shows ARE a competetion after all; of course they want to win.
But just because they made some comments doesn’t mean they be thrown under the bus. Look at the context of the situation first.
Someone mentioned they wouldn’t care about awards if they truly loved their jobs. Again, look at the context. Awards shows validate who is respected in the industry, and I would bet most artists would be as discouraged if they kept being overlooked time and time again, despite being one of country’s biggest success stories.
I’ve seen them in concert several times, and just by watching them interact with their fans and onstage, I know they love what they do. There’s a difference between feeling unappreciated by your peers one or two nights a year, and truly doing what you love the rest of those days.
Leann,
I certaintly don’t think you guys are anti-Rascal Flatts at all. I just think it’s a little unjust to call them out when they simply spoke out in moments of frusturation.
I also think there’s a difference between them winning Vocal Group for eight years, and not winning anything else. Between the success of their albums, tours, and overall impact on the genre, I don’t blame them for wishing their peers saw a little something more in them.
After all, they were they only group who deserved the award (by a landslide) for a number of years. I’d imagine it’d be different to get an award because you are the ONLY one who meets the critera, and being recognized as someone who’s successful enough to FIGHT for a win, instead of simply having it handed to you.
Hey now, I wouldn’t argue with anyone if they called me anti-Rascal Flatts. I am willing to acknowledge a good song from them though.
I’m not a fan and I kinda blame them for the direction that country music has taken, since we can credit them for “making country music more mainstream.” So, I won’t deny that I don’t feel particularly warm toward them in general.
With your comment, I mostly took issue with the idea that we give Toby Keith any sort of free passwhile singling RF out.
not nominating carrie underwood – quite rightly so – because her music was boring beyond belief, her album barely worth a spin and getting married luckily still not a criteria for a nomination for eoty – Tom
Do you really think Carrie Underwood fans believe she should have received a nomination simply because she got married? Her list of accomplishments this past year has already been included in this thread (tour, appearances, sales, spins, etc.). I suggest you review it before making such an inane comment. It’s obvious you don’t like Carrie much … that’s fine. But you not liking her doesn’t make her any less deserving, when the consensus is that she WAS deserving. Word is out via Jimmy Carter that she wasn’t nominated or promoted heavily by her label because they felt Miranda needed the push ‘more’. Not to knock Miranda – I like her. It’s obvious Carrie’s non-nomination for ETOY was totally political. Can’t change it now, but let’s at least call it like it is.
The ACMs really set themselves up for this debacle by opening EOY to fan votes. Kenny Chesney was right to call them out on it when the decision was announced, and now we’re seeing why. The ACMs could have just nominated her and–while it would have been entirely inappropriate and cost them their good name–they could have emphasized that maybe it was someone else’s time to win. It would have all been behind closed doors and no one would have batted an eye. Now there’s only one way to prevent a given winner from going on an extended winning streak and that’s to outright deny that artist a nomination.
And you know what, Mike? That’s exactly what I’m saying about the ones who were nominated. If you’re going to tell me that Jason Aldean is deserving of a shot at winning EOY and Carrie Underwood is not, then there better be a damn convincing case for the guy. There’s not. By any measuring stick, Underwood has the guy beat. You can tell me that Rascal Flatts aren’t one of the five top groups of 2010, but you better be able to demonstrate that there were, in fact, five different groups who had a better year than they did. You can sell me on Lady A, but there’s no way that the other four nominees are all more deserving than Rascal Flatts.
Nor do I feel the need to apologize for disparaging any of the nominated artists. The ACMs themselves invited this scrutiny by their glaring omissions. After all, art is a subjective concept. The very idea of awards purports to apply some kind of quantification for comparing and contrasting art. If these are the results of their measuring, then the artists excluded by their determinations–and the fans, whose viewing of the broadcast translates into ad revenue for the ACMs–have a right to question the reasoning behind these kinds of exclusions.
Word is out via Jimmy Carter that she wasn’t nominated or promoted heavily by her label because they felt Miranda needed the push ‘more’. Not to knock Miranda – I like her. It’s obvious Carrie’s non-nomination for ETOY was totally political. Can’t change it now, but let’s at least call it like it is. -Mary
My issue is that any artists need a ‘push’ to begin with, that is why I hate the Oscars and commended Mo’Nique for explicitly stating that in her acceptance speech: “I’d like to thank the Academy for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics.” (Mo’Nique, 2010 Oscars)
But I guess it’s undeniable, firstly: politics will come into play, secondly: they [award shows] can’t please everyone.
I guess debating nominations is a loss, considering it doesn’t change anything, but it does make for great discussion. :)
@ mary
…actually, i quite like carrie underwood and i also think that she’s a talented entertainer and a great vocalist. however, her recording output so far leaves much to be desired, relatively to her undeniable qualities. not nominating her may or may not have been a political thing, but had she had a year in which the sum of her artistic output would have been hard to be overlooked, we wouldn’t have this discussion.
“mama’s song”, “temporary home” and “undo it” were altogether forgettable stuff and in one or the other case even annoying. i think, it’s not unfair, not to let her and the label get away with music like that or even reward her for it. nominating her in a fan-based vote probably would even have resulted in her winning and that surely would have been a sign in the wrong direction.
Travis:
“And you know what, Mike? That’s exactly what I’m saying about the ones who were nominated. If you’re going to tell me that Jason Aldean is deserving of a shot at winning EOY and Carrie Underwood is not, then there better be a damn convincing case for the guy.”
Ditto, I don’t think any opener should be nominated if you can’t carry a headline tour on your back then you shouldn’t be nominated as an ENTERTAINER.
Also I haven’t seen anywhere, anyone make a supportive case why Miranda was nominated, also Taylor for this year at least.
Take a look at the rest of the ballot sheet and you’ll see why Miranda Lambert is a bona fide nominee for EOY. Her sales were respectable, and she’s got a very legitimate chance at a “songle” of the year (single and song), a two-in-five chance of winning video and she’s even in the mix for Vocal Event of the Year. Revolution was a 2009 release, but its praises were sung throughout 2010 by reviewers across the web.
As for Taylor Swift, she outsold the entire genre. She didn’t release one single from Fearless in 2010, and Speak Now (which she wrote in its entirety herself) didn’t drop until November! She had a role in Valentine’s Day (the movie was weak, but she acquitted herself nicely). She’s evolving before our eyes and the amazing thing is that she’s bound to only get better with time and more life experience. We haven’t seen her like in quite some time and I think it’s a shame to read how many listeners dismiss her out of hand for being young and heavy on the pop aesthetic. She may not have toured or had much new material out in 2010, but she still had an enormous presence.
It’s funny how country music can be so erratic regarding the artists it claims. Elvis Presley was a good ol’ country boy from Memphis originally, and country has staked a claim to him since his passing but there was a long stretch where few country artists would dare admit being influenced by The King. We saw this with Garth Brooks in the early 90s. I remember he was publicly furious over a billboard ad that went up around Louisville for a radio station that made clear it played “real” country music and not his stuff. That station wasn’t around in 1998 when he finally came back to town and sold out five consecutive nights in the blink of an eye.
Taylor Swift is going to outgrow country music very soon if country isn’t willing to stand by its woman. Woe be to those who shun her; she’s already demonstrated her willingness to chronicle those who’ve wronged her with a song.
VP,
To add to Travis, Lambert did headline a tour with Eric Church as her opener.
Tom I disagree with you completely. Miranda had one great song but was otherwise dominated in all other ways by artists not nominated in this category. How can you compare somebody on the same level when one plays to 50,000 fans all yar and the other plays to one million fans. Artisic music only plays one part in the ACM EOTY nomination critiera and I hand you that Miranda won that but then you look at the other what 11 parts and Miranda got her behind kicked by people like Tim and Carrie.
If you look at it and examine every part of the criteria why Miranda is nominated and Tim and Carrie aren’t doesn’t make sense. Everybody wants to say well miranda had a great single and yes she did but what else did she have compared to those who weren’t nominated…. nothing. And if you say that well her music wasn’t good enough I can say the same thing about Miranda’s Only Prettier which got no where on the charts and wasn’t well recieved by the masses as it was dissmel in sales as well. You would think after The House that built me Mirand would be doing better in sales and on the charts but she isn’t and now the label trying to shove somebody who isn’t the most popular woman in this genre by any measure down country music fans throat isn’t right in my opinion. If you are to nominate her she needs to be able to play with the big boys (taylor and carrie included) and so far she has not been able to come close to that. When she isn’t outsold, outplayed on the radio and can headline a massive tour like others then I will say she should be nominated for EOTY. Her and Jason in this category just for me like the CMA’s downgrade everything artists who have won before worked for.
Do I think miranda deserves FVOTY? Yes I do but EOTY or even a nomination in that category? No.
“Only Prettier” peaked at #12 and hung out in the Top 20 for quite a while. Not a big hit, but certainly not “nowhere.”
Anyway, there’s obviously a push to recognize Miranda Lambert for helping bring a certain kind of artistic ambition back to the country genre. Simple as that. It’s like the article that came out after the CMA noms said: sometimes voters just get in a mood. As for her toppling Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift “prematurely” – I have no sympathy. Both of them earned massive awards recognition before Lambert, and they’ll probably outsell her for a long time. But if the country music industry feels like spreading around the love once in a while for an artist who flies under the radar but helps rejuvenate things artistically, I’m game.
Taylor Swift is going to outgrow country music very soon if country isn’t willing to stand by its woman. Woe be to those who shun her; she’s already demonstrated her willingness to chronicle those who’ve wronged her with a song. – Travis
How can you ‘outgrow’ something you were never legitimately a part of in the first place? And for the record, I would not consider Taylor Swift country music’s “woman”. Let her move on to wherever her machine thinks she needs to be. She’s no vocalist, and she’s certainly not country. She can write her ‘I wore a dress and rode a unicorn to the prom and he ditched me but I got him back’ songs for another genre as far as I’m concerned.
Anyway, there’s obviously a push to recognize Miranda Lambert for helping bring a certain kind of artistic ambition back to the country genre. Simple as that.
Not disagreeing with you, and not talking about you specifically…but it’s a tad frustrating to hear people say that artistry is being rewarded again now that the artists that fall under their definition of artistry are being recognized, you know? Maybe that’s just the defensive CU fan in me, though.
I am all for “rejuvenating country music artistically,” but like a lot of fans, I suppose I like to judge for myself what I consider truly “artistic.” There’s the rub, of course. One person’s “White Liar” is another person’s “Undo It.”
Like Ms. Seetharam, my CU defense is showing, I’m sure.
I just read on rough stock that carrie won’t be releasing a fifth single from play on. Has anyone else heard about this?
“it’s a tad frustrating to hear people say that artistry is being rewarded again now that the artists that fall under their definition of artistry are being recognized, you know?”
That’s why I said “a certain kind” of artistic ambition. But obviously we’re all going to think things have made a turn for the better when our personal favorites get recognized. To some extent, anyway – I honestly think this particular Lambert surge is a bit off, since Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was a much stronger work than Revolution for me.
There’s an old saying that you don’t have to outrun the bear; you just have to outrun your friend. In that light, I would posit that contrasting Carrie Underwood with Miranda Lambert is an exercise in futility. Lambert’s 2010 was strong enough to warrant consideration in most years; she’s not the weak link in the EOY category.
For my money, it’s Jason Aldean. Two #2 singles (only one of which is certified Gold) and one at #10 aren’t exactly radio dominance. The album, released 2 November, hit #2 and is certified Platinum, which is respectable enough but insufficient grounds for EOY by itself. And note that there weren’t enough voters impressed by the artistic merits of his recordings to nominate him in any of the categories for the actual work; My Kinda Party might have been reasonably popular but no one seems to really think it’s groundbreaking stuff.
Also, no one should be surprised that “Only Prettier” stalled at #12 on the charts. Radio has a bad habit of being really hot and then cold with artists. Kenny Chesney had back-to-back multi-week #1s in 1999 with “How Forever Feels” and “You Had Me from Hello,” and just when it seemed he was the hottest act in country he failed to crack the top 10 with “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy” and neither of his 2000 singles hit #1. Gary Allan had back-to-back #1s with “Man to Man” and “Tough Little Boys” in 2003, but “Songs About Rain” stalled at #12. In the era before radio ownership was deregulated you could argue that this trend reflected a meritocracy but today it smacks of the industry keeping artists from getting or staying too big.
@Mary – Maybe you’re unimpressed with Swift’s material but even her most ardent detractors concede that she’s authentic. She hasn’t tried to sell us on material outside her life experiences so far; no songs about being a weary mother or abused wife, etc. It’s not reasonable to blame her for not having those experiences that make for more substantive songs; she can only be expected to write and sing about the life she’s actually lived and I personally think she’s done a great job with that so far. I’d love to see her grow into more mature songs but I also realize she’s still very young.
And, yes, so long as country music is happy to pocket the money Swift generates, she deserves to be recognized as a country artist. If country thinks she doesn’t belong, then country needs to grow a spine and break up with her. Otherwise, it’s disingenuous to be so selective with whether or not the genre claims and supports her.
there are a number of reasons why I think Carrie was excluded from the ACM’s EOTY nominee list:
1. Her fans over-the-top reaction to her exclusion to the CMA EOTY. Especially when Taylor who had a far bigger year then Carrie and was the reigning CMA EOTY didn’t get a nomination. Taylor’s fans didn’t complain at all and Taylor was the top artist of 2010 in music. That alone should have secured her a nomination but there were really no complaints. Yet Carrie fans were complaining and complaining, I don’t think they ever stopped complaining.. Remember this, Carrie wasn’t the top artist and you had no need or right to complain, especially when the top artist and reigning EOTY is not nominated either, had there been six nominees at the CMA’s it likely would have gone to Taylor Swift, not Carrie. But hey the CMA’s simply went in a different direction and besides Fearless had won so many awards up to that point being the most awarded ALBUM in country music history. No country album has ever won AOTY at ALL the award shows like Fearless did.
2. Carrie’s label (and her fans) have embellished many of her accomplishments for her entire “play on” era. Her label put out a press release claiming that her “Play On” tour had over 1 million fans and was the #1 country female tour. First, there is no such thing as a #1 country female tour (you’re either the #1 tour, or you’re not and I don’t think her’s was even top 5 country). If there were such a thing, that would have still gone to Taylor Swift because the second half of the fearless tour took place in 2010 and it was more successful then Carrie’s entire “Play On” tour, ranking higher then Carrie’s tour on ALL the official lists (both Billboard and Pollstar). Secondly, Carrie’s tour did not have 1 million fans, so they padded the number by over 200,000 fans. Perhaps the ACM’s and CMA’s don’t want to nominate someone who’s team lies about numbers. Afterall, if her label and fans don’t think what she actually did is good enough that they need to pad and embellish her numbers with extra stuff then why nominate her at all?
Another thing, while Carrie’s fans were busy embellishing her stats for the Play on era, they were constantly down playing Taylor’s stats for 2010 saying she had a “quiet” year. But the proof is in the pudding. Taylor knocked it out the park in 2010 and was the top artist and had one of the biggest tours. Remember this carrie fans, if Taylor’s year were really “quiet” why did her tour top carries and why was she the top artist of 2010 in both sales and radio play? You guys talk out both sides of your mouths, in one breath you claim she did very little in 2010 and was “quiet”, then in the next you claim she’s overexposed. How can one be both overexposed and “quiet” at the same time? LOL!
I also find it amusing how most of Carrie’s fans claim Taylor Swift isn’t “country” yet when you list some of the things carrie did in 2010 the bulk of it is not country. Superbowl, “How I meant your Mother”, how is any of that country and why would that get her a nomination for these awards? Not to mention the “pop production she had at her play on tour”. All that proves is that Carrie is just as mainstream as Taylor. Simply because Taylor outsell’s Carrie 3-1 (don’t be sad Taylor has been outselling the entire music industry pretty consistently since 2008) in albums (singles it’s probably 5-1), doesn’t make her less country. It just makes Taylor’s fans more loyal, probably because her music is simply better reviewed and perhaps fans pay for good music? I bet if Taylor wasn’t so successful in selling albums, singles and concert tickets, yet had the same music people wouldn’t claim she isn’t country.
Carrie should have been nominated! Plain and simple. The above post does nothing to convince me otherwise.
Susan first most carrie fans will agree that Taylor deserved her nomination and second of all carrie fans don’t embellish her and taylor fans don’t so don’t attept to paint a picture that taylor fans are perfect either both do fans groups make their artist seem great. Also Carrie’s fans had a reason to be angry with this and the CMA’s because she did desevre the nominations and so did taylor as well.
Also to Taylor outselling Carrie if only we could break down how many of those fans are country music fans and Taylor wouldn’t even outsell Miranda.
But obviously we’re all going to think things have made a turn for the better when our personal favorites get recognized.
True. It’s just the way it’s being stated by some – as if the voters are now judging rationally and weren’t before.
Regarding the Carrie vs. Miranda vs. Taylor war that seems to be going on here, I really can’t make any unbiased comments about who should and shouldn’t be nominated because I’m so anti-Taylor it’s not even funny. There are a select few of her songs that I actually like (“Change” is my favorite), but to me the thought of her winning country music awards is just laughable. Her music is pure pop, not even a hint of country. I love both Carrie and Miranda, so I sure hope Taylor doesn’t beat either of them for female vocalist, let alone win entertainer of the year.
I don’t know anyone who is a member of the Academy, but I have a hard time believing that an artist would be penalized for the behavior of his or her fans. The idea of there being a competition between Underwood and Swift is the stuff of juvenile side-picking; there’s absolutely no reason that there should be an adversarial relationship between the two women, nor their fans. Introducing one does nothing to help anyone.
Also, ticket sales and demographics are very closely monitored. There is, in fact, such a thing as “#1 Country Female Touring Act.” It’s easy enough to figure out who it is: it’s the top tour headlined by a female artist. You can see the top tours in all genres with sales figures here: http://cbswycd.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/2010yearendtop50northamericantours.pdf
Note that #14 is George Strait/Reba McEntire/Lee Ann Womack. Strait was regarded as the tour headliner, though, which is why Carrie Underwood (#18) is determined to be the top country female touring act. Her total number of tickets sold was 778,930, which was far more than the Strait/Reba/LAW tour’s 493,475 (rankings account for ticket prices, number of shows, etc.). Only Bon Jovi and Dave Matthews Band actually sold 1 million tickets.
@Kayla, I have to ask how you would ever determine whether a buyer is “country?” More importantly, how does it even matter? That an artist has strong sales is, ultimately, a good thing for the industry. In the 1990s, Garth Brooks singlehandedly kept Capitol Records in the black, so even if you hated his music it meant that the label was in a position to sign other artists like Chris LeDoux and Steve Wariner and release their music. Likewise, even if you can’t stand Swift–and it’s pretty clear you can’t–it’s still a good thing that she’s selling a lot of albums because it means that Big Machine Records is in a healthy position to take a chance on someone that they might not otherwise have had the budget to risk signing. How is that a bad thing for country, and how does it benefit anyone to segregate Swift and her sales/fans?
Travis you can’t I was just being defensive and snippy :)
I am tired of people saying Carrie doesn’t deserve a nomination despite having the strongest numbers year long. While I agree Taylor should be nomnated I don’t think she hade a bigger year than carrie since Taylor was really in the studio for 7 months and not out on the road.
And I think most people know that 90% of Taylors fans wouldn’t know country if it bit them in the butt. My point was when it cmes to country music Taylor isn’t the biggest out there since really a majority of her fans and audience are pop.
Also for Carrie’s tour numbers the difference in Carrie’s management numbers and poll star is poll star doesn’t count the festivels or hollywood bowl or shows like that where carrie performed during the summer. That is where they get carrie played to a million fans this year
“it’s still a good thing that she’s selling a lot of albums because it means that Big Machine Records is in a healthy position to take a chance on someone that they might not otherwise have had the budget to risk signing.”
Truth. We may well have Swift to thank for Sunny Sweeney and The Band Perry getting the push they need – and I want another Trisha album.
Also Travis no I don’t like Taylor but I do agree with you about her being a good thing for Big Machine records and yes she is good for allowing them to sign other singers which helps grow country by giving us a new artist but that doesn’t mean she is the biggest artist in this genre. Would I say she is the biggest artist in Pop yes and country gets to reep the benefits by using her label to sign new artists. But for her fans to boast she is the biggest in thiis genre is wrong in my opinion since a majority of her fans don’t even no what country music is. Ask them who Loretta Lynn is and they are going to look at you like your an idiot.
I still think it’s unfair to want some kind of litmus test for determining whether a given artist’s fan base is “country.” You know what? I’m not big on Loretta Lynn…and I’m a Kentuckian!
I think it’s terribly misguided to think that a fan is only qualified to criticize or judge the work of an artist if that fan’s taste isn’t confined to the genre of choice. On the contrary; it affords a different context for evaluating that artist and his or her work.
If Taylor Swift’s fans don’t know or care who Loretta Lynn is, so what? Am I supposed to believe that Jason Aldean’s fans do just because he sings songs about being a redneck? Or that just because Brad Paisley has included “Little”
Jimmie Dickens in his music videos that anyone has gone out and bought Jimmie’s music? Sorry, but name-checking older artists doesn’t prove any kind of fealty to the genre; it just proves that an artist is willing to try to associate himself or herself with someone already established.
This may be strange for someone whose degree was earned in history to say, but I think there’s a danger in placing too much emphasis on the past. There’s nothing wrong with tipping your hat to the ones who blazed the trail, but it’s a mistake to retrace their steps. If you’re not going to continue to develop the trail, what’s the point?
Travis I really can’t seem to convey what I want to so I will leave it at the fact if anybody deserved a nomination for EOTY it would be Tim Mcgraw and Carrie Underwood. No offense to anybody else nominated but the fact these two weren’t in my opinion makes who ever wins the award this year doesn’t really deserve it. Sorry!
I like Miranda (I even have tickets to see her in april) but for her label (carrie’s as well) to go back and screw carrie because it can boost mirandas career then miranda didn’t deserve the nomination to begin with. It should have been based on her qualifications not on jumping over someone who beat you in every possible measure this past year and Carrie did and to me there is no debating it since Carrie has the numbers and that can’t be denied.
Also to your post above if you can’t name the biggest names is this genre then you don’t know it. Sorry again! And its not only can they not name people like loretta or tammy they can’t even name Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley or Jason or Miranda so yes I can say that they don’t know what country music is. I’m not placing anything based on their knowledge of Country’s past but if you can’t name the present then you don’t know this genre.
FYI: Nashville Gab is reporting the following:
“It’s better if I don’t comment too much on this post, or get into the politics of it too much, cause I’ll go on a rant. I feel like they just pulled nominations out of a hat this year. So many people were snubbed. But enough about that, on to the story.
Entertainment reporter, Jimmy Carter tells WKKT that an inside source told him that Miranda Lambert got 7 noms vs one for Carrie Underwood because their record label had to decide who to push, and they figured Miranda needed the noms more than Carrie did at this point. All I can say is HUH? We base it on who NEEDS it more now? Hmm, thats good to know.”
http://www.nashvillegab.com
This “which artist to push” bit shouldn’t really come as a surprise to anyone. I pieced it together the first year I ever bothered to pay attention to an awards ballot that, for the most part, each nominee was from a different label or label group. Come awards time, there’s a clear pecking order for duos and groups and sad as it may be, there’s typically a default (almost token) ranking system for solo female vocalists. Only solo male vocalists have a decent chance of being picked over their labelmates from year to year, though I’m sure every guy signed to MCA/Universal is aware that as long as George Strait draws breath, he’s going to get the awards support. It’d be like being a shortstop in the Yankees minor league system; there’s some guy named Derek Jeter playing at the top level and he’s got your job.
Personally, I think that fans ought to vote to determine the nominees in all fields, and the Academy should vote to determine the winners. That would negate the one-spot-per-label template. The industry couldn’t control who might make the ballot, which would concern them, but the final say would be in the hands of the same industry insiders that pick the winners anyway.
Okay, Susan123, this is the defensive fanatic side of me coming out. To be quite honest, I don’t give a damn if you like her or not. Carrie deserved a nod, and she deserved one FAR more than Taylor Swift did, point blank.
I’m just going to pick at your post for a big here:
1. Her fans over-the-top reaction to her exclusion to the CMA EOTY. Especially when Taylor who had a far bigger year then Carrie and was the reigning CMA EOTY didn’t get a nomination.
–Fan reactions have no influence on EOTY nods, and saying Taylor had a bigger 2010 than Carrie is like saying Paula Abdul wasn’t on drugs during her years of “American Idol”. You know just as well as everyone else that Taylor’s year was nowhere near the caliber that Carrie’s was, so you can stop flaunting that false statement around.
Carrie wasn’t the top artist and you had no need or right to complain.
–Yes we absolutely did. Carrie’s year was immaculate, and half of Taylor’s year was spent under the radar. Really, now? Use your common sense and get out of your “Taylor stan” mode.
First, there is no such thing as a #1 country female tour (you’re either the #1 tour, or you’re not and I don’t think her’s was even top 5 country). If there were such a thing, that would have still gone to Taylor Swift because the second half of the fearless tour took place in 2010 and it was more successful then Carrie’s entire “Play On” tour, ranking higher then Carrie’s tour on ALL the official lists (both Billboard and Pollstar).
-WRONG-O. Carrie’s PO Tour – #18. Taylor’s Fearless Tour – #19. It may have been one spot, but it topped Taylor’s so that’s strike two against your petty and amateur argument.
Remember this carrie fans, if Taylor’s year were really “quiet” why did her tour top carries and why was she the top artist of 2010 in both sales and radio play?
-Radio Play? Carrie was #1 for all Females. Tour? Carrie’s (as stated above) topped Taylor’s. Sales? Yeah, Taylor wins. 1/3 loses to 2/3, though, and this makes it Carrie’s 4th consecutive year as the Most-Played Country Female Artist. Do your freakin’ research — Carrie has been #1 for the past 4 years. Not Taylor, CARRIE.
Superbowl, “How I meant your Mother”, how is any of that country and why would that get her a nomination for these awards?
-Nobody said that the events outside of her tour she did would have to be Country…? Garth Brooks sang the National Anthem at the Superbowl. Does that make him “Pop”? Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts were both on CSI. Does that make them “Pop”?
Not to mention the “pop production she had at her play on tour”.
-Describe this “pop production”. If you are referring to the flying and moving pieces ,then I guess you are ruling Reba out as “Pop” as well because she flew over her audience at her shows back during a tour of her’s in the ’90s.
All that proves is that Carrie is just as mainstream as Taylor.
-This just made you sound stupid. Really? Taylor’s more mainstream than Carrie? Yeah, right. And Justin Bieber is more R&B than Stevie Wonder, but we both know darn well that these analogies don’t always work out in one’s purposeful favor.
Simply because Taylor outsell’s Carrie 3-1 (don’t be sad Taylor has been outselling the entire music industry pretty consistently since 2008) in albums (singles it’s probably 5-1), doesn’t make her less country. It just makes Taylor’s fans more loyal, probably because her music is simply better reviewed and perhaps fans pay for good music?
-So you’re saying that Carrie (who still has a 7x Platinum album that outsells Taylor’s largest-selling album, “Fearless”, by over 1 million) has statistics that are frowned upon compared to Taylor’s? Give. Me. A. Break. Carrie has 5 Platinum singles (one of them is 3x Platinum — “Before He Cheats”, then “Undo It”, “All-American Girl”, Jesus, Take the Wheel”, and “Cowboy Casanova”), and the rest of her songs (minus “Don’t Forget to Remember Me” and “Mama’s Song”) are all Gold. And that’s something to be ashamed of? Sorry that Carrie isn’t a Pop star, because only Pop stars take in those types of statistics nowadays, thus validating even more how much of a POP STAR Taylor Swift is.
I hate fan wars, but it’s stupid and senseless comments like your’s, Susan123, that make my blood boil. Don’t sit here and devalue Carrie’s stellar year by trying to promote Taylor’s year, which paled in comparison to Carrie’s, and you darn well know it. Just because she won Grammys in January and made a big comeback in the last week of October doesn’t make her year superior to Carrie’s. Remember that there are still 9 months that should also be considered in the EOTY, and Taylor practically flew right under the radar during those 9 months. So yeah, Taylor deserved to not get a nod for CMA EOTY, and I’m baffled while I’m not TOTALLY baffled she got one for the ACM EOTY, I’m stunned and annoyed beyond belief as to how Carrie was snubbed at both.
Have a lovely day, and please do research next time you feel like making an argument like this, because nearly everything you said was totally and completely invalid in every way, shape, and form.
AMEN!
I’ve just had a thought:
Lee Ann Womack is to the ACM Female Vocalist category as Martina McBride is to the CMA Female Vocalist category (both have been mainstay nominees at both award shows without much real work in recent years), wonder if McBride will appear in the CMA pool again this year… though it is still early, so she might have some work done before the nomination period ends.
While most everyone has made valid comments, I have another thought too. I know that Rascal Flatts deserves the group nom over Randy Rogers Band, but I REALLY think that The Band Perry should be on that list as well. Their first single didn’t exactly sky-rocket, but it was a catchy tune. But, “If I Die Young” has been a huge single for them. That, in my book, definitely puts them ahead of Randy Rogers Band, and maybe even Little Big Town (though I like them too). And, yes, the New Artist noms are RIDICULOUS!!