The next category on the Country Ballot is Best Male Country Vocal Performance. There are more performances to choose from among the men, with 83 entries compared to 64 for the women. It’s a typically eclectic mix, as one would expect from the Grammys. I had less trouble narrowing down this list.
The five nominees I would pick for Best Male Country Vocal Performance are:
- Gary Allan, “Learning How to Bend”
- Rodney Crowell, “Sex and Gasoline”
- Alan Jackson, “Small Town Southern Man”
- Jamey Johnson, “In Color”
- Randy Travis, “Dig Two Graves”
What do you think of the submissions in this category? What five artists would you nominate, and for which recordings?
Gary Allan, “Learning How to Bend”
Alan Jackson, “Small Town Southern Man”
Jamey Johnson, “In Color”
George Strait, “Troubadour”
Randy Travis, “Dig Two Graves”
Strait’s never won a Grammy, and although I’d love to see that fact amended, I believe he’ll be passed up again. I’m surprised “I Saw God Today” is missing.
The possibilities are a little lackluster. Travis is a Grammy fave, Johnson deserves any recognition possible, but Jackson’s song is my favorite.
Here are mine:
Jamey Johnson “In Color”
Alan Jackson “Good Time”
Tim McGraw “Let It Go”
George Strait “Troubadour”
Blake Shelton “Home”
I’m hoping Johnson, Shelton, or Strait gets the award.
Gary Allan, “Learning How to Bend”
Jason Michael Carroll, “I Can Sleep When I’m Dead”
Rodney Crowell, “Sex and Gasoline”
Jamey Johnson, “In Color”
James Otto, “Just Got Started Lovin’ You”
I can’t help but give Carroll some love here; that record is addictive, and I think he knocked it out of the park. I really wanted to pick Strait or Ralph Stanley II but they pretty much coasted on the vocals for their submissions – hence, Otto.
And yeah…Allan ’09 please, Grammys.
I’ll add that I hope we’re doing this for all the other categories! It’s fun!
I have a feeling that it’ll shake down like this:
Jamey Johnson “In Color”
George Strait “Troubadour”
Hayes Carll “She Left Me For Jesus”
Blake Shelton “Home” (Grammy knows the song)
Darius Rucker “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It”
Strait, Shelton, and Rucker all are known quantities to voters and Johnson and Carll have great tracks that typically appeal to voters. Carll also has the ‘indie’ cred.
Since I just actually looked at the list let me edit my nominations:
Johnson “In Color”
Strait “Troubadour”
Vince Gill “Satisfied Mind”
Blake Shelton “Home”
Darius Rucker “Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It”
Again, Grammy loves ‘known quantities’ so that gets Gill in (over Carll) And I can easily see one of Willie’s songs getting the nomination over Jamey Johnson or Blake Shelton.
“I Saw God Today” is on the ballot for Best Country Song, but Strait’s camp decided to submit “Troubadour” and his (admittedly superior) take on “Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven.”
Gary Allan, “Learning How To Bend”
Alan Jackson, “Small Town Southern Man”
Dierks Bentley, “Tryin’ To Stop Your Leavin'”
James Otto, “Just Got Started Loving You”
Justin Townes Earle, “The Good Life”
And Willie Nelson, “You Don’t Think I’m Funny Anymore” as a bonus vote
I’m not as sold on what many of the male acts in mainstream country are doing right now as compared to their female counterparts, but there are still plenty of worthy choices on the entry list this year… though I’m disappointed that Hayes Carll’s label didn’t submit “She Left Me for Jesus.”
My choices would be:
(1) Gary Allan, “Learning How to Bend”
(2) Hayes Carll, “It’s a Shame”
(3) Rodney Crowell, “Sex & Gasoline”
(4) Justin Townes Earle, “The Good Life”
(5) Jamey Johnson, “In Color”
With Dierks Bentley, Brad Paisley (for “Letter to Me”), Rusty Truck (for “Cold Ground”), Ralph Stanley II, and Dwight Yoakam as my alternates.
Well this years choices are kind of boring for the most part, so this is my list I was on the fence with one song but I decided it was a worthy song.
01. Gary Allan Learning How To Bend
02. Randy Houser Anything Goes
03. Alan Jackson Small Town Southern Man
04. Jamey Johnson In Color
05. Phil Vassar Prayer Of A Common Man
So far if we were voting it’s look like this…
01. Gary Allan Learning How To Bend (6 Votes)
02. Rodney Crowell Sex And Gasoline (3 Votes)
03. Alan Jackson Small Town Southern Man (4 Votes)
04. Jamey Johnson In Color (7 Votes)
05. George Strait Troubadour (3 Votes)
So far Jamey Johnson would be getting the award.
My 5 choices from the nominees would be:
SEX & GASOLINE – Rodney Crowell
SMALL TOWN SOUTHERN MAN – Alan Jackson
LETTER TO ME – Brad Paisley
It’s a Shame – Hayes Carll
Home – Blake Shelton
No one has mentioned the Dierks Bentley song…its not my favorite of his, but it should make the cut.
Chad, didn’t I mention it?
Oh, sorry Leann…I missed that in your post. :)
The songs selected for submission are not the best songs from their respective albums here for the artists I like, which probably says something depressing about country radio.
Out of this list I would pick:
Gary Allan, learning How To Bend
Jamey Johnson, In Color
Darius Rucker, Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It
George Strait, Troubadour
Randy Travis, I Don’t See Me In Your Eyes Anymore (I would have selected You Didn’t Have A Good Time from his new album over Dig Two Graves because I think it’s a far superior song, and while Dig Two Graves may have been the single it hasn’t been a hit so it can’t claim any familiarity from that)
George Strait, Jamey Johnson, Blake Shelton (Loved his version of Home), Alan Jackson’s Small Town Southern Man.