Last month, I suggested an infusion of new blood at the CMA Awards. They’ve exceeded even my wildest expectations, rejecting the usual nominees in nearly every race. Lady Antebellum, Zac Brown Band, and Dierks Bentley have quite a bit to celebrate, but this year’s awards belong to Miranda Lambert, who earned a stunning nine nominations, a record for a female artist.
Let’s take a look at this year’s nominees:
Entertainer
- Lady Antebellum
- Miranda Lambert
- Brad Paisley
- Keith Urban
- Zac Brown Band
Who’s In: Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band
Who’s Out: Kenny Chesney, George Strait, Taylor Swift
Snap Judgment: All of the new nominees are justified, but the exclusion of Carrie Underwood is shocking and quite unfair. Leaving off Taylor Swift is also a big surprise. It’s difficult to justify Keith Urban in either of their places. Then again, the CMA hasn’t nominated two solo female artists in this category since 1979, despite several years where it was warranted.
Male Vocalist
- Dierks Bentley
- Brad Paisley
- Blake Shelton
- George Strait
- Keith Urban
Who’s In: Dierks Bentley, Blake Shelton
Who’s Out: Kenny Chesney, Darius Rucker
Snap Judgment: Good to see them mixing it up in this race. I wonder if being engaged to Lambert helped push Shelton over the edge here?
Female Vocalist
- Miranda Lambert
- Martina McBride
- Reba McEntire
- Taylor Swift
- Carrie Underwood
Who’s In: Nobody.
Who’s Out: Nobody.
Snap Judgment: Same lineup as last year. Who could argue for anyone else?
Vocal Duo
- Brooks & Dunn
- Joey + Rory
- Montgomery Gentry
- Steel Magnolia
- Sugarland
Who’s In: Steel Magnolia
Who’s Out: Big & Rich
Snap Judgment: Oh look, five nominees who are all actively recording! Big progress for this category.
Vocal Group
- The Band Perry
- Lady Antebellum
- Little Big Town
- Rascal Flatts
- Zac Brown Band
Who’s In: The Band Perry
Who’s Out: Eagles
Snap Judgment: Who are The Band Perry? That’s what the Gloriana camp is probably saying right now, though with two top twenty hits under their belt, Band Perry is one to watch.
New Artist
- Luke Bryan
- Easton Corbin
- Jerrod Neimann
- Chris Young
- Zac Brown Band
Who’s In: Luke Bryan, Easton Corbin, Jerrod Neimann, Chris Young
Who’s Out: Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Jake Owen, Darius Rucker
Snap Judgment: Quite a bit of turnover, given that four of last year’s five nominees were eligible again. Rucker’s victory last year clears the way for Zac Brown Band to get a mantle companion piece for their Best New Artist Grammy.
Album
- Dierks Bentley, Up on the Ridge
- Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
- Miranda Lambert, Revolution
- George Strait, Twang
- Carrie Underwood, Play On
Snap Judgment: A nice balance of commercial success and critical acclaim.
Single
- Easton Corbin, “A Little More Country Than That”
- Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”
- Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me”
- Miranda Lambert, “White Liar”
- Blake Shelton with Trace Adkins, “Hillbilly Bone”
Snap Judgment: Quite a bit of love for newer artists, plus some overcompensation for the CMA’s lack of Lambert love in the past, as she becomes one of the only artists in history to score two Single nominations in the same year.
Song
- “The House That Built Me” – written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin
- “A Little More Country Than That” – written by Rory Lee Feek, Wynn Varble and Don Poythress
- “Need You Now” – written by Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott
- “Toes” – written by Zac Brown, Wyatt Beasley I. Durrette, John Hopkins and Shawn Mullins
- “White Liar” – written by Natalie Hemby and Miranda Lambert
Snap Judgment: This year, “Hillbilly Bone” gets the “cool enough to be a single nominee but not deep enough to get a song nomination” label, with “Toes” taking its place in this race.
Musical Event
- “Bad Angel – Dierks Bentley with Jamey Johnson and Miranda Lambert
- “Can’t You See” – Zac Brown Band featuring Kid Rock
- “Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
- “I’m Alive” – Kenny Chesney featuring Dave Matthews
- “‘Til the End” – Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack
Snap Judgment: Amazing that the only nomination for Kenny Chesney is in this category.
Music Video
- “Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton with Trace Adkins; directed by Roman White
- “The House That Built Me” – Miranda Lambert; directed by Trey Fanjoy
- “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum; directed by David McClister
- “Water” – Brad Paisley; directed by Jim Shea
- “White Liar” – Miranda Lambert; directed by Chris Hickey
Snap Judgment: Lambert’s dual nominations are another indication of her popularity’s depth this year, even if it’s not quite as amazing as those two Single nominations.
Musician
- Paul Franklin
- Dann Huff
- Brent Mason
- Mac McAnally
- Randy Scruggs
Who’s In: Randy Scruggs
Who’s Out: Eddie Bayers
Snap Judgment: Three-time winner Scruggs is back in the race for the first time since 2007, taking the place of Eddie Bayers, who has yet to win despite ten nominations. All of this year’s nominees have won at least once, except for Paul Franklin, who received his 18th nomination this year.
Kevin, will you please explain your reasoning that Keith Urban should be excluded instead of Carrie and especially Taylor. I sure don’t see that!! Keith Urban is the best entertainer of all of them, IMO! Taylor is a joke IMO! I’ve seen her concert and I’ve seen Keith many times and there are no comparisons!
He didn’t have nearly the year that Underwood and Swift had.
Leaving Carrie Underwood out of the EOTY lineup is indeed unfair. Not a big fan of Taylor Swift, I would even say I dislike her, but her exclusion is still shocking and unfair to me.
Leaving Carrie Underwood out of the EOTY lineup is indeed unfair. Not a big fan of Taylor Swift, I would even say I dislike her, but her exclusion is still shocking and unfair for me.
Why, why did they leave carrie out? BOO! Yes that’s all i can muster up at this moment.
I still recovering from the outburst i had when i first heard the nominees.
These noms smack of a voting block in my opinion – Lady A, Trace Adkins, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan – I have been noticing the trend in the last awards shows and now with Miranda getting two noms in three categories and Lady A(haven’t even headlined a tour yet???????? and Miranda for EOTY , hmmmm… well the record labels did it why not some artists pulling together and campaigning for votes
Why is THE Carrie Underwood out of the Entertainer race? Why does the CMAs underrate Ms. Underwood? How could they justify Miranda’s noms(especially the entertainer)? because of her only number one single? Her under-1M album sales? Her HUGE HUGE HUGE tour, if any? I admit I like her music, but isn’t that, as Kevin said, overcompensation?
Hold on there. I said that the two Singles nominations were overcompensation. I thought she deserved an Entertainer nomination.
Well, yeah, Noted. I’m sorry. Yeah she deserved it. But Carrie too, right? It’s unfair.
I OFFICIALLY HATE THE CMAs. What does Carrie Underwood have to do to get an Entertainer nomination? This totally unfair. Carrie shouldn’t even show up to host. I mean why bother if they obviously don’t find her entertaining?
Carrie not being nominated for EOTY is a joke!
Blake, seconded.
how is carrie underwood NOT nominated for entertainer of the year??? she she have WON the award, yet she is not even nominated! that is a major snub and totally unfair.
Carrie shouldn’t even show up to host.
Yes, because bowing out of that honor because you feel snubbed reflects the level of professionalism that has gotten Carrie to where she is today. I happen to think that Carrie has now gotten jobbed out of a deserved Entertainer nomination for three years running, but come on now.
That said, I think it’s about time the CMAs stopped voting the Entertainer category based on who had the biggest numbers. I think the nominee slate is highly reactive and reflects the fact that the dominant voting blocs have shifted in the last couple of years.
I definitely think Blake Shelton was the beneficiary of his ties to Miranda and Lady A. Networking helps. I also believe his team has been very hard at work trying to create momentum to generate more momentum for him.
It’s interesting seeing the CMAs trying to create its own stories to set itself apart from the ACMs (and, I’m sure, vice versa). The curiosity with the CMAs is how sweeping its storytelling seems to be, at least via the nominations.
Happy to see the Miranda love, of course, but I kind of wonder if it’ll seem ludicrous to the average viewer who tunes in. You know? Then again, being showered with Grammy love didn’t hurt Norah Jones’ breakout.
“White Liar” is a great-sounding record, so I don’t mind it being up for Single. Song is a stretch. Then again, there aren’t a lot of great songs being played out there anymore.
I agree that Urban over Underwood in the Entertainer race is absurd. I almost wonder if her winning the ACM two years in a row has hurt her – maybe CMA voters are writing her off as just a fan favorite.
Very bummed to see “Bad Angel” up for Vocal Event – they should have released it as a single and submitted it next year, when it could have totally won. Maybe they still can if it loses.
The Entertainer race had grown so staid that I’m happy to see three new names on the list.
Carrie’s omission seems more egregious given that she’s never been nominated for Entertainer, but this year the five nominees have all proven worthy of the honor. Keith Urban is obviously talented, but I agree his year didn’t compare with Taylor or especially Carrie, so maybe swapping him out wouldn’t have been such a bad thing either.
They may have all proven worthy, but Carrie proved more worthy. Honestly, this is a ridiculous snub. I hate to be that fan, but other than Lady A (who remixed NYN) none of the nominees outsold Carrie. None of the nominees have had three songs go #1 on Billboard AND Mediabase in the eligibility period. None have toured as extensively as Carrie. None have starred in an upcoming movie. None got a guest starring role in a hit comedy series. None were tapped to sing the National Anthem at the Superbowl. None had their own Christmas special and had it perform well! None were asked to be in a Michael Jackson tribute at the Grammys. None won EOTY for the second year in a row at the ACMs.
I don’t know, it just doesn’t make sense to me.
I’m glad to see Miranda getting some recognition. She deserves it more this year than ever before. There does seem to be some excessive Keith Urban love. Carrie, and even Taylor as well, both seemed to be ahead of him in line for EOTY. Miranda is surely going to have a big night though.
I gather by what I’m reading so far is that the early reactions to this years nominations can be summed up in 5 words, Cowboy Jack Clement was robbed! Granted the only thing I’ve read in the last 2 days have been Cowboy Jack Clement fan forums.
Does who is nominated or win even matter anymore? Aren’t these awards really just a marketing gimmick meant to showcase Kid Rock as a country artist? All the rest is just filler. This year I bet the producers will get him to sing his duet with Martina McBride and T.I. I won’t be foolish and bet money on an all star melody of his greatest hits being sung on a country award show because that already happened this year.
I guess I’m just not a big enough fan of mainstream country to even care anymore, I mean we’re going into these awards with Taylor Swift as the reigning female vocalist, so how can you take them seriously? It makes me long for the good old days when I could get excited and look forward to these awards and tune in and Wynonna’s tan was still subtle.
Ok, can an artist be nominated for Best New Artist twice – even three times? Of course… the CMA’s has totally defied the very definition of that category. (More information under this blog’s post: https://www.countryuniverse.net/2008/11/09/2008-cma-flashback-horizon-award-new-artist/) Zac Brown Band lost to Darius Rucker last year, fair and square. The Band Perry should have taken their place in the BNA category this year imo.
I was quite relieved in 2009 when the got rid of any “old” nominees for the recently renamed Best New Artist category, then called the Horizon Award… does such a category matter when acts get repeatedly nominated (and may never win?) – multiple Horizon Award nominees include Jason Aldean, Roseanne Cash, Faith Hill, etc.
It’s very upsetting to be a Carrie fan right now. When her tour started we just assumed this would finally be Carrie’s year to get an Entertainer nomination. Hasn’t she done everything that the EOTY calls for, including all that leadership, overall contribution to country music crap? She has been a genuine ambassador for country music ever since she came on the scene. It’s high time the CMA chose to recognise that. As much as I love them, it’s absurd for Miranda, Lady Antebellum to get EOTY nominations over Carrie.
Am I the only one who thinks even the Lady A EOTY nom is borderline ridiculous?
“Ok, can an artist be nominated for Best New Artist twice – even three times?”
Twice, yes. Thrice, no. The good aspect of it is that it allows an act that is on a slow, multi-year build to be rewarded for breaking through and staying relevant over two years. The bad aspect of it is that the award is called “New Artist of the Year” and that Zac Brown Band winning it this year when its true breakthrough was last year feels strange. It’s a strangeness made worse by the fact that several of the nominees (Chris Young, Easton Corbin, and Jerrod Niemann) did have real breakthroughs during the eligibility period and now must wait another year to see if they, too, can be rewardedly belatedly for that.
my instant initial reaction to the entertainer list: WTF? REALLY? WTF? & piles of other angry words. sorry but for carrie to not have had even ONE entertainer of the year NOMINATION yet in her career (she should’ve won already!) when she’s THE most recognizable face in country music (taylor swift and her pop with sprinkles of country doesn’t count) is REDICULOUS. i LOVE miranda. and i enjoy lady antebellum, but SERIOUSLY? SERIOUSLY? there is NO way to spin this and it is incredibly unfair and dumb. if they were just giving out awards based on big breakout hits, where was carrie’s nomination when she scored the MONSTER hits (far bigger than white liar, need you now, and the house that built me) “Jesus, take the wheel” which had 6 weeks at #1 and “before he cheats” which had 5 weeks at #1 and then crossed over to pop WITHOUT remixing and stayed on the charts for 60+ weeks? and what about when carrie set the record for a debut album with 7 million+ sales. followed by 3 million+ more. and play on is close to 2 million. meanwhile, revolution hasn’t even reached 1 million. i mean, at this point i’m convinced they have something against carrie in that category. what more can she possibly do? she sings perfectly. she is EVERYWHERE – superbowl, idol, tv guest spots, her own holiday special, events, magazines, other award shows, etc. she always carries herself with grace and class. she has hit after hit, so much so that she’s set new records for chart positions or number of hits by a female. she sells albums at a record rate. and above all, she headlines her own major & successful tour, which has gotten glowing reviews all over. NO other nominee this year can claim all of that this year. she has gotten major attention from all over and it’s been nothing but positive. and she’s snubbed? she IS country’s biggest ambassador. i’m sorry, but miranda scored 2 #1s and all of a sudden she’s in entertainer? really? this is entertainer, not female vocalist. same for lady antebellum. they only reason they’ve been selling abums suddenly is because of need you now and remixing it to sell it to pop. carrie stays true to her genre and her songs become popular as country ones and she’s out? alrighty then, i guess that makes sense.. NOT! should’ve been head first #1 on that list this year. she should’ve won. it’s beyond rediculous.
okay, end rant :)
“The bad aspect of it is that the award is called “New Artist of the Year” and that Zac Brown Band winning it this year when its true breakthrough was last year feels strange.”
“Horizon” was suuuch a better name because it left open this possibility of an older act being rewarded for its commercial breakthrough. If they were smart, they’d just change it back without any fanfare.
I like that field’s nominees this year, but I’m cool with giving the newbies another year to wait. Niemann is like James Otto was when he got nominated – one big, broad hit, no proven staying power. Young and Corbin have good upward momentum, but we’ve still got to see. Hopefully ZBB’s inevitable win won’t guarantee Luke Bryan follows next year.
I think ZBB as Entertainer is a bit more of a stretch than Lady A, simply because Lady A has two huge albums under their belt and actually are the genre’s top sellers right now. I think ZBB deserves it too, though. Alabama and Dixie Chicks were nominated at about the same point in their career as LA and ZBB.
Not to backpedal on Keith Urban, but looking at SoundScan, I think he has a stronger case for being in the lineup than Brad Paisley. But I think it’s ridiculous that in a year where the top three solo artists are female, there’s only room for one in this race.
Shania Twain didn’t get nominated until 1999, and she certainly deserved nominations in 1996 and 1998 (not to mention in 2000 and 2003.)
For the record, these are the three years when two women were nominated:
1979 – Crystal Gayle and Barbara Mandrell
1978 – Crystal Gayle and Dolly Parton
1974 – Loretta Lynn and Olivia Newton-John
Number of years where no solo women were nominated: 15. 1967-1970,1996-1998, and 2001-2008.
Amazing how the longest dry spells came once women actually started selling in huge numbers.
“Am I the only one who thinks even the Lady A EOTY nom is borderline ridiculous?”
Who would your five nominees be and on what basis would you make those selections? If I were a voting member, my ballot would include Lambert, Paisley, Underwood, Zac Brown Band, and then the fifth slot would be hard to fill among Lady A, McEntire, Strait, Swift and Urban. If Lady A’s album had been stronger, maybe I’d fight harder for them. Anyway, musical quality—both live performances and album releases—tends to be my barometer for such things, though touring, sales and general public acceptance are important aspects, too.
the CMAs have officially lost it. first they give entertainer to taylor swift, who does nothing but get attention from POP listeners and sing bad and twirl her hair, and now this. what a rediculous snub. this should be carrie’s 3rd consecutive nomination. and yet, she has none. she’s done EVERYTHING possible. from all the normal stuff (#1s, album sales, big tours) to the “out there” and rare stuff like performing the national anthem at the biggest thing on tv: superbowl to non-stop media attention for her wedding to grabbing awards everywhere else (hello 2-time ACM WINNER?), she’s done everything she could and more. she’s been the ideal and consistent ambassador for country music for years now. and to think she’s already WON it twice at the ACMs and never even been nominated here. oh well. i guess i’ll just stop hoping and looking forward to the nominees and wait till they decide to wake up one year and include her.
i’m shocked. have lady antebellum or miranda lambert even headlined their own major tours like brad, carrie, etc? cause if not, then they CERTAINLY don’t deserve this yet. it’s way too early. cus if this is all that was needed, carrie should’ve been nominated right just 1 or 2 years into her career. and i think what sucks the most is that taylor and miranda have both already gotten nominated (and 1 of them won and the other might!) and yet carrie hasn’t gotten any recognition at all when she’s done more than them and done much bigger things/accomplished more.
what on earth? miranda lambert and lady antebellum don’t even have their own tours yet! WTF? how are they in entertainer of the year? and they’re supposed to be “the face of country” and representing it or whatever? and i like both of them. but this is just rediculous. almost as bad as giving female VOCALIST to taylor swift. done with the CMAs. the ACMs have been getting it right for a while now. besides, they were the first ones to give miranda recognition by giving her AOTY for crazy ex-girlfriend ;) which is where she should be recognized. the CMA voters have lost their mind.
I do think Carrie was snubbed, but not a fan of the ‘Entertainer as a touring award’ mentality. That’s how we wound up in the Chesney doldrums – which is a lot of what made it difficult for Carrie to break into the category when she should have (they just kept nominating the same handful of guys who toured really well). A lot of acts will tour well for years and years and years; it doesn’t mean they should represent each individual year in country music history.
I’m glad that the CMA was willing to break mold last year to give Taylor the win she deserved for that year, and encouraged that they’ve cleared the deck some for others this year, even if Carrie should be there, too.
And don’t know about Lady A, but Miranda has definitely been headlining for a good while now.
I’m glad to see Miranda getting some recognition. She deserves it this year more than ever before. I do think giving Keith Urban an Entertainer nomination was a bit of a stretch, seeing as Carrie and Taylor seemed to be in line ahead of him.
The main reason I’m big on Miranda this year is that she not only had great commercial success, but her music has also been of a high quality, and has met with critical acclaim as well. I’m sure she’ll be having a big night!
I have to admit, I’m really happy to see the new blood in the entertainer category. Granted, I don’t know that Miranda, Lady A, or the Zac Brown Band are headlining amphitheaters or arenas at the moment, but I do think they’ve each had a big impact on the genre this year, and have all released at least a couple of decent singles. While I understand they’re not doing Chesney’s touring numbers, I genuinely feel they’re deserving of the nods, based on the album sales and the quality of their music.
As for Carrie, I do agree that she got snubbed, and could’ve contended for a win if nominated. I think it’s conceivable that maybe the CMA is presenting her with a bit of backlash, perhaps for releasing the bubble-gum pop/country of “Cowboy Casanova” or “Undo It” as singles (although the album nod kind of discounts this theory). Maybe she just doesn’t have as much support from the academy as I thought. Regardless, she probably should be nominated over Paisley or Urban.
Furthermore, I think an argument could be made for Strait too, as I believe he grossed more touring than Paisley, Underwood, Urban, or any of the other nominees at the half point of the year.
All in all, I’m happy with the nominees for the most part. I just hope the entertainer award isn’t a blank stamp for Paisley. Going against three first time nominees (and Urban, who’s been quiet), and not having ever won the award sets things up well for him. But, it just doesn’t seem like his year measures up to a lot of other artists in the past year. While he’s got the touring numbers, I think all of the nominees’ latest albums have outsold his. Plus, I just think all of the nominees, including Urban, have released better singles in the last year than he has. It will be interesting to see who the CMA goes with as the winner.
Lady Antebellum is headlining shows with a tour in the works. Still, being a headliner doesn’t mean that they don’t draw the crowds. There’s a reason the headliner gets an act like Lady Antebellum or Miranda Lambert for their tours. They WANT to bring as many fans as possible so they bring acts that will surely get fans to come for just them.
That being said, the Entertainer award encompasses more than just the “Tour” part of an award nomination. Should Underwood be in this Entertainer race? Sure but a case could be made for Aldean and Sugarland based on the same “Touring” headliner status stuff. It’s all subjective. Carrie also wouldn’t have likely won the EOTY award from the ACM Awards without getting her loyal fan base.
If I were a voting member, my ballot would include Lambert, Paisley, Underwood, Zac Brown Band, and then the fifth slot would be hard to fill among Lady A, McEntire, Strait, Swift and Urban. If Lady A’s album had been stronger, maybe I’d fight harder for them. Anyway, musical quality—both live performances and album releases—tends to be my barometer for such things, though touring, sales and general public acceptance are important aspects, too.
This is pretty much exactly how I feel, but I also think a strong, quality and even proactive representation of the genre is just as important. On the basis of all of that, this is the year that Underwood should have, in my opinion, not only been nominated, but won.
I go back and forth on that last slot, too. EOTY is one of the few awards I’m comfortable with Swift being nominated for and winning, but I’m not sure about this year in particular. My thing with Lady A’s nomination is that it feels incredibly premature – but Kevin rightfully pointed out that the Dixie Chicks and Alabama were rewarded around the same time in their career.
Swift’s success was largely in the first half of the eligibility period, and I definitely don’t think she was snubbed by any means. I would’ve made a stronger case for Underwood in, say, 2008, as compared to this year because I felt there were a number of worthy contenders when that wasn’t necessarily the case the last couple years.
“This is pretty much exactly how I feel, but I also think a strong, quality and even proactive representation of the genre is just as important.”
How do Lady A and Lambert (or fill-in-the-blank) not fit this role? I do agree that Carrie has achieved a great deal in a number of venues (her TV special, her TV guest spot, live performance) that all provide a positive image of the industry.
dude.
best new artist -> zac brown band
entertainer of the year -> zac brown band
um…WHAT? they have like 5 singles total and only 1 released this year. i’m not imagining this. the CMAs are nuts.
How do Lady A and Lambert (or fill-in-the-blank) not fit this role? I do agree that Carrie has achieved a great deal in a number of venues (her TV special, her TV guest spot, live performance) that all provide a positive image of the industry.
Sorry – when I said “on the basis of all that,” I meant the above factor as well as the others you listed. I’m not saying that Miranda and Lady A haven’t been positive representatives of the industry. I’m just looking at the big picture.
“um…WHAT? they have like 5 singles total and only 1 released this year. i’m not imagining this. the CMAs are nuts.”
“Highway 20 Ride” might as well have been released this year, since that’s when it did most of its chart run, and they also released a live album this year which has sold surprisingly well. Anyway, the eligibility period technically runs from July of the previous year through June of the current. ZBB has done a lot in that time.
Is it too much to hope that Taylor Swift was left out because someone finally and once more realized that this show is for country music singers and bands?
If the House That Built Me looses out to Need You Now, then the awards show will have failed to deliver the true winner for Song of the Year.
I think ZBB was premature, and I don’t know that Brad deserved the nom this year in EOTY. I agree with the rest. Lady A has been ridiculously successful this year with albums and singles and the tour they did with Tim McGraw should have been co-headlining. There were just as many people there to see them as him. Miranda has also had a fantastic year. Keith has been a little quiet the last few months, but he did extensive touring last year and early this year, and the eligibility period covers that. He’s also been winning the fan-voted awards left and right over some of the others. I think Carrie deserved a nod, but Taylor isn’t at that level yet, just my opinion.
You are so right Amanda concerning Keith! He’s done a lot more during the elibibility period than some here have not given him credit for. He may not have all the fans Taylor & Carrie have, but he’s the one I would spend my last dime seeing in concert if I wanted to be really entertained. I don’t really consider there shows a real concert. Their shows are more like a choreographed production with a little music involved whereas, Keith’s is all about the music. Just my opinion!
The CMA’s nearly got all the nominees for Entertainer correct…I would swap Keith out for Carrie who I thought was almost certain to get a nomination.
However, I’m extremely excited to see this year’s biggest stars, Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum, nominated in that category. Entertainer shouldn’t be all about tour, but instead, about who has represented country music the best in this past year. Lady A has brought new fans to the genre, just like Taylor did last year, with their smash hit “Need You Now” and has sold a heck of a lot of albums this year. Miranda has finally been given the CMA recognition she deserves with a huge 9 nominations in a year where she has been the leading female vocalist (insert the arguments about Carrie and Taylor here).
I think come awards night it’ll be a battle between Miranda and Lady A for the big awards, especially Entertainer of the Year. I would love either of them to win, but I have to admit I’m pulling for Lady A.
I have a question, do you think being nominated twice in the Single, Song, and Video categories will hurt Miranda’s chances at winning those awards? I think they’ll end up splitting the vote.
@Aaron
I’d be surprised if anyone actually voted for “White Liar” in either category over “The House that Built Me”.
The CMA’s sudden burst of affection Miranda definetly comes as surprising (well at least the whopping 9 nominations). While I believe Underwood has yet to release a great single from Play On, I’m definetly surprised by her snub in the EOTY category and do believe she deserved a nomination. I will assume her snub more or less garauntees a win for Lambert in the Female Vocalist category, perhaps she will even be able to win EOTY (don’t want to jinx it, but Taylor did last year and Lambert has more than twice the nominations as she did then). Oh and out of curiousity, does anyone know what the all-time highest number of nominations are for an artist in a single year?
I think there will be a silver lining for Underwood. While it’s a pretty obvious snub, I expect her to handle it with grace and give fans and CMA viewers another reason to respect her more. Her day will come. Plus, I think she has a shot at Female Vocalist anytime she’s nominated. The CMA folks apparently like her great vocals, but maybe don’t like her song choices so much. She’s only 27, and is not the first person to be overlooked by this organization, and she won’t be the last.
“does anyone know what the all-time highest number of nominations are for an artist in a single year?”
I think it’s Alan Jackson with ten in 2002?
Ok, no more comments from me for a while!
Dan’s right. Alan Jackson with 10 in 2002 is the record. He was nominated twice for Single, Song, and Music Video.
Merle Haggard scored 9 in 1970. He was a double nominee in three major categories: Single, Song, and Album.
I am very mad that Carrie didn’t get the Entertainer of the Year nomination. It is like asking her to come and host to bring in the massive ratings and then slap her in the face by not giving her the nominations she deserves. I mean she has done more than anybody in Country Music this year and I know some of you are saying that tours don’t matter well they sure as heck mattered when Kenny won 4 in a row so why this year do they suddenly not matter. I think Miranda has had a great year don’t get me wrong but when you don’t headline a tour in the eligibility period then you haven’t done everything to be the best in Country Music. Same goes for Lady A. I think there time would have come but this what not the year and now artists who have done far more then them are being over looked when they deserve the nomination.
I guess the one good thing about today is that Carrie fans and Taylor fans finely have something they agree on!
btw: I don’t really know how well this is going to help carrie or taylor but a lot of fans said they won’t watch this year and that will cause the CMA’s ratings to fall greatly.
I can’t help wondering if, seeing how Miranda’s star has been rising lately, the dreaded “Carrie vs. Taylor” flame wars will escalate into the “Carrie vs. Taylor vs. Miranda” flame wars. Lord have mercy!
what!!!!!????? pffffft….. just a bad list of entertainer nominations by not having carrie in it. SOB.
only carrie and taylor songs reach Philippine radio… like, only one of them is the true ambassador of country music, and i think it’s carrie!!![dont mind me, just depressed about this whole freaking bad nominations]
Carrie was snubbed in Entertainer for the third year in a row. And she’s hosted for the third year in a row. How ironic a deserving entertainer of the year nominee not being nominated yet regarded by the association to be entertaining because they asked her to host! How would you like to explain that?!
slash, I’m from the Philippines too.. And only they are the ambassadors of country music.CMA’s should consider international viability to nominate people. And I think they’re international success warrants the Entertainer of the Year nod this year.
Entertainer
•Lady Antebellum
•Miranda Lambert
•Brad Paisley
•Keith Urban
•Zac Brown Band
Thoughts: I think a case could be made for quite a few artists either deserving or earning nominations in this category (Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Zac Brown Band, and Brad Paisley all actually can be said to have earned their nominations– Lambert & Lady Antebellum have been the biggest crossover acts (besides Underwood & Swift) that have really drawn a crowd outside of country. [A case could be made for McEntire, Strait, Swift, or Underwood (no one else comes to mind right now), to be nominated in this category based on radio, album sales, critical acclaim, crossover music, or ticket sales– As are the four nominees I mentioned]. Even though Urban had quite a good year, he didn’t really fit in my scope of Entertainer Of The Year. And I am shocked that Underwood lost her nomination in this category, which she deserved. [As much as I love Lambert, I doubt she will be taking home the top prize, I think compared to the other nominees, this could be Brad’s year to win].
Male Vocalist
•Dierks Bentley
•Brad Paisley
•Blake Shelton
•George Strait
•Keith Urban
Thoughts: I think this category was well put together, as all 5 of these men have done great in the past year. I couldn’t really say who would win, but it seems that Brad is the clear winner, at least compared to the others in radio and sales].
Female Vocalist
•Miranda Lambert
•Martina McBride
•Reba McEntire
•Taylor Swift
•Carrie Underwood
Thoughts: This list reflects the 5 women who have made a regular showing last year at radio and album sales. Nothing else to say about this category (but, I do wish that we could go back to the years where this category was heated competition and was exciting to hear about. [I think Lambert will win this in a cake-walk, even if she does not get a win in Entertainer Of The Year].
Vocal Duo
•Brooks & Dunn
•Joey + Rory
•Montgomery Gentry
•Steel Magnolia
•Sugarland
Thoughts: I wonder what they will do next year when Brooks & Dunn will be gone. [It is a toss up between Sugarland & B&D, I think Sugarland could win, but “Stuck Like Glue” hasn’t really hit it’s stride at radio yet. I wonder if the CMAs will pull off the same thing the ACMs did, as giving the award to Brooks & Dunn as their last win?]
Vocal Group
•The Band Perry
•Lady Antebellum
•Little Big Town
•Rascal Flatts
•Zac Brown Band
Thoughts: Nothing to say. [I think Lady Antebellum will win this award, however, I may be surprised!].
New Artist
•Luke Bryan
•Easton Corbin
•Jerrod Neimann
•Chris Young
•Zac Brown Band
Thoughts: Interesting, since 3 of the men earned number one hits, (not sure if ZBB or JN earned any in the eligibility period?) [With the GRAMMYs awarding New Artist to Zac Brown Band, I have a feeling that they will win this year].
Album
•Dierks Bentley, Up on the Ridge
•Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
•Miranda Lambert, Revolution
•George Strait, Twang
•Carrie Underwood, Play On
Thoughts: I think either Play On, Up On The Ridge, or Revolution could take the prize. Underwood’s album is my personal favorite out of the five, however. [I think Lambert will win, considering her NINE nominations this year].
Single
•Easton Corbin, “A Little More Country Than That”
•Lady Antebellum, “Need You Now”
•Miranda Lambert, “The House That Built Me”
•Miranda Lambert, “White Liar”
•Blake Shelton with Trace Adkins, “Hillbilly Bone”
Thoughts: I think most of this list is a strong representation of country music in the past year, I could do without Corbin’s track though (I would’ve loved to see “Undo It” in this category, however). [I think Lambert SHOULD win for “White Liar,” since it sounds Awesome, but voters will probably go with “The House That Built Me”].
Song
•“The House That Built Me” – written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin
•“A Little More Country Than That” – written by Rory Lee Feek, Wynn Varble and Don Poythress
•“Need You Now” – written by Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott
•“Toes” – written by Zac Brown, Wyatt Beasley I. Durrette, John Hopkins and Shawn Mullins
•“White Liar” – written by Natalie Hemby and Miranda Lambert
Thoughts: As some others do, I think “White Liar” shouldn’t have been nominated in this category. I didn’t know Rory co-wrote Corbin’s track!! These songs, personally, don’t reflect the strongest songwriting… (I wish Underwood snagged a nomination for “Temporary Home” in this category). [Either way, Lambert’s songwriters will win for “The House That Built Me”].
Musical Event
•“Bad Angel – Dierks Bentley with Jamey Johnson and Miranda Lambert
•“Can’t You See” – Zac Brown Band featuring Kid Rock
•“Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
•“I’m Alive” – Kenny Chesney featuring Dave Matthews
•“‘Til the End” – Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack
Thoughts: I am with Kevin on this, I can’t believe Chesney only got one nomination, the tides have turned! [I don’t really care who wins, since this category has (unfortunatly) been announced BEFORE the actual CMAs! But i wonder if the CMAs will stray away from the ACMs and award another song other than “Hillbilly Bone”..].
Music Video
•“Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton with Trace Adkins; directed by Roman White
•“The House That Built Me” – Miranda Lambert; directed by Trey Fanjoy
•“Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum; directed by David McClister
•“Water” – Brad Paisley; directed by Jim Shea
•“White Liar” – Miranda Lambert; directed by Chris Hickey
Thoughts: I liked most of these videos [not “Water”] but I feel Lambert will take the win in this category. [my preference: “White Liar,” if she doesn’t at least win Single for “WL,” then I want to see her win video! :)
With the EOTY exclusion of Carrie, the CMAs have once again proven that industry voted awards aren`t any more credible than fan-voted awards.
I wonder if the CMA voters might one day go out on a limb and nominate two female artists on the same ballot for EOTY. Shudder… what a thought!
I’m still not sure what qualifies someone for entertainer of the year.
Where I live (Georgia, home of Zac Brown of course), ZBB sold out the Verizon Ampitheatre TWO days in a row. Their live performances, particularly The Devil Went Down to Georgia at the CMA’s last year, have gotten tons of acclaims, and they also had their live special Pass The Jar which gave them more exposure. I’m not saying that qualifies them over some others for EOTY, but I have to imagine these are things that get you noticed.
I guess I’m just not a big enough fan of mainstream country to even care anymore, I mean we’re going into these awards with Taylor Swift as the reigning female vocalist, so how can you take them seriously? It makes me long for the good old days when I could get excited and look forward to these awards and tune in and Wynonna’s tan was still subtle.
What he said.
This is a failure of a ballot.
No Carrie on the EOTY nominations list, ZBB is undeservingly up for Single, Best New Artist, and EOTY, and Miranda has two songs in each of the Single, Song, and Video categories.
LOAD. OF. BULL.
That Carrie snub will never be forgotten. I hope the CMAs know what a huge mistake they’ve made.
The more the CMAs open their mouths about their awards, the less respect I have for them. After the Swift-fest last year, I knew that the ACMs were officially more credible than the CMAs. Maybe the ACAs coming up this December will gain more respect than the CMAs because they don’t have much respect left.
Wah,wah,wah! These comments only consist of a bunch of whining, screaming Underwood fans complaining because their precious Messiah got snubbed again. I’m so sick of you people.
Both of Carrie’s ACM “Entertainer” awards were partially FAN VOTED. They mean about as much as any other fan voted award she could win.
(aka A POPULARITY CONTEST)
You Underwood fans make such a big deal out of that… I don’t get it.
If Carrie could bring that ego of hers back down to earth, and sing a song with actual EMOTION, rather than just screaming it out, maybe she’d get more acknowledgment.
As much respect as I have for the Opry, being a Grand Ole Opry member truly means jack squat.
George Strait is the King of Country, is not an Opry member, and yet has two back to back wins on his shelf.
Other non-Opry “Entertainer” winners include:
Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, The Dixie Chicks, Alabama, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, etc.
You guys are just trying to come up with excuses now. It’s very pathetic.
i don’t see why everyone is making a big deal about this. yes, she should have been nominated but she wasn’t nothing you say is going to change that. obviously its not going to effect her not being nominated. if she never sang again she would still have had a successful career. brad is going to win anyways cause he deserves to and he’s been nominated a lot and should have won a couple years ago.
Both of Carrie’s ACM “Entertainer” awards were partially FAN VOTED. They mean about as much as any other fan voted award she could win.
And what, industry-voted awards are more credible then?! Toes for Song?! Yeah, that reeks of such unmatched expertise and credibility. It’s so NOT a popularity contest. *sarcasm*
And I think your caps lock should have been on PARTIALLY because she still has to get other votes to win, right?
I’m so sick of you people.
And we’re so sick of you too.
As much respect as I have for the Opry, being a Grand Ole Opry member truly means jack squat.
So you respect something that is jack squat? Such high level of standards you have.
Welcome Patrick. I`ve been waiting for a post like yours, they always come along. Where have you been? Obviously not at treat others with respect classes. I expect a few more of your friends to join later. :)
Oh, and regarding fan voted awards, since the CMA voters seem to be using their own criteria to vote, why can`t the fans?
Patrick —
After that post, it seems like you are the whining baby.
The Carrie fans have a RIGHT to be upset with this snub. The CMAs royally screwed her and her fans over.
Now do us all a favor, and look up some of Carrie’s real material. If you’re telling me that “Temporary Home”, “Just a Dream”, “I Told You So”, and “Mama’s Song” don’t have emotion, then you have the mentality of a four year old. Those are some of the most emotional songs Underwood has ever performed, and the raw, pure vocal she gives is incredible.
Patric,
George Strait is not an Opry member per his decision. Also, please be more respectful to your fellow commenters in the future.
Kayla,
I believe Lambert has headlined a tour.
I sure hope this doesn’t become a Carrie vs. Miranda war now. They’re both talented ladies. I will say that while I much prefer Lambert’s music, I was very surprised that Underwood didn’t get that token female nomination this year.
As far as Zac Brown Band, it seems that they had a pretty big following prior to their commercial success. If you listen to their live album (which, I believe, is cobbled together by several shows), they’re not exactly singing to intimate crowds. On a personal note, they’re one of the few performances that I look forward to watching on awards shows anymore. I understand, however,why people are surprised by the nomination.
If I’m not mistaken (and I could well be), both Carrie and Miranda’s headlining tours this year started in March – although I’m sure Carrie’s audiences were significantly bigger.
I’ll be seeing Lambert next month just a few miles from my house. Unfortunatley, Eric Church will be her opener.
Yeesh. You may need to drink a little drink/smoke a little smoke beforehand!
I’m actually excited to see Miranda with Eric Church…well truthfully I’m more excited to see Josh Kelley than I am to see Eric Church. But I have yet to see Miranda in concert so the fact that I’ll FINALLY get to see her is extremely exciting! By the way, this could be the first year that I will have seen all five Entertainer nominees in concert in the same year! I find that fact very exciting! I know…I’m a tad lame! haha
I’m super excited for Miranda Lambert. What a fantastic year she’s (deservedly) been having. “White Liar” and “The House That Built Me” are both great songs, so I’m happy to see them get so much love.
Like many others before me, though, I’m shocked that Carrie Underwood was snubbed for Entertainer of the Year for the third year in a row. What exactly does this girl need to do to get nominated in this category? Sure, her single releases this year weren’t the strongest, but her “Play On” album is a great listen, with at least two/three songs that I’d rank up there with Miranda Lambert’s great released this year.
*great releases
Spelin iz harrd.
There seems to be a real mutual respect between Underwood and Lambert. I suspect that Underwood is probably far less annoyed with the snub than her fan base is.
I’m in total agreement that she deserved a nomination – this is the first year that I think it’s a genuine, full-fledged snub – but given her consistent success, I expect her to eventually break into the category. Perhaps next year, she’ll be the token female nominated, since there clearly aren’t enough CMA voters willing to include two women among their five picks.
There seems to be a real mutual respect between Underwood and Lambert. I suspect that Underwood is probably far less annoyed with the snub than her fan base is.
Yep. Perspective, people.
ТС молодчина
Leann:
Ok I don’t think I said this the way I wanted to. Yes Miranda started her Roadside Bar tour near the end of the eligibility period of this years CMA’s and so she did “Headline” her tour. But when you take that tour and put it up to those like Carrie, Taylor, Brad, Keith, George, Reba and Sugarland then you can see my definition of a “Headlining” tour.
For me it is more about the fact that the CMA’s do NOT suddenly decide how the standards on which they give these awards to are going to suddenly change. Whether you agree with the standards or not is up to you but they have in the past given the awards based upon numbers. That is how Kenny won, that is how Taylor won and that is how Shania won. They were awarded that because they were the biggest name in Country Music for fans of Country Music and for non country music fans.
And based on the standards they have given the awards out in the past and if they want the award to be given fairly then Miranda would not even have the numbers to be in this category and neither would Lady A or ZBB. I am sorry if you disagree but that is how they have given the award in the past.
Don’t get me wrong I love Miranda’s music. I own her albums and I love to listen to her on the radio but I don’t think her getting a nomination ahead of other artists who had the numbers is fair. If they were giving the award on quality then there are people who should not have won it in the past.
I suspect that Underwood is probably far less annoyed with the snub than her fan base is.
I’m not sure about that Kevin. When Carrie was in the planning stages of her tour, she herself said to “go for broke”, and make it as big as it can be. She wanted this to be her biggest tour, to the point that if this costs more than it earns, she was willing to go on a low-budget, low-key accoustic tour next year. It seems Carrie thought that the big tour was the final, proverbial next step to get that elusive EOTY nomination. In hindsight, she thought mistakenly. When Carrie talked about giving it her all this tour, it’s hard not to think she’s not that disappointed or upset about not getting the recognition.
Carrie’s probably just unlucky, but it’s hard not to think the “shift” in thinking was directed against her. When she wasn’t touring that big as she is now, they said it was about touring. Now she’s touring big as the big boys, now they say it’s not really about touring. Now it’s all about being the biggest news the past year. She was the biggest news for 2006-2008, so she missed the boat on being the “biggest news” as well.
Tune in 11/10/2010 to the Miranda Association Awards to see if Blake Shelton can steal some of these from his financy.
Can I just congratulate Carrie’s fans? You went around for the last few months saying Taylor did nothing during the voting period for the CMA’s and your campaigning against her worked. Apparently the CMA’s agreed with you but since Carrie got no nomination either they likely agreed she didn’t do much either. Bright side, Taylor is in between albums with a new release coming soon, she’ll be back next year and you won’t be able to pull the “she hasn’t done anything” to hurt her with nominations. One thing though, you guys like to say she can’t sing but that didn’t work, she was still nominated for FVOTY.
It was Lady A. and Miranda Lambert that were the huge threats to Carrie. But you guys were so stuck on Taylor that you didn’t pay attention to their domination, perhaps it’s likely because Taylor was actually still the bigger artist (tours and albums etc) but she had old material so your focus should have been on Miranda and Lady A, not T. Swift. Miranda and Lady A. have been winning, it started with the ACM’s where you can say what you want but neither Carrie or Taylor did well carrie won ONE out of 5 yet lady A and Miranda won 5 and 3 each.
so next time make sure you are campaigning against the right people.
she was still nominated for FVOTY.
And who else was there to nominate? The category requires five slots. The nomination of Martina, with all due respect to her, is quite laughable, frankly. But it’s a necessary evil to fill out all the spots.
Who else was there to take Taylor’s place? Kellie Pickler? LBB? Sarah Darling? Faith Hill? Trisha Yearwood?
And it’s not the singing thing that precludes Taylor getting a nomination. She’s been nominated quite a few times now. So this isn’t like “OMZG! That girl can’t sing but got nominated! Oh the horror!”
BTW, Lady A and Miranda will finally get credit for their wins. At the ACM awards I found it totally unfair when the bulk of the news was Carrie winning the EOTY when these two acts are the one’s who truly cleaned up. So at least they won’t have to worry with Carrie stealing the headlines cuz you know, she likely won’t be winning any for the second year in a row.
Whitney Pastorek’s take on the snub:
http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/09/02/carrie-underwood-cma-snub-why/
@Willis: Did Carrie rejected your overtures over and over and chose Mike Fisher over you and you’re still bitter about that?
Please be civil.
Whitney Pastorek makes a very strong and very familiar argument.
Snubbed? Yes. But Underwood will carry the day by doing a great job hosting and rising above all this. As for the charge that she planned her big “Play On” tour just to get the EOTY Award from the CMAs, seriously, why would any female singer would ever believe she could count on the CMAs for a fair shake? That’s just silly. It is the ultimate “boys club.” I’m glad they nominated Miranda, but that’s all the room they have for female acts in that category. I think it’s hidden in fine print somewhere in the CMA ballot.
@Kevin John Coyne
I expect her to eventually break into the category. Perhaps next year, she’ll be the token female nominated, since there clearly aren’t enough CMA voters willing to include two women among their five picks.
Unfortunately I doubt that she’ll be included next year as that will be the year she will be laying low to record her next album. And if she can’t get a nom at the top of her game why on earth would they nominate her when she’s lying low.
_______________________________________
@Jon
I’m not sure about that Kevin. When Carrie was in the planning stages of her tour, she herself said to “go for broke”, and make it as big as it can be. She wanted this to be her biggest tour, to the point that if this costs more than it earns, she was willing to go on a low-budget, low-key accoustic tour next year. It seems Carrie thought that the big tour was the final, proverbial next step to get that elusive EOTY nomination. In hindsight, she thought mistakenly. When Carrie talked about giving it her all this tour, it’s hard not to think she’s not that disappointed or upset about not getting the recognition.
Carrie has publicly admitted that the reason she won the ACM EOTY award last year was because it was fan voted. So I think her main reason for taking on the big tour was to validate the award she won, not to pursue future awards. Especially as very few (even amongst her fans) believed that she would win EOTY this year up against Taylor Swift so I highly doubt she went all out just to get a nomination.
I’m sure Carrie is disappointed that she didn’t get the EOTY nom, who wouldn’t be in her position? But I think that after all she’s achieved in the past 5 years, I agree with Kevin that she’s probably less upset than most of her fans.
_______________________________________
@Willis
Can I just congratulate Carrie’s fans? You went around for the last few months saying Taylor did nothing during the voting period for the CMA’s and your campaigning against her worked.
There are some Carrie fans who go around dissing Taylor just as there are some Taylor fans who go around dissing Carrie. It’s not going to end, and in fact pretty soon I won’t be surprised to see Miranda fans get involved. So you really should learn to let it go Willis.
so I highly doubt she went all out just to get a nomination.
The way I saw it was, Carrie saw how Taylor, as a solo female, was able to break through that barrier of getting nominated. And since she’s set her heart of stone on not remixing, she did the big tour thing instead, to support a brand new album.
But you could be right. Although I don’t see why Carrie felt she needed to validate an award after winning it. She was good enough to get a nomination just on the strength of her credentials. And when you’re in that 5 nominees, your chance is as good as anybody’s.
Jon, since we’re both just guessing who really knows what Carrie intent was. But as an avid Carrie fan I’m just basing my opinion on what I’ve seen about her and I haven’t seen anything that indicates to me that winning awards are a priority for her. I shouldn’t have used the term validate, trying to live up to being EOTY was what I should have said.
Luckily, Carrie will leave this horrid, bonehead move behind her.
I can’t wait to see her regain her frame and make a great co-host for the third consecutive year in a row with Brad Paisley. I’m hoping Brad Paisley does something to honor Carrie’s snub from the category, because it seems like the kind of thing he would do without her knowing until the live telecast.
Carrie Underwood has never represented herself poorly, and I’m sure she is very happy with her FVOTY nomination, and especially happy for the Album of the Year nomination, seeing as she’s expressed several times that this album was her favorite piece of work by hers. I’m sure Carrie will learn to move on, and if she goes through with the acoustic tour next year and takes it international (since she has the fanbase in Europe, Australia, and Asia to do so), that should and will get her the nomination for Entertainer of the Year.
Unless, of course, another blonde bombshell who didn’t do half of what Carrie did comes along and makes the CMAs write down their less-than-credible nominees while completely absent-minded.
Unless, of course, another blonde bombshell who didn’t do half of what Carrie did comes along and makes the CMAs write down their less-than-credible nominees while completely absent-minded.
Next year, Laura Bell Bundy will get the token female EOTY nomination. lol!
…and if she goes through with the acoustic tour next year and takes it international (since she has the fanbase in Europe, Australia, and Asia to do so),…
From your lips to her team’s ears!
I wouldn’t underestimate Laura Bell Bundy as a future EOTY contender, her music is much more country-ish sounding than a lot that is on radio right now, that teamed with her performance skills and her singing talent could make her a force to be reckoned with; only when people start to open up to her music. [Which seems to me, won’t be for a while].
However, I hope that next year will be Carrie’s year (I can’t predict the future and what could happen in the eligibility period), we’ll just have to wait and see.
Carrie did not get a nom in the EOTY category because–she sings good live? She had a successful tour and headlining disqualifies her from getting a nom? She was almost everywhere during the eligibility period and the CMAs thought she was overexposed? She is a good ambassador for country music and that’s not a good thing for an EOTY nominee? Her image is squeaky clean and the CMAs need scandals for ratings? Finally–she got married?
Zack, obviously the way the CMA’s deal with a force to reckoned with is to make sure they are not nominated so the men can win –
” It’s difficult to justify Keith Urban in either of their places” Huh? Have you seen his live show? To me, Entertainer of the Year goes beyond singing and is about the ‘show’, the concert. Keith’s live shows are amazing. Although,it’s been awhile since I’ve seen either Carrie or Taylor in concert, from past experience Carrie is boring, with no personality and Taylor can’t sing live (I do, however, lover her recordings and songwriting and think she’s an absolute sweetheart). Keith not only deserves the nomination, he deserves the win. He is what the word “entertainer” is all about.
Brenda – I’d like for you to try and get to Carrie’s “Play On Tour” when it goes for its second leg this fall. If you can’t get tickets or if the show isn’t coming your way, take a couple minutes to go on YouTube and look at some videos of the show.
I know what you mean with her stage presence (or lack of, I should say) a few years ago. It’s amazing to see how far she’s come, because when I went to one of her shows, it was like I was watching the female version of Keith Urban. Impeccable vocalist, amazing musician (she plays the guitar and a grand piano several times throughout the show), interactive and chatty with the audience, and puts on an awesome show to the arena, from the first row on the floor to the last row in the rafters.
Brenda, I feel the same as you, but the guys on this site don’t care for Keith much and they go by the numbers not the talent..IMO. I doubt any of them have even seen Keith perform. He was touring during the elibility periods and got great reviews and is still touring and had shows this whole weekend, did the All For The Hall, several relief benefits, hosted the Starry Night benefit, private concert for Target employees, performed with the Eagles and in some of those reviews, they said Keith Urban stole the show. Then you come on this site and they say he doesn’t deserve a nomination!! I don’t get where some of these people have been. Keith deserves the nomination and the award. He will always be an outsider to some and never will be considered good enough. I hate that Carrie did not get a nom! To me she has a great voice, but Taylor reminds of a child playing grown up and singing karaoke when she is on stage. I don’t care that she has fans galore, she will never be in the same class or talented as Keith Urban. Her charisma, cuteness, and age have gotten her where she is because it can’t be her singing voice or her songs. I thought the first time I saw her she was so cute, then I heard her sing and saw her perform and that did it for me.
Seriously? We go by the numbers, not the talent?
“He will always be an outsider to some and never will be considered good enough.”
Where you get this idea is beyond me. Because he’s from Australia? He’s one of the most respected mainstream country artists of the decade, as well as one of the most successful.
And for the record, at least one of us has seen Keith play. Saw him with Gary Allan after Love, Pain and the whole crazy thing came out. Great show. And he’s still one of my favorite artists, even if I don’t think Defying Gravity is up to his old standard.
The All for the Hall thing was a big deal I forgot about – that could have done a lot to help him out. Still, in terms of overall impact on the genre over the past year, I would have bumped him out for Carrie. It’s not about numbers; it’s about who defined the genre.
The question is Dan, you saw Keith , did you also see Carrie’s tour this year?
I did not see Carrie’s tour. I’m not a fan of Carrie, and doubt I would enjoy one of her concerts much. But for better or worse, she and Taylor Swift have been the definitive country artists of the past few years. She deserved a nomination.
Upon recommendation by commenters, I checked out some videos of the Play On tour, and I was very impressed. I guess I didn’t expect the staging to be so cool, though the spot-on vocals were expected.
That being said, I still don’t think Underwood has enough songs I’ve really liked to justify me buying a ticket. Maybe after one more album. The only act that’s come out in the last six years that I’d buy a ticket for as of yet is Sugarland, and that’s after four albums that I’ve liked.
I feel the same way as Dan about an Underwood concert. I only truly like one song of hers, with a couple of others being okay to me. So, I couldn’t justify buying a ticket anytime soon, since I have to be a fan of an artist to do so. I intellectually know that she deserved an entertainer nomination though. As for Urban, while I don’t think he’s as deserving of a nomination this year, I would pay to see him in concert if he came close enough to me.
He’s supposed to be amazing. I would’ve gone to see him with the Eagles and Dixie Chicks this summer, but I figured the Chicks set and Urban set would be too short. I’d rather see him headline.
I do have to say that I adore this:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNhFLPzTsPw
That’s a super cool arrangement of that song. It’s weird having lived through something that eventually will go down as a big pop classic.
Just saying: I feel like Carrie has this tendency to mimic female singers she covers. You can hear it in that “Umbrella” clip in the first verse especially – she does Rihanna’s accent and even her vibrato, which is so different from Carrie’s natural one. I remember listening through some pre-Idol album she did which had a bunch of big covers, and it was striking how much she changed her voice to sound like Natalie Maines (on “Goodbye Earl”) and then Lee Ann Womack (on “I Hope You Dance”). She’s much better doing guys (like Elvis’ “Trouble” on Idol) or her own material. I remember Reba admitting she had a similar problem early in her career with demos.
I love her cover of “Sweet Child o’ Mine.” I have no doubt that she’s a good entertainer judging by the clips that I’ve seen of her covers. If only I liked her own material, then I’d jump at the chance to go to her show.
I personally love Carrie’s covers of “Paradise City”, and the covers she did on “Summer of 69” and “9 to 5” on the Play On Tour were both fantastic.
Carrie and Jason Aldean singing Paradise City at this year’s CMA Music Fest, if anyone’s interested.
The videos are in two parts because neither captured the entire song. At 1:20 of the second video shows the part which is missing from the first video. Sound isn’t great on either but it’s still worth the watch in my opinion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-pMzuoe0sA
Trisha Yearwood does the same thing when she covers a song. I remember her saying once that it would be disrespectful to a classic song to change it up. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but she’s such an amazing singer that even her paint-by-numbers covers often match or better the original.
I doubt any of them have even seen Keith perform.
Just wanted to jump in on this and say that I have, a few times. I think the most recent was at the Houston Rodeo, and he put on a fantastic show. He’s an incredible musician, singer and performer, and he is more than “good enough” for me. However, I’m not a fan of Defying Gravity, and in terms of the EOTY nomination and the timeframe it takes into account, I’m with Dan – other artists are more deserving.
As for Carrie’s Play On tour, I personally think the staging is a little over-the-top, which isn’t an inherently bad thing except that there are moments when it detracts from her vocals and, at least for me, the emotional impact of certain songs – the light-up dress she wears during “Change,” for example. But what blows me away about the tour (aside from her vocals) is her killer stage presence. The amount of growth she’s shown over the past five years is astounding.
And for the record…my favorite CU cover is and probably always will be her acoustic “Bless the Broken Road.” I couldn’t love it more.
It is very surprising Carrie Underwood was excluded from the Entertainer of the Year category. I’m not sure what else she could have done in the eligibility period to make it on the list. Just seems odd to have won ACM Entertainer of the Year for the past 2 years and yet, never be nominated for it at the CMA Awards.
Also surprising is the absence of Kenny Chesney and Taylor Swift in the same category and Jason Aldean in Male Vocalist category. With his major hit, “The Truth,” I thought Aldean was a shoe-in for a Male Vocalist nod. Is anyone else as surprised as I am that he was left out?
I think it is safe to say “The House That Built Me” and “Need You Now” are the top 2 contenders in Single, Song and Video categories. Although THTBM was a mega hit, I actually think NYN has the edge in all three of these categories, especially single of the year, considering its incredible digital sales (I’m not sure of the exact numbers, but the fact that it is still at #10 on iTunes country chart when it was released last year is pretty impressive) and crossover chart success. However, I would not at all be surprised if THTBM wins Song.
I’m not surprised Aldean still hasn’t made the ballot. Success-wise, he deserved to win this year, but he’s on a smaller label and definitely represents what many feel is wrong with country music today.
My favorite Carrie cover is the main reason I have trouble being content with her type of material thus far. Soooo good:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbNbnMIqjSo
^ It comes so naturally for her, too. That’s what always strikes me. I have faith we’ll see an album full of this stuff down the road.
San Antonio Rose is one of my favorite covers by Carrie. I even made an mp3 out of it. Classic country comes so natural to her. it’s pretty evident from her covers like ‘Stand by your man’, ‘Louisiana woman, Mississippi man’, ‘neon moon’, ‘make the world go away’. Even when she was hosting the CMA last year and singing those parodies, it was her sheer talent that blew me away. The ‘Swine Flu’ bit was funny but at the same time it was an awesome testament to how wonderfully talented she is.
@Tara Seetharam
As for Carrie’s Play On tour, I personally think the staging is a little over-the-top, which isn’t an inherently bad thing except that there are moments when it detracts from her vocals and, at least for me, the emotional impact of certain songs – the light-up dress she wears during “Change,” for example. But what blows me away about the tour (aside from her vocals) is her killer stage presence. The amount of growth she’s shown over the past five years is astounding.
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I agree with you on the dress taking away from her vocals on that one but I can see why the did it. Her catalogue is ballad heavy and since she sings without any big affects on 3 of those ballads, they probably felt that they needed to do something different on two of those songs. And I’d much rather see them use the dress on Change than have them take anything away from her vocal performance of I Know You Won’t. But you have to admit, that light-up dress is pretty amazing. And as over the top as everything is, in the end her amazing vocals still shine.
I’m so glad you point out how her stage presence has grown. It’s frustrating as a Carrie fan, when most critics focus on what she hasn’t yet achieved rather than how far she’s come in such a short time.
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Many of Carrie’s pop fans had hoped that with all the criticism that Carrie often gets about her music being to pop, she would jump ship from country because she’d be welcomed with open arms on the pop side. But sadly we realize this is not going to happen :)… she’ll be out with some classic country on Randy and on Loretta’s album next year.
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@Dan Milliken
I tried to apologize to you (well sort of :)) about my comment to you on the “Female Trouble” thread, regarding your use of the term “model”. But for some reason my comment won’t submit. So I’m officially apologizing here.
“This is a young lady with a bright future who respects the past.” -Reba McEntire
^^THIS is the reason she is so highly respected by many country music vetrans, and country music.
I think Underwood should make a classics of country music CD (or double set would be better!!) and I think interest in the orignal country music would probably rise. [and then she should do that quiet acoustic tour to promote this album]. I think she is one of few artists to come out in past years (like Kevin almost said) who really have a respect for the genre (ALL parts of it) and where it came from.
I liked this cover by Carrie [my personal favorite is still “I’ll Stand By You,” but Reba blew me away with her short cover on her album Reba Live of the same song.
One comment, I am thankful some of you aren’t on the CMA Industry voting panel. Somebody there must realize what a great entertainer Keith is and deserved to be there. He deserved it more than some that are on the list. Why would you want to substitue Keith and not some of the others mentioned? He’s worked his butt off and done a heck of a lot more than some of the other noms. One instance would be Miranda. I like Miranda and proud she’s getting recognition, but she shouldn’t have been nominated for EOTY before Carrie, IMO…not Keith!! It just makes me ill to see you guys throw him off like that! Furthermore, Keith’s CD is outselling Brad Paisley’s. Don’t see any of you mentioning taking him off. I forgot, he’s the industry’s golden boy! No matter if he sings the same kind of song to the same music, he’s great!! Just got it off my chest, I’m out of here.
Granna, nobody’s saying that Keith isn’t a good entertainer. The problem is that he didn’t have a strong enough industry presence during the eligibility period to deserve a nomination. He’s still a good singer, but that alone doesn’t mean he deserves an Entertainer nomination every year. Since he has a new album coming out this fall, he may show himself justly deserving of a nomination next year. But this wasn’t the right year for it.
Miranda Lambert, on the other hand, did release a new album, and her new music met with both critical acclaim and great commercial success, so I think she deserved a nomination as much as Carrie. As for Brad Paisley, I believe the deservedness of his nomination has been questioned as well.
What Ben said. I actually don’t know that this is the best year for Paisley to be nominated myself and I’m a fan. I’m happy for him, but I know that he’s had stronger years where he’s deserved it a lot more and should have won, but didn’t. I haven’t lost sleep, or even felt ill, over it though.
I think Miranda Lambert will win the nomination on entertainer category. I loves him,
Carrie Underwood, she has a good vocal. it will help him to win the nomination.
Hey guys, I made my predictions a little early this year.
Here they are:
Entertainer of the Year
**Brad Paisley
Female Vocalist of the Year
**Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist of the Year
**Brad Paisley
Vocal Group of the Year
**Lady Antebellum
Vocal Duo of the Year
**Brooks & Dunn
New Artist of the Year
**Zac Brown Band
Album of the Year
**Miranda Lambert-Revolution
Single of the Year
**Lady Antebellum-Need You Now
Song of the Year
**Miranda Lambert-The House That Built Me
Music Video of the Year
**Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins-Hillbilly Bone
Musical Event of the Year
**Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins-Hillbilly Bone
To see why I picked the ones I did, check out my post here:
http://jmusso.personal.asu.edu/wordpress/?p=22