The 52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards were handed out on Wednesday, November 14. It was a big night for genre veterans and critically acclaimed artists, with country radio and streaming success being less relevant than any year in recent memory.
52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards
Full List of Winners
Entertainer of the Year
Keith Urban
Female Vocalist of the Year
Carrie Underwood
Male Vocalist of the Year
Chris Stapleton
Vocal Duo of the Year
Brothers Osborne
Vocal Group of the Year
Old Dominion
New Artist of the Year
Luke Combs
Album of the Year
Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour
Single of the Year
Chris Stapleton, “Broken Halos”
Song of the Year
“Broken Halos,” Mike Henderson and Chris Stapleton
Music Video of the Year
Thomas Rhett, “Marry Me”
Director: TK McKamy
Musical Event of the Year
David Lee Murphy and Kenny Chesney, “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright”
Musician of the Year
Mac McAnally
Worth noting how dominant Universal Music Group was in 2018. UMG artists won Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Female Vocalist, Vocal Duo, Single, Song, and Album. Given how many times they had multiple nominees in a category, they seem to have voted strategically so the love was shared among the roster.
Ah…finally, something that plausibly explains how Urban won EOTY. I can’t get mad at the other winners, as they were either deserving, or at least a solid choice given the other nominees in the category. But, it really goes to show you how much bloc voting and label politics drive the winners in these award shows.
I posted on another site, but I was legitimately shocked at that EOTY win…couldn’t have been more shocked than if Vocal Group of the Year was announced as the Oak Ridge Boys, despite not even being nominated. Urban’s a good dude, and at one point, I really liked his music…but that album not only got a horrible critical reception, but also hasn’t exactly been selling well. He was the only one in that category that I thought stood no shot at winning.
I mentioned on Twitter last night how loudly the crowd cheered for the just-godawful Graffiti U as an Album Of The Year nominee; if nothing else, that was a good indication of how well-liked Urban is among his peers, and sometimes that can make all the difference. Artistically, that’s just a baffling and indefensible win, and I say that as someone who will still go to bat for his early-aughts material.
Either Kevin or I called 9 of the winners correctly, which is one of our better percentages of late! Other than Urban, it was a pretty solid slate of winners, too. Golden Hour and Underwood weren’t my first choices in their respective categories, but I was still pleased to see both of them win: Musgraves as a statement winner that casts side-eye at the increasingly irrelevant and problematic country radio industry and Underwood as a reward for taking more risks on her latest album and to balance some of the times when she was perhaps more deserving of the award than Lambert.
Some ace performances last night, too. The Stapleton/Morris/Staples/Stuart and Ricky Skaggs sets were exceptional and brought out the very best in all of the artists involved; Eric Church and Joanna Cotten sounded amazing; Pistol Annies were ribald and fun; Underwood was just completely dialed-in, both technically and emotionally; Musgraves, Midland, Luke Combs, and Dierks/BrOs sounded great, too.
Just a few thoughts…
I’m over Chris Stapleton. He’s a good singer but not a great one.
I think its high time Luke Bryan won EOTY.
Congrats to Kacey Musgraves on the upset of the night. Just like she did at the Grammys a couple years ago. And I believe she was best dressed among all the award winners by far.
Sure didn’t miss FGL last night.
Three wins for Chris Stapleton? My dad would be proud – I’ve only heard “Broken Halos” thanks to him, but I’ll take it over much of the mainstream country I’m hearing now. It’s also great to see a woman win Album of the Year in a tough time for females, but as I’ve said before, despite said dad exposing me to cuts from Kacey’s first two albums, I still don’t know a lick from Golden Hour.
Oh, and Mac McAnally won Musician of the Year? Though I almost exclusively know him for his #41(!) pop hit in 1983, “Minimum Love”, congratulations to him as well.