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CMA Awards 2014: Staff Predictions and Picks

November 2, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 29

Despite the Grammys and even the ACM’s demonstrating more consistent taste over the past few years, the CMA’s remain the most significant industry awards that honor country music. This year’s slate of nominees gives the

Single Review: Keith Urban, “Somewhere in My Car”

October 23, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 10

“Somewhere in My Car” Keith Urban Written by J.T. Harding and Keith Urban First off, let’s give Keith Urban a tremendous amount of credit for his sleight of hand song craft here. The core of

2014 CMA Nominations

September 6, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 49

This year’s CMA nominees are the best in years, with multiple nominations for Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, and Brandy Clark. Country radio may still be shunning women, but their embrace by CMA voters suggests that

CU10 Flashback: Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain and Gender in Country Music

July 23, 2014 Tara Seetharam 7

In 2008, I was finishing up my degree in journalism and trying to understand what it meant to be a professional writer. I wanted to write about music, but the divide between fan and critic

Single Review: Sam Hunt, “Leave the Night On”

June 30, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 14

“Leave the Night On” Sam Hunt Written by Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne I feel like I’ve heard this song so many times before that the artist has to work extra hard just

Single Review: Hunter Hayes, “Tattoo”

June 25, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 13

I want to preface this by saying, as I’ve said before, that Hunter Hayes is tremendously talented. “Tattoo” is further evidence that he can assemble all of the necessary components for an entertaining record, and

Single Review: Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood, “Somethin’ Bad”

May 21, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 36

Miranda Lambert’s tempting fate with her titles, calling her upcoming album Platinum and her high-profile collaboration with Carrie Underwood, “Somethin’ Bad.”

No word for a while yet on whether the album will sell a million copies, but as far as the single goes, it lives up to the promise of the two singers more than it does to its title.

ACM Awards 2014: Final Thoughts

April 7, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 6

This year’s ACM Awards were mediocre and broverwhemingly male-centric, despite women winning most of the major awards. As with last fall’s CMA show, the best moment was the final one, when George Strait won Entertainer of the Year.

Here’s a rundown of all the major winners:

Entertainer of the Year

Luke Bryan
Miranda Lambert
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Taylor Swift

George Strait winning at the ACMs this year was even more surprising than at the CMAs last year, given how the fan-voted element of this award has favored stars with young fanbases in previous years. King George, indeed. – KJC

While it’s disheartening to see Strait’s mainstream support dwindling, it’s great to see the fans come through for King George. – BF

Even if Strait did unintentionally but hilariously leave Miranda Lambert hanging on her attempted hi-five, it was nice to see the genuine support for Strait’s win among the other artists in attendance. Too bad radio seems to have turned their back on him. – JK

2014 ACM Awards: Staff Picks & Predictions

April 4, 2014 Tara Seetharam 24

And they’re back: The 2014 ACM Awards air live on Sunday at 7 p.m. CST, hosted by Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan. They’re sure to be enraging or amusing, depending on your bro-country meter. In the meantime, we’ve picked and predicted the awards below – chime in with your thoughts!

Entertainer of the Year

Should Win

Luke Bryan
Miranda Lambert
Blake Shelton
George Strait – KJC, TS, BF
Taylor Swift

Will Win

Luke Bryan – KJC, TS, BF, JK
Miranda Lambert
Blake Shelton
George Strait
Taylor Swift

Single Review: Hunter Hayes, “Invisible”

February 2, 2014 Kevin John Coyne 23

Hunter Hayes scored a killer Grammy performance slot to debut this song, which has all of the necessary components to become a career record.

Showing solidarity with the outcasts in high school halls is as timely as ever, and his youth helps him be the ideal vessel for the heartwarming message. There are moments which come perilously close to the maudlin, with shades of Billy Gilman’s “One Voice” or the Mark Wills hit, “Don’t Laugh at Me.” Thankfully, he’s sounding a lot more like a young Keith Urban than a young Bryan White, and the song is just vague enough that it can become a personal anthem for pretty much anyone who feels unnoticed or noticed in all the wrong ways.