44th CMA Awards Nominees Announced

My predictions for winner

Entertainer: Brad Paisley dark horse Lady A
Male Vocalist: Brad Paisley (should be Blake)
Female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert
Group: Lady A dark horse Zac Brown Band
Duo: Brooks and Dunn
New Artist: Zac Brown even though they’re not new anymore (should be Easton Corbin)
Musician: Mac McAnally
Album: Revolution, Miranda Lambert
Song: House That Built Me dark horse White Liar … either way it’s a Miranda song
Single: Need You Now, Lady A (should be White Liar)
Event: Hillbilly Bone
Video: Water, Brad Paisley … just because he wins almost every year

well i liked the list and how could you not put lady a on album number one for pretty much all year and it is the best selling album on all genres…..i think it will be a shock if they dont win…..i also hope miranda having two songs nominated that they dont cancel each other out

Pretty sad state of affairs when 3 of the EOY finalists couldnt even fill 10K seats even if tickets were free.

Pretty sad state of affairs when 3 of the EOY finalists couldnt even fill 10K seats even if tickets were free.

Care to say who these three are? Do you have facts for this? Also a free show with any of the nominated entertainers would pack an arena.

Its nice to see Joey+Rory, Chris Young, and The Band Perry nominated even if they don’t stand a chance of winning. Can’t say I give a rip about the other big name contenders…

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 :)

And here comes the Carrie V. Miranda stuff instead of Carrie V. Taylor…

It’s not a matter of Carrie vs. anyone. It is a matter of Carrie should have been nominated.

@Brady But I don’t believe either of those awards is even mainly, much less exclusively, focused on recorded product. I think it’s unusual for a new act to come on strongly enough to get an Entertainer nomination, but if that’s what they’ve done, I don’t see what’s awkward about it. If memory serves me, the Grascals were nominated for the IBMA’s Entertainer award the same year they won Emerging Artist, and in 2008 Dailey & Vincent actually won both awards. I’ll bet they don’t think it was awkward ;-). I think these days, when the business is such that an act can break pretty spectacularly, that you’re going to see this happen more often.

I would love to see Miranda win Entertainer of the Year, but I suppose a Paisley win is much more likely. But Miranda probably has Female Vocalist of the Wear wrapped up. At any rate, she definitely won’t be going home empty-handed.

The main issue for me of the Zac Brown Band being nominated for Entertainer as well as New Artist, is that it makes the latter category virtually a foregone conclusion. It would now seem absurd for any of the other nominees to win (although of course it’s technically possible).

I do find it strange that Luke Bryan can be nointaed in that category when he had his first top 10 hit *four years* ago.

does anyone not find it odd that zac brown band was nominated for best new artist twice? google it folks they were nominated last year. I also dont find them or keith worthy of the entertainer nods they received. keith was pretty quiet as far as i’m concerned. zbb came to my school and they gave away free tickets because they werent being sold. its ridiculous. I do believe that Carrie should have been nominated for EOTY, its odd she’s won twice for the ACMs but hasnt been nominated for the CMAs and what about brooks and dunn? or Reba? Tim Mcgraw?I think there were many more suitable people that should have been nominated in those spots.
I hope that with everyone jumping on the miranda ship that she doesnt become too over played to the point where no one likes her anymore
I also personally dont care for Blake shelton, it seems to me that people love him now because of miranda even though i do believe he’s been around a lot longer.

in all this years nominees arent a very good list. I’m glad its new people but its new people overkill in my opinon.

Entertainer: Brad Paisley
Male: Blake Shelton
Female: Carrie Underwood or Reba
Group: Little Big Town
Duo: Brooks and Dunn
New Artist: Zac Brown Band
Album: Revolution
Single: House That Built Me/White Liar
Song: The House That Built Me
Event: Till the End
Video: White Liar

Mine seems to be more of a wish list than anything. I hope the winners at least have an interesting speech.

@Jon Well i think its stupid. You cant be new twice! they’ve already cought steam and are way more popular then the others hence their EOTY nod. I wouldnt be upset about it if they weren’t nominated for eoty as well. thats just unfair if you ask me

For the record, I could care less who wins EOY. And I agree with one of the Michelle’s. Some of the nominees arent even headliners! As far as Carrie U goes, she probably should be on the list. Her pop music does nothing for me though.

My predictions:
Entertainer: Brad Paisley
Male Vocalist: Blake Shelton
Female Vocalist: Miranda Lambert or Carrie
Group: Lady A
Duo: Brooks and Dunn
New Artist: Zac Brown
Musician: Mac McAnally
Album: Revolution, Miranda Lambert
Song: House That Built Me
Single: Need You Now, Lady A
Event: Hillbilly Bone
Video: Need You Now

AS for Carrie not getting a nod for Entertainer of the year..well, look at all that she did during this time to warrant it. IN fact, two country sites wrote that this was Carrie’s year to finally win this elusive CMA award..so to not even get nominated? I think Brad,Keith and Zak Brown are the only viable nominees here. The rest of the nominations were great. I especially like Miranda’s nods as well as Dierk’s Bentley for “Up on the Ridge” but Revolution will win Album.

As for Miranda getting nominated for EOTY, I think she’s viable and obviously I’m not the only one! I’d love to see her win, but I feel Brad has that one. Of course, I wouldn’t be offended if she does. I’m THRILLED with the nominees for EOTY!!!

Surprised at Easton Corbin’s 3 nominations…I agree with new artist, but not the other two. ZBB shouldn’t be able for the new artist and EOTY, too. Where’s Jason Aldean? Eric Church? Lee Brice? Lee or Eric should have gotten the new artist nod over ZBB. And Lee’s “Love Like Crazy” should have been a definite for either Song or Single OTY — its been on the charts almost 54 weeks!

As much as I hate to admit it, I agree that Moore is notably absent from New Artist. But, you’ve got to look at the label and the label’s voting power.

They really need to rename some of these categories. Do they mean ‘Male Vocalist of the Year’ or ‘Male Artist of the Year’? Because if it’s the former, I’m pulling for Urban.
And I reckon Horizon Award was a great name for that category – it seems a lot more suitable than ‘New Artist’.

Voting power: Hmmm so Arista Nashville had their block voting for Brad and Miranda this year? So their usual female votes for Carrie were missing?

Let’s all tune into the Miranda Association Awards on November 10, 2010 to watch her get every award thrown at her because the ACMs recognized her before the CMAs, and they want to try and top them.

Oh, and maybe we can see Blake Shelton steal a couple awards from his lady.

Sorry, should be Association.

I think that the 9 nominations Miranda got says something about the power of just making really excellent country in the first place.

..It is also amazing that Carrie gets snubbed when she is one of the singers that has stayed true to country music and has not remixed any of her for pop radio. – Trish

The only problem is that songs like “Cowboy Casanova” and “Undo It” were ‘pop’ enough to not even need remixing…

My hearing must be shot – I didn’t realize I was hearing fiddle and steel dominate the sound of Carrie’s recorings, along with acoustic bass and dobro.

What she should be doing is remixing country mixes for the few in her audience who actually know what country music sounds like

Miranda deserved 8 of those nominations but not Entertainer. She hasn’t done enough. I think the article that states the CMA voters were just tired of the same old, same old people and wanted new blood is probably the most accurate reason for the non-nominations.

Let me explain how things work in pop radio to some here that have no clue. Pop radio will not give any significant airplay to a country singer unless they remix their songs to pop. Carrie Underwood refuses to ever remix any of her songs so therefore while she is the most played female on country radio Carrie gets very little airplay on pop radio. Carrie could get bigger sales if she did but credit her in that she refuses to allow her songs to be remixed. That is called integrity! So Matt and Paul you are both incorrect as Cowboy Casanova and Undo it received very little play on pop radio due to no remixing! Obviously pop radio didn’t feel either was pop enough and did not play.

Now lets go to a couple country sellouts that should be getting ripped on this site. Taylor Swift remixes all of her songs for pop so she is a total fraud but I think we all know this. The other abuser is Lady A who sold out on their last two singles and had both remixed. It resulted in a lot more sales but don’t go calling them country artists!

“So Matt and Paul you are both incorrect as Cowboy Casanova and Undo it received very little play on pop radio due to no remixing! Obviously pop radio didn’t feel either was pop enough and did not play.”

Actually, those two songs reached #11 and #23 on the Billboard Top 100 chart due to their pop airplay, so that’s not very accurate.

I never thought I’d see the day when people were arguing “Undo It” was “too country”…

think that the 9 nominations Miranda got says something about the power of just making really excellent country in the first place.

What a difference a day (or two) can make; I can remember when Stormy was dogging Lambert and arguing that her music was something far short of “really excellent country.”

Which song?

I will make the excellent decision this year, as in times past, to utterly ignore the CMA’s other than to possibly catch a highlight or two so I can post and argue about it on blogs.

As one artis said, the CMA stnads for Country My Ass.

Stormy, you are right in that Miranda Lambert in addition to Carrie Underwood have both never remixed any of their songs – kudos to both!

So Matt and Paul you are both incorrect as Cowboy Casanova and Undo it received very little play on pop radio due to no remixing! Obviously pop radio didn’t feel either was pop enough and did not play.

Just because a song doesn’t get played on ‘pop radio’ doesn’t mean they didn’t try to get it played there, remix or not. Quite honestly, pop radio is more interested in more electronic, dance-y stuff than Carrie’s two songs that are, in many ways, rehashes of her older songs.

Matt, Omar,

Carrie or her label did not try to get Undo it or Cowboy Casanova played on pop radio. I know this for a fact as I was in contact with Carrie’s label. Also, the following evidence should prove this to anyone.

First, again Carrie is unwilling to remix a country song and if you aren’t willing to do that in this age you are not going to get any significant airplay on pop radio. You would have to go back years to find a country single that wasn’t remixed (Before he Cheats) and had a great chart run on pop radio. The latest country singles that have had success on pop radio were from Lady A and Taylor Swift. Lady A’s song Need you Now was remixed despite the success it had on country radio. All of Taylor Swift’s songs are remixed to pop.

Second, If you don’t see the country artist giving interviews to pop radio stations they are not making a serious attempt to get played on pop radio. Pop DJ’s just like country DJ’s want the artist interviewed on their station promoting their current single. Carrie only does regular interviews with country radio.

Bottom line is Carrie should be PRAISED for staying loyal to country music even though it would be so easy to approach pop radio to get played and increase sales. Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift did sellout and while it increased their sales it also showed they want to be more than country artists. Well, they can have their fun at pop and I’ll stay with REAL country artists such as Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley to name a couple!

Trish: How exactly is Carrie Underwood staying loyal to country by making songs that sound like warmed over Celine Dion?

Trish – trust me, I was praising Underwood. She deserves more than appraisal.

Stormy – The impact Carrie has made on Country music (regardless as to whether her songs have crossed over or not) has been astonishing and one of the biggest the genre has ever seen, and will ever seen. At this point, it doesn’t matter if she would make a song that would sound like a complete Celine Dion song; it would still counteract with the major boost she’s given Country.
She can release a song that Pop fans buy all she wants, but at the end of the day, she will forever remain Country. Last time I checked, if you’re inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, you’re pretty much established for life in Country music. She reminds herself and the public every day that her ultimate home is, and will forever remain, Country music.

Omar said:

“It’s very meritorious because it resembles how the Pop fans were accepting of the Country sound. It’s extremely hard to get Pop fans to accept a single, non-mixed Country song, and take it in on their own to make it a crossover success.

and then later said:

“At this point, it doesn’t matter if she would make a song that would sound like a complete Celine Dion song; it would still counteract with the major boost she’s given Country.
She can release a song that Pop fans buy all she wants, but at the end of the day, she will forever remain Country.”

So on the one hand you’re praising Carrie for not remixing her records for the pop market, but then go on to seemingly say that even if she does remix in the future — or just release a pure pop record (which by definition a “complete Celine Dion song” would have to be) — you’ll give her a free pass for doing so. Isn’t that trying to have it both ways??