On Tuesday, the Country Music Association announced its nominees for the 52nd Annual CMA Awards. The nominees were revealed on ABC, who has a contract with the CMA to air the awards show through 2021. "Good Morning America" aired the proceedings on a live broadcast from Luke Bryan’s Nashville bar, Luke’s 32 Bridge Kitchen + Drink. Bryan announced the nominees, including himself for Entertainer of the Year.
More: Gone Country: Miranda Lambert gets snubbed, silence is golden and Sturgill busks for the ACLU at the 2017 CMAs
The awards show will be hosted for the 11th year running by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley on Nov. 14 at 8 p.m./7 p.m. CST on ABC.
Without further ado, let’s get into those nominations and try and predict some winners.
Entertainer of the YearNominees:
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney — Will Win and Should Win
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
This year marks the second year in a row that no women were nominated for Entertainer of the Year. All five nominees here have at least been nominated before, and four have won at least once. The lack of originality and diversity here is depressing, but not unexpected.
That being said, this category has mostly been a recognition for touring prowess during the previous awards cycle, and I can think of no more fitting winner than Kenny Chesney (he’s also won this category four times before and this is his 11th nomination). His current tour has been breaking attendance records left and right, and all of the proceeds from his latest album will go to hurricane relief in the Virgin Islands, the inspiration for much of his catalog.
Album of the YearNominees:
"From ‘A’ Room: Volume 2," Chris Stapleton — Will Win
"Golden Hour," Kacey Musgraves — Should Win
"Graffiti U," Keith Urban
"Life Changes," Thomas Rhett
"The Mountain," Dierks Bentley
Aside from "Graffiti U," which absolutely does not deserve to get nominated, this is a wide open field. I would love to see Musgraves win for her atmospheric third album, which somehow got more personal while also becoming poppier, but also makes a cohesive album statement. The CMA might go the predictable route, though, and give this award to Stapleton for the second year in a row (he won last year for the first "‘A’ Room" album). Rhett is the dark horse here, and even though I’m not a huge fan of his bro-country-lite sound, he’s the most relatable of that subgenre.
From 2016: Gone Country: The good, the bad and the ugly of the CMAs
Single of the YearNominees:
"Broken Halos," Chris Stapleton
"Drinkin’ Problem," Midland — Should Win
"Drowns the Whiskey," Jason Aldean feat. Miranda Lambert
"Meant to Be," Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line — Will Win
"Tequila," Dan + Shay
"Meant to Be" has crushed every arbitrary Billboard record that has stood in its path, so that will probably win here, fueling more conversation about just what is and what isn’t country music. What should win, however, is the lead single from Texas group Midland, which is clever and is from a group that beats Florida Georgia Line at its own manufactured country game; the difference is, Midland is country.
I can see "Broken Halos" winning, and it would be a fine choice as well. "Drowns the Whiskey" might be the dark horse here, and it would be nice to see Miranda Lambert win something this year. I’m not too crazy about "Tequila" apart from its music video (more on that in a bit).
Song of the YearNominees:
"Body Like A Back Road," Sam Hunt
"Broken Halos," Chris Stapleton — Will Win and Should Win
"Drowns the Whiskey," Jason Aldean feat. Miranda Lambert
"Drunk Girl," Chris Janson
"Tequila," Dan + Shay
A few things. One, the absolutely atrocious "Body Like a Back Road" was nominated twice least year, once in this category and again for Single of the Year. There is absolutely no reason for it to be nominated for a third time, and its inclusion here is shady at best and malicious at worst. Come on, y’all couldn't have picked just one other song to fill its spot?
Two, again with the lack of diversity. Lambert is only here because she is featured on Aldean’s song (to be fair, she hasn’t released anything this year, but still) and all of the nominees here are pretty standard fare.
However, this category rewards the songwriters and not radio play. "Broken Halos" is the song to beat here, written by Stapleton and Mike Henderson. I could see Chris Janson taking home a trophy for the deceptively woke "Drunk Girl," though.
Male Vocalist of the YearNominees:
Dierks Bentley
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton — Will Win and Should Win
Keith Urban
Luke Combs has had a great year, but this award will probably go to Stapleton or maybe Dierks Bentley. Combs’ inclusion here though probably also means he wins Best New Artist.
Female Vocalist of the YearNominees:
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves — Will Win and Should Win
Carrie Underwood
The usual battle between Underwood and Lambert gets a bit complicated this year (both have been nominated every year since 2010, with the award seemingly switching off between the two of them every year). Kelsea Ballerini doesn’t stand a chance, and Lambert has finished the album cycle for "Weight of These Wings." This year it’s between Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves, two young artists who have been nominated in this category twice before and four times before, respectively. Morris had a big year with "The Middle" and "Rich," while Musgraves’ "Golden Hour" made fans out of those who typically didn’t listen to "country" music. I’d be happy with either winning, but I think it should go to Musgraves.
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New Artist of the YearNominees:
Lauren Alaina
Luke Combs — Should Win
Chris Janson
Midland — Will Win
Brett Young
First off, Lauren Alaina is not new. Neither is Chris Janson. Alaina was nominated for the same award last year. But Luke Combs is the one to beat here, fresh off the success of "When It Rains ItPurs" and "Beautiful Crazy." Midland might take this one, but this is Combs’ to lose.
Vocal Duo of the YearNominees:
Brothers Osborne — Should Win
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae
Sugarland — Will Win
Brothers Osborne have won this for the last two years, and I see no reason for them to stop now. Aside from one new single, Maddie & Tae have been relatively silent for a while and Florida Georgia Line haven’t won since 2015. Dan + Shay may take it for "Tequila" and the year they’ve had, but this will probably go to Sugarland, this being their "comeback" year and all.
Vocal Group of the YearNominees:
Lady Antebellum
LANCO
Little Big Town
Midland — Will Win and Should Win
Old Dominion
This is Midland’s, without question.
Music Video of the YearNominees:
"Babe," Sugarland feat. Taylor Swift
"Cry Pretty," Carrie Underwood
"Drunk Girl," Chris Janson — Will Win
"Marry Me," Thomas Rhett
"Tequila," Dan + Shay — Should Win
The Music Video of the Year award has only been around for about half of the CMAs’ history, and it’s often looked down upon as a consolation prize, but there’s gold in them there hills if you know where to look, especially in recent years. With one exception, every nominee this year treats its song as a score for a short film that adds to the song itself. My two favorites are the sexual assault PSA "Drunk Girl" and the inclusive romance of "Tequila," which never treats its story of a deaf man falling in love with a girl as anything but ordinary — because it is.
Musical Event of the YearNominees:
"Burning Man," Dierks Bentley feat. Brothers Osborne
"Dear Hate," Maren Morris feat. Vince Gill — Will Win and Should Win
"Drowns the Whiskey," Jason Aldean feat. Miranda Lambert
"Everything’s Gonna Be Alright," David Lee Murphy with Kenny Chesney
"Meant to Be," Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
After the "do not ask questions about Las Vegas" gaffe last year, the only option here is to give the award to "Dear Hate," a collaboration born in the wake of the greatest country music tragedy this century.
Musician of the YearNominees:
Jerry Douglas (Dobro)
Paul Franklin (Steel guitar) — Should Win
Dann Huff (Guitar) — Will Win
Mac McAnally (Guitar)
Derek Wells (Guitar)
I’m a huge fan of Paul Franklin’s steel guitar work on Lee Ann Womack’s "The Lonely, Lonesome & the Gone," but I’m pretty sure Dann Huff (who has won multiple times before) will ge this just form teh sheer depth of his collaborations this year.
There you have it. We’ll see if I’m right when the CMAs are broadcast on Nov. 14 at 8 p.m./7 p.m. CST on ABC.
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Gone Country is a column that aims to thoughtfully explore the country music genre and where it’s headed, with a focus on national trends and buzzworthy news. Questions, comments, suggestions? Let me know on Twitter @jakeharris4 or through email at jharris@statesman.com.