Rolling Country 2011

I mised the CMA Awards on tv last night as I was out seeing Mexican pop singer Julieta Venegas. Will have to check youtube or elsewhere to see if there are any good performance clips

The9513 officially folded back in May. Juli Thanki, who is a terrific writer and an occasional contributor to the former site, started engine145 a couple of months ago, though it focuses more heavily on "roots" music than contemporary country.

winners from the 45th Country Music Association Awards:

Entertainer of the Year: Taylor Swift
Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert
Male Vocalist of the Year: Blake Shelton
Vocal Group of the Year: Lady Antebellum
Vocal Duo of the Year: Sugarland
New Artist of the Year: The Band Perry
Album of the Year: My Kinda Party, Jason Aldean
Single of the Year: "If I Die Young", The Band Perry
Song of the Year: "If I Die Young", The Band Perry
Video of the Year: "The House That Built Me," Miranda Lambert
Musical Event of the Year: "Don't You Wanna Stay," Jason Aldean featuring Kelly Clarkson
Musician of the Year: Mac McAnally, guitar
Music Video of the Year: "You and Tequila," Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter

I didn't actually bother with the show, but Lady Antebellum over Zac Brown Band for Vocal Group and Aldean over Swift or Zac Brown Band are the only indefensible winners. A pretty accurate reflection of one of the poorest years for mainstream country I can remember overall.

band perry made out!

would kick it with: luke bryan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaZu7ODIFLs

I drunk-tweeted this last night. I love country music awards shows because no other genre wholly embraces its gaudy bullshit and even gives a platform to its more mediocre talent (Chris Young! Thompson Square! That icky kid who won American Idol!).

Aldean beating Swift for Album of the Year was so shockingly wrong it was laughable; Lady A over ZBB is predictable bullshit, although Zac Brown holding a red Solo cup in the audience during this category showed exactly how much he doesn't give a fuck. Although the reaction shots of the night go to Swift: not even bothering to be fake-happy when Lambert won Female Vocalist, clapping politely and talking after The Band Perry sang (I really hope she was saying "Oh so that's what I'd be like if my voice was thinner and less charismatic, and I had a problem with words!"), and then going PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE while all the other EOY noms were like "haha I'm gonna lose to the girl." #taylorswiftsurprisedface!

Actually I think ZBB got jobbed most when "Colder Weather" lost out to "If I Die Young" (which is about 16 months old at this point! But I guess if Luke Bryan and Eric Church are still considered "new artists"...), but I can see why people think that's a good song.

At one point Carrie Underwood had on a Maria Bello Prime Suspect hat and some reject dress from the musical Chicago while introducing Luke Bryan and his strippers singing "Country Girl (Shake It For Me)" and afterwards Nicole Kidman shot this look at Keith Urban that was like "Haha can you believe this bullshit?! Oh you can, whoops!" Blake Shelton sang "Footloose." Sara Evans did that big hit and had an aerialist, maybe so people wouldn't fall asleep.

I kinda like Aldean's title cut but haven't heard the whole album so I won't debate you folks (yet) on its merits versus Swift's.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/click-track/post/cma-awards-most-memorable-moments/2011/11/10/gIQAdree8M_blog.html

Some of these don't appear too memorable

Good job, internet: People on pretty well every country-specific message board I've checked are up in arms that Swift didn't look happy enough in her reaction shot when Lambert won Female Vocalist. Because awards shows need a villain.

To my ears, Speak Now is Swift's most unabashedly pop album ("Mean" notwithstanding) but whatever; Aldean isn't even remotely in league with her, and his album was far and away the weakest of the five nominees, including the Blake Shelton EP that inexplicably pulled a nomination.

Not a Faith Hill fan at all, but launching a comeback with a OneRepublic cover seems like an especially poor choice. Can't see country radio going for that single, but adult contemporary will likely be all over it.

I think Taylor will survive the message board comments.

She may even write a song about them.

Well yeah, obviously. I just think it's indicative of how such a sizable and vocal part of the country audience actively looks for reasons to villify her.

Taylor just looks bummed that she lost

http://www.k105fm.com/ArticleAdmin/Articles/tabid/64/ArticleId/1012/VIDEO-Taylor-Swift-Snubs-Miranda-Lambert-1012.aspx

haha blake shelton at the end

i'm back and forth on the nikki lane album on iamsound. productionwise definitely feels "indie country" for the most part but she has chops and i like that she isn't afraid to divest herself of most of the pop/rock trappings and go for a full on woe is me honky tonk weeper either