As we gear up for the 2009 Academy of Country Music Awards, the writing staff of Country Universe have prepared our predicted winners among this year’s nominees. Check out our Personal Picks as well, and share your own predictions in the comments. As always, we’ll be live-blogging the festivities this Sunday, starting at 8 EST.
ACM 2009: Country Universe Predicts the Winners
Entertainer of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
George Strait
Carrie Underwood – Kevin, Leeann, Dan, Lynn
Keith Urban
Kevin: For as much as the industry favors male acts, it’s the female acts who really post the big numbers. I think that the fans having a say will put Underwood over the top, though the industry is certainly behind her, too. The depth and breadth of her appeal warrants the win.
Leeann: I know how zealous Carrie Underwood fans are. So, I’d be shocked if she doesn’t win it. I like the way Lynn said it though.
Dan: You know, I really have no idea. It’s not going to be George Strait, and I probably wouldn’t anticipate a win for Keith Urban this year. At first I was going with Chesney by default, but the arguments for Underwood’s win are too good to ignore, so I’m changing to her.
Lynn: If the fans are truly allowed to have their say…Ms. Underwood, please watch your step on the way up to receive your first Entertainer of the Year award.
Top Male Vocalist
Kenny Chesney
Toby Keith
Brad Paisley – Leeann, Dan, Lynn, Kevin
George Strait
Keith Urban
Leeann: I can’t decide between Chesney or Paisley. If I had to choose, I’d guess Paisley, since he’s gotten used to winning this one.
Dan: Tough call. I’ll put it between Paisley and Chesney, and I’ll give Paisley the edge.
Lynn: Paisley by default. Yes, his last album was an instrumental, but he was easily the most visible of these artists over the past year.
Kevin: I could see Strait sneaking in there, but I don’t see how things have shifted in a meaningful enough way to end Paisley’s run.
Top Female Vocalist
Miranda Lambert
Heidi Newfield
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood – Dan, Lynn, Kevin, Leeann
Lee Ann Womack
Dan: There’s always that chance of a Miranda or Taylor upset, but I think Carrie’s still got this.
Lynn: Given a choice among these ladies over the course of the past year, I can’t imagine this award not going to Underwood.
Kevin: It’s a race between Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, and it’s hard for me to imagine Underwood losing a vocalist race to Swift.
Leeann: I’d be an idiot to predict anyone other than Underwood.
Top Vocal Group
Lady Antebellum – Lynn, Kevin
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts – Leeann, Dan
Randy Rogers Band
The Lost Trailers
Lynn: With previous ACM and CMA wins under their belts, and a big Grammy nod earlier this year, I wouldn’t bet against Lady A for the win. I could be wrong, but I think Nashville is dying to hand this award to a band other than Rascal Flatts, and Lady A is visible, popular and photogenic.
Kevin: I think that voters have finally found an alternative to Rascal Flatts, who have dominated this race for so many years.
Leeann: Lady A could take this one. However, if I want to be safe, I should just predict Rascal Flatts.
Dan: If Lady A hadn’t released such a sluggish second single, they could be posing a serious threat by now. They’ve definitely got a shot, but I’d guess the Flatts still have it.
Top Vocal Duo
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Joey + Rory
Montgomery Gentry
Sugarland – Kevin, Leeann, Dan, Lynn
Kevin: This must finally be the year that Brooks & Dunn loses, right? Sugarland is long overdue.
Leeann: Sugarland. They’re clearly the hottest duo right now.
Dan: Sugarland, although Brooks & Dunn could still keep it.
Lynn: Sugarland has the momentum.
Top New Artist
Julianne Hough- Leeann, Lynn, Kevin
Jake Owen
Zac Brown Band - Dan
Leeann: Hough will get this one, because I have a feeling she’s got the strongest and most organized fan base, thanks to a popular television show.
Dan: Fan voting = I have no idea. But just for the sake of having a bet, I’ll say Zac Brown Band. They’re well-liked by audiences; maybe their grassroots support will push them over.
Lynn: Fan voting = Julianne Hough (= Dancing With the Stars = 20 million viewers per week = Lots of Free Publicity).
Kevin: I also think Hough will win because of the nature of her fan base.
Album of the Year
Back When I Knew It All – Montgomery Gentry
Carnival Ride – Carrie Underwood
Fearless – Taylor Swift – Leeann
That Lonesome Song – Jamey Johnson
Troubadour – George Strait – Dan, Lynn, Kevin
Dan: I can kind of see anyone but Montgomery Gentry winning here, but at the end of the day, Strait is probably the best all-around bet.
Lynn: Ditto Dan.
Kevin: The Single/Album races just seem to be going Strait’s way lately.
Leeann: I’ll go out on a limb and predict Taylor Swift. I’m sure the industry wants to give her an award and this is the most plausible way to do it.
Lynn: I might have to go with Trace Adkins’ “You’re Gonna Miss This.” Admittedly, I have a poor track record when it comes to predicting country music awards shows, but I’d be willing to wager at least…nope, can’t do it, I really am bad at this. Second choice is “Gunpowder & Lead” (although it came out 1 single and a year ago!)
Kevin: I’m torn between Paisley and Adkins. The ACM likes to go with the biggest hit, and I guess that’s “You’re Gonna Miss This.”
Leeann: I guess I predict Trace Adkins. It’s the dullest song of the choices, but the one that seems to tug the hardest on the heartstrings of the assumed average country music listener.
Dan: Paisley’s sentimental hit seems like the strongest bet to me, although I feel a little sheepish with everyone else pulling for Adkins.
Song of the Year
I Saw God Today – Leeann, Dan, Lynn
George Strait
Composers: Rodney Clawson, Monty Criswell, Wade Kirby
In Color – Kevin
Jamey Johnson
Composers: Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller, James Otto
Johnny And June
Heidi Newfield
Composers: Deanna Bryant, Heidi Newfield, Stephony Smith
Waitin’ On A Woman
Brad Paisley
Composers: Don Sampson, Wynn Varble
You’re Gonna Miss This
Trace Adkins
Composers: Ashley Gorley and Lee Thomas Miller
Kevin: I’m guessing “In Color” or “I Saw God Today.” It doesn’t help that when Strait won this award, he shared it with Johnson for “Give it Away.” I’ll say “In Color”, though it might result in my defeat in the final tally.
Leeann: I can’t see why “I Saw God Today” won’t win, even if it makes me cringe a little.
Dan: If I had to guess, it’s a race between “Waitin’ on a Woman” and “I Saw God Today,” with “In Color” playing dark horse. I guess I’ll say “I Saw God Today.”
Lynn: I think Strait will pick up an ACM trophy to go with his CMA one for “I Saw God Today.”
As we gear up for the 2009 Academy of Country Music Awards, the writing staff of Country Universe have prepared our personal picks among this year’s nominees. Check out our Predicted Winners as well, and share your own personal picks in the comments. As always, we’ll be live-blogging the festivities this Sunday, starting at 8 EST.
ACM 2009: Country Universe’s Personal Picks
Entertainer of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley – Leeann
George Strait – Lynn
Carrie Underwood – Kevin, Dan
Keith Urban
Kevin: I haven’t been as happy with the standard-bearing superstar of country music since the heyday of the Dixie Chicks, so I’m definitely pulling for Carrie Underwood. She strikes the perfect balance of contemporary relevance and reverence for tradition.
Leeann: I’m always pulling for Paisley to win an Entertainer award, but I’d be happy to see a female win it as well, especially since Underwood’s not undeserving at this point.
Dan: None of these artists has impressed me recently from an artistic standpoint, although Strait has been less grating than the rest. But I think I’m going to say Carrie Underwood, simply because it’d be cool to see a woman win, and I think it might give her the freedom to take more artistic risks (if she chooses).
Lynn: I’m pulling for Strait to win this year. The ACMs put out a promo the other day that was essentially a glamour magazine photo shoot with three cute blonde singers. I’ll be honest…I didn’t want to watch the show after seeing that. Maybe I’m the odd one out, but I’d be more interested in watching the show if the promo had Strait sitting in a chair singing one of his classic tunes. I’m tired of the promotion of style over substance. Paisley, Underwood and Urban aren’t necessarily guilty of this, but I hope Strait wins just to remind everyone to keep it real.
Top Male Vocalist
Kenny Chesney
Toby Keith
Brad Paisley – Leeann
George Strait – Dan, Lynn, Kevin
Keith Urban
Leeann: This is a tough one. I have not been impressed with any of these artists in the last year. So, I’m going to have to choose by voice alone, which gives Paisley the slight edge over the others as far as my taste runs.
Dan: The big-hitters have had a lame year. Strait was the only one who didn’t let me down too bad, although I can’t say I’m a big fan of “River of Love”, either.
Lynn: I noted in a discussion the other day that Strait’s album is no longer on my iPod. But…it at least made it to my iPod. Which is more than I can say for Urban, Paisley, Keith and Chesney’s most recent outings.
Kevin: There’s a cyclical process I go through that includes taking George Strait for granted and then suddenly realizing just how good he is again. I’m in the latter part of the cycle again.
Top Female Vocalist
Miranda Lambert – Dan, Lynn, Leeann
Heidi Newfield
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood
Lee Ann Womack – Kevin
Dan: Miranda Lambert released arguably the two riskiest singles of the past year (“Gunpowder & Lead” and “More Like Her”), and she somehow got radio to play them both. There isn’t a more inspiring mainstream artist out there right now, at least for my money.
Lynn: M I R A N D A L A M B E R T ! ! (Was that subtle enough? :P )
Kevin: I’d be happy to see Underwood or Lambert win, but since Womack has never won before, she’s my personal pick this year.
Leeann: I hate to be so predictable, but Miranda Lambert is my clear pick. I choose her with Lynn’s exuberance and Dan’s reasoning.
Top Vocal Group
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town – Lynn, Dan
Rascal Flatts
Randy Rogers Band- Kevin, Leeann
The Lost Trailers
Lynn: If those are my only choices, I’m pulling for Little Big Town. It’s too bad we can’t write-in nominations…
Kevin: I’m with Leeann on this one.
Leeann: My personal vote goes to the Randy Rogers Band. I love Rogers’ voice and dig their music in general.
Dan: I love me some Randy Rogers Band and am thrilled to see them nominated, but I like Little Big Town’s current album better than theirs, so I’ll side with LBT.
Top Vocal Duo
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Joey + Rory – Leeann, Lynn
Montgomery Gentry
Sugarland – Kevin, Dan
Kevin: I don’t understand why Sugarland isn’t all over this ballot. They’re one of the best acts in country music today.
Leeann: Out of all of the nominations in all of the categories for the ACMs, I’m rooting for Joey + Rory most enthusiastically this year.
Dan: Sugarland is injecting pop-country with some much-needed personality, plus they don’t concern themselves with trivial things like “postmodern Appalachia,” right, Kristian Bush? :) On a side note, it’s great to see Joey + Rory here. They’re a bit too new for me to pick them right now, but I hope they become regular contenders for this award.
Lynn: Joey + Rory are my favorites to win here simply because they stepped into the Nashville limelight with class and character, bringing a certain genuine spirit, candor and down home realness along with good music.
Top New Artist
Julianne Hough
Jake Owen
Zac Brown Band – Leeann, Dan, Lynn, Kevin
Leeann: Zac Brown Band has a cool vibe about them that is hard to ignore. While I’m not personally sold on them yet, they are clearly the most unique act out of the nominees here.
Dan: I still don’t care for “Chicken Fried,” but Zac Brown Band is one of the freshest acts to break at radio in recent memory. They’ve been playing around forever (it shows), have a number of solid songs on their current album, and seem like genuinely nice guys, too. Mainstream country needs more acts like them.
Lynn: I’m at a loss here. I listened to Zac Brown Band’s album for the first time the other day. It was part hokey and part cool. I truly didn’t know what to make of it, but I am curious to see where they head next, and that has to be worth something.
Kevin: I was going to go with Jake Owen, but then I realized I had him confused with Luke Bryan, who made the “Country Boy” video I like so much. So I’ll go with Zac Brown Band instead.
Album of the Year
Back When I Knew It All – Montgomery Gentry
Carnival Ride – Carrie Underwood
Fearless – Taylor Swift
That Lonesome Song – Jamey Johnson – Dan, Lynn, Leeann
Troubadour – George Strait – Kevin
Dan: As it happens, I really like both Johnson’s and Swift’s. Despite their vast differences, both albums are fully-realized artistic expressions that convey a believable sense of who their creators are and how they view the world, even if we as listeners can’t always relate to the particular subject matter (hard drugs, divorce, Joe Jonas, etc.). That said, I think Music Row needs more Johnson than Swift right now. So I’m pulling for That Lonesome Song.
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Lynn: Ditto Dan (although I’m not quite as enamored with Swift’s album).
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Kevin: Underwood’s album has grown on me with time, but the only album of these five that I really enjoy from start to finish is George Strait’s Troubadour.
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Leeann: Jamey Johnson clearly has the most interesting album here, though I’ll give Swift some credit too. It’s odd that any of us would put Johnson and Swift in the same category, but one thing I can say about their efforts as opposed to the others is that it’s obvious that their albums were labors of love for them while the other albums seemed more thrown together.
Single Record of the Year
“Gunpowder & Lead” – Miranda Lambert – Lynn, Kevin, Leeann, Dan
“In Color” – Jamey Johnson
“Johnny And June” – Heidi Newfield
“Waitin’ On A Woman” – Brad Paisley
“You’re Gonna Miss This” – Trace Adkins
Lynn: I was impressed with “In Color,” but this is an easy call: “Gunpowder & Lead” kicked arse!
Kevin: I’m splitting my vote between Single and Song, with the edge going to Miranda Lambert here.
Leeann: I just enjoy “Gunpowder And Lead” the most out of these choices. I like “In Color”, but the appeal really hasn’t stuck with me over time. I still crank “Gunpowder And Lead” when given the chance, however.
Dan: Catch me on another day and I might say “In Color,” but I think “Gunpowder & Lead” is destined to become a classic, even if it’s more southern rock than country.
Song of the Year
I Saw God Today
George Strait
Composers: Rodney Clawson, Monty Criswell, Wade Kirby
In Color – Leeann, Dan, Lynn
Jamey Johnson
Composers: Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller, James Otto
Johnny And June
Heidi Newfield
Composers: Deanna Bryant, Heidi Newfield, Stephony Smith
Waitin’ On A Woman – Kevin
Brad Paisley
Composers: Don Sampson, Wynn Varble
You’re Gonna Miss This
Trace Adkins
Composers: Ashley Gorley and Lee Thomas Miller
Kevin: The final verse of “Waitin’ on a Woman” gets me every time. It’s easily my favorite Paisley song since “Whiskey Lullaby.”
Leeann: “In Color” is the best and most intricately written song out of the bunch.
Dan: “In Color” is the only one of the bunch that really engrossed me the first time I heard it, which is kind of my litmus test for song quality.
Lynn: “In Color” is the most interesting song of the group (with “Johnny and June” actually being one of my least favorite big singles in recent years).
Do I need to point out the obvious? A two-guy, two-girl harmony group who play rustically instrumented music that sounds heavily influenced by late 70′s/early 80′s pop-rock? I mean, I’m sorry, but is it this easy to rip off another act’s entire spiel without anyone at your label noticing or caring? It’s not like Little Big Town have a patent on their sound or something, but…come on, kids. Play nice.
That rant aside, I have to admit that this is some pretty serious ear candy. The lyrics about teenage romance are predictably lame, but the production is fresh and the pre-chorus builds so perfectly that you can practically feel it give you a hormone surge, which I guess is probably the point (I mean, they are opening for Taylor Swift). The final product is a lush sonic party which might not have sounded out of place on the FernGully soundtrack – all that’s missing is a few well-timed “na na na”s.
Anyway, given the difficulty that Little Big Town seem to have faced in getting their new output played at radio – including their own feel-good single, “Good Lord Willing” – one wonders whether Gloriana could be well-poised to displace them on the charts. I’ve always liked Little Big Town, so I hope that doesn’t happen, but I can’t deny that this is pretty enjoyable stuff, too. Can we maybe just make room for both of them and boot out…some other vocal group?
The new Little Big Town single is a hook-laden treat that combines a rustic acoustic sound with the loudest country-rock guitars this side of Jason Aldean. It’s the kind of performance that you’d expect from the Dixie Chicks today if they stayed in their “Some Days You Gotta Dance” groove.
Little Big Town’s harmonies are always intriguing but quite often they don’t go anywhere interesting over the course of the song. Here, they’re used for supporting the lead vocalist instead of being used to carry the whole song. It’s a more effective approach, in my opinion.
On Wednesday, February 11, the Academy of Country Music will unveil the nominees for their 44th annual awards ceremony. Last year, the usual suspects prevailed. Brad and Carrie repeated in the Vocalist categories, Brooks & Dunn claimed their 14th Vocal Duo prize and Kenny Chesney earned his fourth consecutive Entertainer of the Year award. As a prelude to the nominations announcement, here’s my projected slate for this year’s ceremony. (Favorites are in bold.)
Entertainer of the Year
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley
Sugarland
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban
Prognosis: The “no girls allowed” edict will likely be lifted. Underwood is the genre’s most prominent ambassador, and Sugarland’s rise to the high ranks has both commercial and critical support.
Note of interest: “The winner shall be determined by a combination of votes from the membership of the ACM and viewer voting.”
The second article in our Grammy Awards series, our personal favorites in the country categories at this year’s ceremony.
Best Country Album
Jamey Johnson, That Lonesome Song
Patty Loveless, Sleepless Nights (Blake, Leeann)
George Strait, Troubadour
Randy Travis, Around the Bend
Trisha Yearwood, Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love (Dan, Kevin, Lynn)
Blake: Strait’s collection is a mixed bag of middlebrow art with the occasional glimpse at his right-as-rain Texas style. Excepting Troubadour, these discs are highwater marks for the genre. Johnson and Loveless finished one-two on my 2008 list, but I’ll root for Loveless to win a long-awaited solo Grammy.
Dan: I actually think Johnson made the best album, but Yearwood’s is my second-favorite, and she’s long overdue.
Kevin: It’s a strong field overall, but Yearwood’s album is the most cohesive. She’s the greatest female album artist since Emmylou Harris, yet she’s never won an album award. It’s time.
Leeann: My choice is Patty Loveless’ album, though Trisha Yearwood’s is a very close second. While Loveless’ is an album of covers, it’s the one I find myself putting in without skipping a track more than Yearwood’s. I really would be happy for either choice, however.
Lynn: Loveless put together my favorite album as a whole, but Yearwood is long overdue and her wonderful album was shamefully ignored. I hope she wins.
In a nod towards diversity, the General Field nominees for the 51st annual Grammy Awards include a shepherd’s pie of musical genres, with Brit soul ingenues (Adele, Duffy) against American pop trios (Jonas Bros., Lady A), Brit pop bands (Coldplay, Radiohead) against American rappers (Ne-Yo, Lil’ Wayne), all with a Brit rock legend (Robert Plant) lording over them. While it’s hard to argue the breadth of recent nominees in these categories, their depth is always up for discussion (see: Herbie Hancock, 2008 Album of the Year; Ray Charles, 2005 Record of the Year).
The country field is filled with critical faves. George Strait enjoys the strongest across-the-board success in his estimable career, newcomer Jamey Johnson is lauded for his neo-outlaw soul, and Randy Travis, Patty Loveless and Trisha Yearwood continue Grammy’s trend of nominating veterans alongside newer artists.
The staff of Country Universe have chosen their personal favorites and predictions for this year’s Grammy ceremony. First up on the docket: our predictions in the country categories.
Best Country Album
Jamey Johnson, That Lonesome Song (Blake, Leeann, Lynn)
Patty Loveless, Sleepless Nights
George Strait, Troubadour (Dan, Kevin)
Randy Travis, Around the Bend
Trisha Yearwood, Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love
Blake: Is Jamey Johnson the savior of modern-day country music? I think by placing his name next to four of the format’s legends, the Grammy voters have already voiced their opinion on the matter. The vociferous critical support surrounding this release suggests that Johnson will surpass the veterans in this race.
Dan: I was totally thinking Johnson until just this morning, but I’m having last-minute doubts about his widespread support – he’s still very new to lots of voters, and I’m not confident that his hype will be sufficient to summon confidence from everyone voting in this category. So I’m siding with Kevin’s prediction on Strait.
Kevin: The only proven vote-getter here is Randy Travis, but I’m doubtful that he’ll be able to triumph with Johnson and Loveless garnering so many of the traditionalist’s votes. Grammy loves its women, which could give Yearwood and Loveless an advantage, but I’m not sure there’s a clear favorite between them. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict George Strait. He’s long overdue for a Grammy, and he has the most commercially successful album of the five. With three of the album’s songs represented in other categories (“Troubadour”, “I Saw God Today, “House of Cash”), this might be his year.
Leeann: I really think Johnson will grab this one. The critics love him and he’s had the most hype in the last year.
Lynn: I agree this will be a tough one for Grammy voters. Yearwood and Loveless both have the sheer talent Grammy voters appreciate and they produced quality albums. However, I think the voters’ penchant and love for multi-talented newcomers with musical integrity will give Johnson his first Grammy.
A look back at the previous winners and nominees of the Best Country Album Grammy, updated to include the 2009 contenders.
The Grammys have been doing better in the country categories since they reintroduced the Best Country Album category in 1995, which had only been in existence for two years in the 1960s. Prior to 1995, albums and singles were both eligible in the vocalist categories, so full albums would compete against single tracks in Best Male Country Vocal Performance, for example.
Looking over the history of this fairly young category, you can see trends emerge, with certain acts clearly being favorites of NARAS. You see the same trend with the CMAs, just with different people. What is clear with the Grammys is that radio and retail success will only carry you so far. For awards that are supposed to be based on artistic merit, that’s how it should be.
As with the CMA flashbacks, we’ll begin with a look at this year’s nominees, then discuss previous year’s in reverse chronological order. Winners are in bold.
Be sure to drop by My Kind of Country and vote in their Best Country Album poll. Let your preference be known!
2009
Jamey Johnson, That Lonesome Song
Patty Loveless, Sleepless Nights
George Strait, Troubadour
Randy Travis, Around the Bend
Trisha Yearwood, Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love
Four veterans and one newcomer vie for this year’s Best Country Album, and it’s a wide-open race with no obvious favorite. The critically acclaimed breakthrough album of Jamey Johnson could earn him his first Grammy. The legendary George Strait would like to start a Grammy collection of his own. Like fellow nominee Patty Loveless, this is his third nomination for this award. While Loveless has also yet to win this one, she does have a Grammy already, for her contributions to the multi-artist collaboration “Same Old Train.”
Randy Travis is a real contender here; five of his previous albums have won Grammys. Two of them (Always & Forever, Old 8×10) won in the Best Male Country Vocal Performance category, back when albums and singles competed with each other in that race. And while this is his first nomination for Best Country Album, he was won Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album three times, for Glory Train (2007), Worship & Faith (2005) and Rise and Shine (2004.)
While Vince Gill broke the all-female trend in this category last year, he was nominated in an all-male field. If the trend begins again this year, this will be a battle between Loveless and Trisha Yearwood. The latter’s Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love is arguably the strongest album in this category, and while Yearwood won three Grammys in the nineties, she has never won Best Country Album, despite earning more nominations than any other artist in the history of the category – Heartache is her eighth set to contend for the trophy. She’s beyond overdue, but her competition is formidable.
2008
Dierks Bentley, Long Trip Alone
Vince Gill, These Days
Tim McGraw, Let it Go
Brad Paisley, 5th Gear
George Strait, It Just Comes Natural
With the exception of Shania Twain’s Come On Over, no album that has also been nominated for the general Album of the Year race has failed to win Best Country Album. So it was no surprise when Vince Gill picked up the trophy for his four-disc opus These Days. In his acceptance speech, he good-naturedly ribbed Kanye West, providing one of the evening’s brightest moments.
2007
Dixie Chicks, Taking the Long Way
Alan Jackson, Like Red On a Rose
Little Big Town, The Road to Here
Willie Nelson, You Don’t Know Me: The Songs of Cindy Walker
Josh Turner, Your Man
The Chicks became the first artists in Grammy history to win four genre Best Album awards, breaking their tie with Eminem, who has won three Best Rap Album trophies. This was one of five trophies they took home at the February 2007 ceremony, and the album returned to #1 on the country chart and back to the pop top ten on the strength of those victories.
1. “In Color,” Jamey Johnson
2. “Waitin’ on a Woman,” Brad Paisley
3. “This Is Me You’re Talking To,” Trisha Yearwood
4. “She Left Me for Jesus,” Hayes Carll
5. “What I Cannot Change,” Leann Rimes
6. “Last Call,” Lee Ann Womack
7. “Anything Goes,” Randy Houser
8. “Dig Two Graves,” Randy Travis
9. “Please Read the Letter,” Alison Krauss & Robert Plant
10. “Fine Line,” Little Big Town
11. “Mockingbird,” Allison Moorer
12. “Crazy Arms,” Patty Loveless
13. “This Town Needs a Bar,” Jeremy McComb
14. “Just Got Started Loving You,” James Otto
15. “Takin’ off This Pain,” Ashton Shepherd
16. “Gold,” Emmylou Harris
17. “Every Other Weekend,” Reba McEntire & Skip Ewing
18. “You Look Good In My Shirt,” Keith Urban
19. “More Like Her,” Miranda Lambert
20. “Love Don’t Live Here,” Lady Antebellum
The list continues today with the next ten entries, a collection of hits, could’ve been hits and should’ve been hits. Adventurous radio programmers, take note.
#30
Little Big Town, “Fine Line”
There’s a fine line between imitation and tribute, and Little Big Town lands on the proper side of the balance. Karen Fairchild steps forward on this flashback to ’70s SoCal country-rock, and her biting, expressive performance matches perfectly with an admonishment of a distant lover. Very fine, indeed. – BB
This ridiculous but fun single just sounds like a Willie Nelson song. While it’s a 2008 single, it sounds as though it could have been recorded at the height of Nelson’s career. Moreover, Willie’s voice sounds as strong as ever here. – LW
#28
The Raconteurs with Ricky Skaggs & Ashley Monroe, “Old Enough”
A thrilling, organic collaboration that sounds cooler and more convincing with each listen. It probably hasn’t gotten enough exposure to be remembered several years down the line, but it’s one of 2008′s most compelling arguments for the uncanning of country music. – DM
#27
Eddy Arnold, “To Life”
A glorious swan song from an incomparable talent. When it charted shortly after his death, Arnold became the only artist in history to hit the country singles chart in seven different decades. – KJC
Entertainer of the Year
Top Male Vocalist
Top Vocal Duo
Top New Artist
Album of the Year
Single Record of the Year
Do I need to point out the obvious? A two-guy, two-girl harmony group who play rustically instrumented music that sounds heavily influenced by late 70′s/early 80′s pop-rock? I mean, I’m sorry, but is it this easy to rip off another act’s entire spiel without anyone at your label noticing or caring? It’s not like Little Big Town have a patent on their sound or something, but…come on, kids. Play nice.
Best Country Album
Best Country Album
2009
2008
2007
Happy holidays!
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#28
#27
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