The Country Music Association announced the full slate of nominees for its annual awards– their 60th– on Thursday morning, and there are several interesting threads.
Choosin’ Ella
As expected, Ella Langley racked up the most nominations, including the rare double-nod (for “Be Her” and “Choosin’ Texas”) in both the Single and Song of the Year categories. If she runs the table, she’ll walk away with a total of 7 awards against her total of 9 nominations. Considering the year she’s had, both in terms of historic crossover successes and the release of music that’s been embraced by both critics and the industry, it’s hard to argue against this recognition.
After winning an armful of ACM awards back in the Spring and now scoring this haul of CMA nominations, the question becomes to what extent she will figure into the Grammy nominations. Their eligibility year ended (oddly…) on August 28, but voting is still a ways out. While a rule-change has made her the clear front runner for Best New Artist, country acts have struggled of late in the General Field’s Album, Record, and Song of the Year categories. “Choosin’ Texas” is almost certainly too big of a crossover hit to ignore in Record and Song of the Year, while Dandelion is probably a longshot in a very crowded (and very strong) Album of the Year field led by the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Olivia Dean, Phoebe Bridgers, and Madonna.
CMAs So White
Not that the industry’s awards have ever truly recognized the actual diversity within the genre, but it’s especially egregious that not a single artist of color made this year’s final ballot. Scroll back through the albums we’ve reviewed over the last year, and there’s no shortage of artists who aren’t straight and white (and mostly men) whose work is deserving of recognition.
The CMAs have never done right by Kane Brown, and that continues this year, but they also shut out Shaboozey, who just dropped a tremendous album and who didn’t even get nominated in the Vocal Event category with Jelly Roll for their Grammy-winning collab or for the terrific music video for “Cowgirl.” And Thelma & James are making terrific music, but that they landed in Vocal Duo instead of The War & Treaty, who also dropped one of the year’s strongest contemporary country albums, is definitely a choice.
She’s Back?
Taylor Swift scored her first hit at country radio in this decade with “I Knew It, I Knew You,” from Toy Story 5, though there has been a whole lot of online chatter about the record label shenanigans that went on behind the scenes to account for its success. Either way, that translated into a Single of the Year nomination, Swift’s first major category nod since a Song of the Year nomination for penning “Better Man.” Oddly, she was left out of that category, even as she’s slated for induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame later this year.
The Swifties are convinced that all of this points to both a “Taylor’s Version” release of her self-titled debut album– only that one and reputation. have yet to receive the re-recorded treatment, which stopped after she won back the rights to her master recordings– and to her next “era” being a proper country album.
Surprises and Snubs
Did anyone have multiple nominations for Stephen Wilson, Jr. on their radar? His performance at the ACMs was one of that broadcast’s highlights, and he did win there for Music Video of the Year, but seeing him crop up at the CMAs in the Male Vocalist and Song of the Year categories is a huge shock. That he made the former category over Riley Green or Morgan Wallen is especially surprising… and not in a bad way!
Wallen, of note, was relegated to two nominations, both in the Vocal Event category. Incidentally, that’s the only category where Green showed up, for his collaboration with Carly Pearce.
After scoring a whopping 9 nominations at the ACMs– where, it’s worth noting, she did not actually win anything– Megan Moroney was limited to just 2 categories here: Female Vocalist and Song of the Year. Given her label’s relentless promotion (and critical acclaim we continue to find baffling and entirely unwarranted), this is a stunning turn. She seemed like a lock for Album, Single, and Music Video nominations and a solid bet for Entertainer based upon her headlining tour.
Instead, CMA voters were more impressed by Kacey Musgraves’ return to form and return to a more straightforwardly country aesthetic. She landed in the Album, Song, Video, and Event categories in addition to Female Vocalist, quite deservedly ending a long dry spell with the CMAs.
The full list of nominees is here:
Entertainer of the Year
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Ella Langley
Chris Stapleton
Lainey Wilson
Female Vocalist of the Year
Miranda Lambert
Ella Langley
Megan Moroney
Kacey Musgraves
Lainey Wilson
Male Vocalist of the Year
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Zach Top
Stephen Wilson, Jr.
Vocal Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Muscadine Bloodline
Thelma & James
Vocal Group of the Year
Lady A[ntebellum]
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion
The Red Clay Strays
New Artist
Avery Anna
Carter Faith
Emily Ann Roberts
Tucker Wetmore
Stephen Wilson, Jr.
Musician of the Year
Tom Bukovac, guitar
Jenee Fleenor, fiddle
Paul Franklin, steel guitar
Rob McNelley, guitar
Charlie Worsham, guitar
Album of the Year
Ain’t in it for My Health, Zach Top
Dandelion, Ella Langley
Middle of Nowhere, Kacey Musgraves
Parker McCollum
The Way I Am, Luke Combs
Single of the Year
“Be Her,” Ella Langley
“Choosin’ Texas,” Ella Langley
“I Knew It, I Knew You,” Taylor Swift
“Somewhere Over Laredo,” Lainey Wilson
“The Fall,” Cody Johnson
Song of the Year
“Be Her,” Smith Ahnquist, HARDY, Ella Langley, Jordan Schmidt
“Beautiful Things,” Jessi Alexander, Jessi Jo Dixon, Connie Harrington, Megan Moroney
“Choosin’ Texas,” Luke Dick, Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor
“Dry Spell,” Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves, Josh Osborne
“Gary,” Stephen Wilson, Jr.
Vocal Event
“A Song to Sing,” Miranda Lambert feat. Chris Stapleton
“Horses and Divorces,” Kacey Musgraves feat. Miranda Lambert
“I Can’t Love You Anymore,” Ella Langley feat. Morgan Wallen
“If I Don’t Leave, I’m Gonna Stay,” Carly Pearce feat. Riley Green
“McArthur,” HARDY, Eric Church, Morgan Wallen, & Tim McGraw
Music Video
“Choosin’ Texas,” Ella Langley
“Dry Spell,” Kacey Musgraves
“Gary,” Stephen Wilson, Jr.
“The Fall,” Cody Johnson
“White Horse,” Chris Stapleton
What did the CMA voters get right and very, very wrong this year? Sound off in the comments!
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