A couple weeks ago I gave my predictions as to who the nominees in the artists categories would be for this year’s CMA Awards. Since we now know that Jason Aldean and Lady Antebellum will reveal the nominees live on Good Morning America on September 5th, I’m rounding out the predictions with some of the remaining categories. Continue reading to find out which albums and songs I think will land in the prestigious Album and Song of the Year categories.
The five spots for Album of the Year will be highly contested. In my opinion there are two albums that are guaranteed locks and they are Eric Church’s Chief and Miranda Lambert’s Four the Record. The other three spots could go to a number of albums including sets from Lionel Richie, Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney. But I believe Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away and Lady Antebellum’s Own the Night will get in based on their excellent sales numbers. The fifth spot could go to Luke Bryan’s Tailgates and Tanlines because it has spawned three consecutive platinum selling singles that have all reached the top two on the charts.
The Single and Song of the year categories are always the most unpredictable categories yet I always like to give it a try. I am pretty confident that the one guaranteed song that will appear in both categories will be Eric Church’s smash hit, “Springsteen.” Not only was it one of the most successful singles within the past year, but it’s also one of the best written songs we’ve heard on the radio. The other four spots are all up for grabs so I’m just taking a stab in the dark with my predictions. Every year there’s always an out-of-left-fielder and this year that could be Kip Moore’s “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck.” The Eli Young Band has a great chance at getting in with their ACM award winning song “Crazy Girl,” which has been one of the most played songs of the year. Carrie Underwood is always a threat and “Good Girl” has spent some time atop the charts this year and has been certified platinum. Luke Bryan has the potential to be a leading nominee and this category he has three massive singles to choose from – “Country Girl (Shake it For Me),” “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” and “Drunk on You” – I’d be shocked if one of those songs isn’t included in this category.
The Single of the Year category is all about chart success and sales while the Song of the Year category should be about the songwriting. That’s why this category looks very different from the Single category. Like I said earlier “Springsteen” will more than likely appear in this category as well which will garner a nomination for songwriters Church, Jeff Hyde, and Ryan Tyndell. Miranda Lambert’s emotional “Over You” could sneak based on the CMA’s love with the country cutie. “Crazy Girl” by the Eli Young Band could land a nod, but they could get a nod for “Even if it Breaks Your Heart” instead. The CMA’s love them some inspirational songs which could bode well for Martina McBride’s top five hit, “I’m Gonna Love You Through It.” That leaves one spot and the CMA could follow the ACM’s by giving Dierks Bentley’s patriotic hit, “Home,” a nomination. Personally there are a handful of songs that, based on the songwriting, should land nods like tunes from David Nail (“The Sound of a Million Dreams”), George Strait (“Drinkin’ Man”), and Chris Young (“Neon”).
This year didn’t really see any duets released to radio which made this probably the most difficult category to predict. Hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will enter the frontrunners with their number one smash hit, “Remind Me.” Taylor Swift’s collaboration with The Civil Wars, “Safe and Sound,” could also land a nomination here. The summer hit, “Feel Like a Rockstar,” from the “brothers of the sun,” Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney will most likely also appear here. That leaves two spots open for any song the CMA deems appropriate. I would bet one of Lionel Richie’s duets from Tuskegee could land here well, but that’s a tough one to call.
Overall I am expecting rising superstars Eric Church and Luke Bryan to be two of the most nominated artists with favorites like Carrie, Taylor, and Brad to also score multiple nominations. Who do you guys think will land nominations in these categories? Any major players that I left out?
AC Country Music 
Since when is Lionel Richie considered country now? Nothing country about his duets album just like anything from Taylor.
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Scotty Mccreery new artist of the year.
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Based on reviews from country music critics, I think Kellie Pickler’s “100 Proof” has a strong chance of being nominated for Album of the Year. Virtually every critic rated “100 Proof” positively, even those who very rarely give positive reviews to mainstream country albums. It definitely has a better chance of receiving the nomination than Luke Bryan’s album, which received significantly lower scores from the critics.
As for popularity, “100 Proof” did manage to reach #2 on the country charts and even reached top 10 status in the all-genre charts, which should be enough to satisfy the “sales” side of the consideration for the award.
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I agree that 100 Proof should get a nod, but I don’t think she made enough of an impression on voter’s minds to sneak in. Plus the singles got no where at radio which is a big determining factor. The same case could be made for albums like Chris Young’s Neon, the Pistol Annies album, and Leann Rimes’ Lady and Gentlemen. All great albums that deserve recognition but don’t have a chance at getting it.
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Well, Jamey Johnson’s album “That Lonesome Song” was nominated for Album of the Year in 2009, even though the album only reached #6 on the country charts and only two singles were released from the album, out of which only one did not go anywhere and the other peaked at just #9. Similarly, Dierks Bentley’s “Up on the Ridge” was nominated for Album of the Year in 2010, even though the album did not reach #1 and none of the singles even reached the top 20 in the country charts.
So based on this, I would say it is entirely possible that “100 Proof”, as well as the albums you mentioned, will be nominated.
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True. But its lead single “In Color” was a top 10 hit which helped the album remain on the minds of voters. Plus it was nominated for both Single and Song in 2009. 100 Proof only has a single that just cracked the top 30 and another that stalled at 50. Not to mention she is currently without the backing of a label which is nearly impossible to get a nomination without.
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