The CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena this Wednesday night on ABC. Going into the ceremony, Miranda Lambert leads the field with a record 9 nominations. How many will she take home? Will she win her first Entertainer of the Year award? Will Lady Antebellum rain on her parade? There are many story lines that will unfold come Wednesday night. To sort some of them out, we’re posting our official predictions.
This year’s awards show has the opportunity to break the mold when it comes to winners so we’re offering our predictions of who should win in each category as well as who we think will win come Wednesday night. Let’s get started!
Entertainer of the Year
- Lady Antebellum
- Miranda Lambert
- Brad Paisley
- Keith Urban
- Zac Brown Band
This year’s Entertainer race is a three-horse race. I think Urban and the Zac Brown Band can instantly be thrown out of contention seeing as the three remaining nominees have had bigger impacts this year. This then allows for the CMA to award the genre’s biggest-selling artist, Lady Antebellum with their first Entertainer trophy. Or they can decide to go with this year’s “it” girl and most critically acclaimed artist, Miranda Lambert. Or they can award the nominee with the biggest touring numbers, Brad Paisley, who finds 2010 to be the best chance he has at taking home an Entertainer trophy. Considering the fact that they have been the genre’s biggest artist, I’m thinking this will go to Lady Antebellum.
Who Should Win: Brad Paisley
Who Will Win: Lady Antebellum
Spoiler: Miranda Lambert
Male Vocalist of the Year
- Dierks Bentley
- Brad Paisley
- Blake Shelton
- George Strait
- Keith Urban
This year saw Dierks Bentley and Blake Shelton breakthrough into this difficult category for the second and first time, respectively. Paisley, Strait, and Urban are all returning from last year’s field into this year’s nominees once again. For the past three year’s in a row, Brad Paisley has taken home this award and this year he once again comes in with little competition. Look to Brad Paisley to win his fourth straight Male Vocalist trophy.
Who Should Win: Brad Paisley
Who Will Win: Brad Paisley
Spoiler: Keith Urban
Female Vocalist of the Year
- Miranda Lambert
- Martina McBride
- Reba McEntire
- Taylor Swift
- Carrie Underwood
The same five nominees are once again nominated this year; however, there’s a new frontrunner this year in Miranda Lambert. She comes in on the heels of the best year of her career as she’s had two singles hit the top of the chart, both of which received nominations in the Single and Song categories. She’s once again delivered the most critically acclaimed album of the year with Revolution, and she’s embarked on her first headlining tour of her career. If there was ever a year where this blonde beauty deserved to win this award, it’s this year and I think she’ll finally receive the recognition she’s deserved for so long…sorry Carrie Underwood fans!
Who Should Win: Miranda Lambert
Who Will Win: Miranda Lambert
Spoiler: Carrie Underwood
New Artist of the Year
- Luke Bryan
- Easton Corbin
- Jerrod Niemann
- Chris Young
- Zac Brown Band
This year’s New Artist nominees have all hit the top of the charts this past year. Essentially, this is a two-horse race between country’s newest traditionalist, Easton Corbin, and second year nominee, Zac Brown Band. Easton was the first male artist since Dierks Bentley to send a debut single straight to number one and he also had his debut album debut at number one. Zac Brown Band have had more success at radio by adding a couple more number one singles to their credit. If I was choosing the winners, Easton Corbin would walk away with his first CMA award mainly because he is actually NEW. However, I think it’ll be hard for the CMA to ignore Zac Brown Band’s success.
Who Should Win: Easton Corbin
Who Will Win: Zac Brown Band
Spoiler: Easton Corbin
Vocal Group of the Year
- Lady Antebellum
- Little Big Town
- Rascal Flatts
- The Band Perry
- Zac Brown Band
Congrats to The Band Perry on receiving their first ever CMA nomination, but they have no chance at winning. This is a two-horse race between country’s newest supergroups Lady Antebellum and Zac Brown Band. This year, Lady Antebellum has been the biggest selling country artist and delivered one of the biggest hit singles of any genre with “Need You Now.” The Zac Brown Band have sent a few more singles to number one and have been a constant force at retail with both their studio albums. Come Wednesday night, it’ll be Lady Antebellum taking home this award for the second consecutive year.
Who Should Win: Lady Antebellum
Who Will Win: Lady Antebellum
Spoiler: Zac Brown Band
Vocal Duo of the Year
- Brooks & Dunn
- Joey + Rory
- Montgomery Gentry
- Steel Magnolia
- Sugarland
Congrats to the CMA’s for nominating five duos that have all been active in the past year! It’s awesome to see my two favorite new duos, Joey + Rory and Steel Magnolia, securing their first nominations in this category this year. This category, like the vocal group category, is essentially a two horse race. Last year’s recipients, Sugarland, have had a quiet year until recently when their hit “Stuck Like Glue” raced to the top five on the singles chart. Brooks & Dunn released a greatest hits album and had minor success at radio. Since this is their last nomination as an active duo, look for the CMA’s to award Brooks & Dunn with one last CMA award.
Who Should Win: Sugarland
Who Will Win: Brooks & Dunn
Spoiler: Sugarland
Single of the Year
- “A Little More Country Than That” – Easton Corbin
- “Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
- “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum
- “The House That Built Me” – Miranda Lambert
- “White Liar” – Miranda Lambert
This year’s nominated songs all spent time at number one on the country charts and are among this year’s biggest hits. In a CMA rarity, one artist has two songs competing for the award in the same year as Miranda Lambert’s “White Liar” and “The House That Built Me” both received nominations. Lambert could see the double nomination hurt her as the songs could split the votes making way for another single to come out with the win. This year also sees the inclusion of the multi-genre smash hit, “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum which took home both the ACM for Single and Song of the Year earlier this year. Since the single reached multiple genres and audiences and occupied the number one spot on the charts for five consecutive weeks, I’m calling this Lady Antebellum’s award to lose.
Who Should Win: “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum
Who Will Win: “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum
Spoiler: “The House That Built Me” – Miranda Lambert
Album of the Year
- Need You Now – Lady Antebellum
- Play On – Carrie Underwood
- Revolution – Miranda Lambert
- Twang – George Strait
- Up on the Ridge – Dierks Bentley
Five great albums are up for this year’s award including surprise nominee, Dierks Bentley. However, the Bentley, Underwood, and Strait albums, though all fantastic albums, have no shot at winning this award. This year the CMA’s have the opportunity to award the biggest-selling album of the year in Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now or the most critically acclaimed and most artistic album in Miranda Lambert’s Revolution. I’ve said before that CMA night will become the Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum show with the artists splitting the big awards. This one will go to Miranda Lambert’s amazing album making it both the ACM and CMA Album of the Year.
Who Should Win: Revolution – Miranda Lambert
Who Will Win: Revolution – Miranda Lambert
Spoiler: Need You Now – Lady Antebellum
Song of the Year
- “A Little More Country Than That” – Rory Lee Feek, Don Poythress, and Wynn Varble
- “Need You Now” – Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Josh Kear
- “The House That Built Me” – Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin
- “Toes” – Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, John Driskell Hopkins, and Shawn Mullins
- “White Liar” – Natalie Hemby and Miranda Lambert
Five fantastic songs all have been included in this year’s Song of the Year category. Like the Entertainer, Single, Album, and Music Video categories, this is going to be a battle between the Lady Antebellum and Miranda Lambert songs. However, this one should go to the brilliant masterpiece written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, “The House That Built Me.” This was one of the best songs to hit country radio this decade and deserves this recognition. However, like the Single category, the inclusion of Lambert’s other smash hit, “White Liar,” could hurt as they could split votes to make room for another song to take the win.
Who Should Win: “The House That Built Me” – Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin
Who Will Win: “The House That Built Me” – Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin
Spoiler: “Need You Now” – Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Josh Kear
Musical Event of the Year
- “Bad Angel” – Dierks Bentley featuring Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson
- “Can’t You See” – Zac Brown Band featuring Kid Rock
- “Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
- “I’m Alive” – Kenny Chesney with Dave Matthews
- “Till The End” – Alan Jackson with Lee Ann Womack
Such an interesting collection of nominees that includes songs by some of country’s finest artists. This could come down to the smash hit “Hillbilly Bone” and the critical darling “Bad Angel.” Since it was the only song to hit number one and since it claimed the ACM Musical Event trophy earlier this year, I’m thinking “Hillbilly Bone” will go two-for-two.
Who Should Win: “Bad Angel” – Dierks Bentley featuring Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson
Who Will Win: “Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
Spoiler: “Bad Angel” – Dierks Bentley featuring Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson
Music Video of the Year
- “Hillbilly Bone” – Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins
- “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum
- “The House That Built Me” – Miranda Lambert
- “Water” – Brad Paisley
- “White Liar” – Miranda Lambert
Five videos that represent their songs fantastically have all been nominated for video of the year. This is the fifth category that Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum will battle it out for the win and I’m thinking one of their three nominated videos will take home the prize. Miranda Lambert scored the win at the ACM’s with “White Liar,” but come CMA night, voters could go with “The House That Built Me.” Or like the other categories where Lambert has two nominations, the votes could cancel each other out paving the way for Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” to secure the win. I’m thinking Lambert will reign supreme with “House.”
Who Should Win: “The House That Built Me” – Miranda Lambert
Who Will Win: “The House That Built Me” – Miranda Lambert
Spoiler: “Need You Now” – Lady Antebellum
If you’re keeping score, ATC is predicting leading nominee Miranda Lambert to take home three awards and also her smash hit “The House That Built Me” to take home Song of the Year. We are also predicting 2010’s biggest country artist, Lady Antebellum, to take home three awards including their first Entertainer of the Year award. This year’s awards show is probably the hardest one to predict so it’ll be interesting to see how we did come Wednesday night.
The 44th CMA Awards will be broadcast live on ABC this Wednesday, November 10, at 8/7 central. This year’s awards will once again be hosted by Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley.