SINGLE OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to Artist and Producer)
- "Anyway" Martina McBride Produced by Martina McBride RCA Records
- "Before He Cheats" Carrie Underwood Produced by Mark Bright 19 Recordings Limited/Arista Records
- "Lost In This Moment" Big & Rich Produced by Big Kenny and John Rich Warner Bros.
- "Ticks" Brad Paisley Produced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois Arista Nashville
- "Wrapped" George Strait Produced by Tony Brown and George Strait MCA Nashville
Who I want to win? My vote is with King George.
Who will win? I'm torn between "Before He Cheats" and "Wrapped." I think Carrie will come out on top here.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to Artist and Producer)
- 5th Gear Brad Paisley Produced by Frank Rogers and Chris DuBois Arista Nashville
- It Just Comes Natural George Strait Produced by Tony Brown and George Strait MCA Nashville
- Long Trip Alone Dierks Bentley Produced by Brett Beavers Capitol Records Nashville
- Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing Keith Urban Produced by Dann Huff and Keith Urban Capitol Records Nashville
- These Days Vince Gill Produced by Vince Gill, John Hobbs and Justin Niebank MCA Nashville
Who I want to win? All five of these albums are fantastic, but again, I'm going to have to go with George Strait's It Just Comes Natural.
Who will win? Vince Gill has long been a favorite of the CMA, and I think his album may pull out the win here.
SONG OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to Songwriter and Primary Publisher)
- "Anyway" Martina McBride/Brad Warren/Brett Warren Delemmava Music/Bucky and Clyde Music
- "Before He Cheats" Josh Kear/Chris Tompkins That Little House Music/Mighty Under Dog Music/Sony/ATV Cross Keys
- "Give It Away" Bill Anderson/Buddy Cannon/Jamey Johnson Sony/ATV Tree/Mr. Bubba Music/Slow Run Music/EMI Blackwood
- "Lost In This Moment" John Rich/Keith Anderson/Rodney Clawson Rich Texan Music/Warner-Tamerlane/Writer's Extreme/ EMI April Music/Romeo Cowboy
- "Stupid Boy" Dave Berg/Deanna Bryant/Sarah Buxton Song Planet/That Little House Music/Cal IV Songs/ BergBrain Music
Who I want to win? Being a big Keith Anderson fan, I have to go with "Lost In This Moment." The song is just the perfect wedding song, and I think it deserves the award.
Who will win? I'm going to lean towards "Give It Away." It's another category where all the songs are so good that it's hard to pick.
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
(Award to each Artist)
- Reba McEntire with Kelly Clarkson "Because of You" MCA Nashville
- Tracy Lawrence featuring Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" Rocky Comfort Records/CO5
- Jimmy Buffett with George Strait and Alan Jackson "Hey Good Lookin'" (Live) MCA Nashville
- Alison Krauss and John Waite "Missing You" Rounder Records
- Vince Gill with Guest Vocalist Alison Krauss "The Reason Why" MCA Nashville
Who I want to win? I would love to see Tracy Lawrence win this. He's never won a CMA Award in his career. Plus, the song was just so darn much fun to listen to with these three friends, I really want this to win.
Who will win? I'm kind of torn between Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson with "Because of You," and Vince Gill and Alison Krauss with "The Reason Why." I'm thinking I might want to say Reba and Kelly because of the Alison factor. What is the Alison factor? Well, many times when you have an artist that is nominated twice in the same category, the votes cancel themselves out. Since Alison is also nominated with John Waite for "Missing You," I'm thinking that might be the case.
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
(Award goes to Artist and Director)
- "Anyway" Martina McBride Directed by Robert Deaton and George J. Flanigen IV
- "Before He Cheats" Carrie Underwood Directed by Roman White
- "Moments" Emerson Drive Directed by Steven Goldmann
- "Online" Brad Paisley Directed by Jason Alexander
- "You Save Me" Kenny Chesney Directed by Shaun Silva
Who I want to win? Anyone who has read my "Hot Country Songs" article knows how much I love the song "Moments." Yep, that's my pick.
Who will win? I have a feeling that Kenny Chesney's "You Save Me" might take home the award in this category. The video was almost a mini-movie, with its involved story. Not to say the others aren't also great videos, but Kenny's is a step above, as far as not being just a simple video. I think that may sway votes in its favor. After all, we are voting for the video itself, not just the song, or the artist.
Well, those are my predictions. Watch the CMA Awards on November 7th, at 8:00 pm on ABC, to see how I did.