The nominees:
Big & Rich
Love and Theft
Sugarland
The Civil Wars
Thompson Square
I kept going back and forth between a couple of them, but ultimately my pick for CMA Duo of the Year? Thompson Square.
My thoughts on the other nominees?
First up is Big & Rich. After taking a break for the past few years to pursue individual projects, they're back to making music together. Their new CD, Hillbilly Jedi, came out last month and the lead off single from said CD "That's Why I Pray" became a top 15 hit on country radio. But I really don't see them having a shot here.
Love and Theft. My second choice. As I said in my pick for new artist, I really believe that they have a huge chance of winning this. They just had their first #1 with "Angel Eyes" and have really been making a name for themselves lately. They've put on a great show every time I've seen them. I really like these guys and I'd have no problem whatsoever if they managed a win.
Sugarland. It'd be silly to rule them out, so I won't. It's been quite a while since they've released a new single and their last CD, Incredible Machine, came out two years ago. Now Jennifer is pregnant and going to be having her child sometime next month and I have to wonder what that means for Sugarland. My instinct is that it could be a while before we hear new music from them. But they had a strong touring year, perhaps the strongest of the bunch. They're also the reigning champions, having won this award for the past five years. That's going to be hard for the voters to ignore. But, much like group, this category is in a rut. There was the great Brooks & Dunn, who formerl dominated this category, winning a total sixteen times. And now Sugarland has won five times. It's time to let someone else win, especially since it's been so long since we've had new Sugarland music.
The Civil Wars. This duo has received a lot of praise from critics and fans alike and they've deserved all of it. But they're the least known of all the nominees and I don't think they have a chance. It's pretty interesting that they got the nomination though. And that's really all I have to say about them.
So why Thompson Square? Well, for starters there's the fact that they won Duo at the ACMs this year, providing what was seen by many as the biggest upset of the night. That's something that should be taken into consideration. Their latest single "Glass" made it into the top 15 and they had a very solid touring year, opening for Lady Antebellum and doing some dates with Rascal Flatts. Vocally speaking, Shawna Thompson is the most traditionally sounding country singer in this category and that's not going to hurt them. Especially not at the CMAs, who can be known to lead a little more towards the more traditional artists. So her voice is only going to help. Not to take anything away from Keifer, mind. The real magic of Thompson Square is how well their voices complement each other, after all. That combined with the obvious chemistry that comes from them as a couple. It's something that sets them apart from the rest of the nominees. It would not surprise me in the least if they walked away with this one.
And there you have it, my pick for Duo. This one was a bit on the shorter side for me, but that's okay. The next category up is Single of the Year and then we get to one of the biggest awards of the night, Album of the Year. Followed by Song of the Year, Musical Event of the Year and finally, Music Video of the Year. Of course, I write this as Hurricane Sandy is making its way towards the East Coast and, seeing as how I'm currently in Maryland, this may pose a problem. Hopefully not. But we'll have to see. In the meantime, I'm going to try to get the next couple of posts up later today (Sunday) before anything major happens.
And that said, to everyone out there who may also be affected by Hurricane Sandy, please stay safe and be careful. I will certainly be keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers.
Thanks for reading!
Love and Theft. My second choice. As I said in my pick for new artist, I really believe that they have a huge chance of winning this. They just had their first #1 with "Angel Eyes" and have really been making a name for themselves lately. They've put on a great show every time I've seen them. I really like these guys and I'd have no problem whatsoever if they managed a win.
Sugarland. It'd be silly to rule them out, so I won't. It's been quite a while since they've released a new single and their last CD, Incredible Machine, came out two years ago. Now Jennifer is pregnant and going to be having her child sometime next month and I have to wonder what that means for Sugarland. My instinct is that it could be a while before we hear new music from them. But they had a strong touring year, perhaps the strongest of the bunch. They're also the reigning champions, having won this award for the past five years. That's going to be hard for the voters to ignore. But, much like group, this category is in a rut. There was the great Brooks & Dunn, who formerl dominated this category, winning a total sixteen times. And now Sugarland has won five times. It's time to let someone else win, especially since it's been so long since we've had new Sugarland music.
The Civil Wars. This duo has received a lot of praise from critics and fans alike and they've deserved all of it. But they're the least known of all the nominees and I don't think they have a chance. It's pretty interesting that they got the nomination though. And that's really all I have to say about them.
So why Thompson Square? Well, for starters there's the fact that they won Duo at the ACMs this year, providing what was seen by many as the biggest upset of the night. That's something that should be taken into consideration. Their latest single "Glass" made it into the top 15 and they had a very solid touring year, opening for Lady Antebellum and doing some dates with Rascal Flatts. Vocally speaking, Shawna Thompson is the most traditionally sounding country singer in this category and that's not going to hurt them. Especially not at the CMAs, who can be known to lead a little more towards the more traditional artists. So her voice is only going to help. Not to take anything away from Keifer, mind. The real magic of Thompson Square is how well their voices complement each other, after all. That combined with the obvious chemistry that comes from them as a couple. It's something that sets them apart from the rest of the nominees. It would not surprise me in the least if they walked away with this one.
And there you have it, my pick for Duo. This one was a bit on the shorter side for me, but that's okay. The next category up is Single of the Year and then we get to one of the biggest awards of the night, Album of the Year. Followed by Song of the Year, Musical Event of the Year and finally, Music Video of the Year. Of course, I write this as Hurricane Sandy is making its way towards the East Coast and, seeing as how I'm currently in Maryland, this may pose a problem. Hopefully not. But we'll have to see. In the meantime, I'm going to try to get the next couple of posts up later today (Sunday) before anything major happens.
And that said, to everyone out there who may also be affected by Hurricane Sandy, please stay safe and be careful. I will certainly be keeping everyone in my thoughts and prayers.
Thanks for reading!
Comments
Post a Comment