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My CMA Picks: Female Vocalist of the Year

The nominees:
Kelly Clarkson
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

My pick: Carrie Underwood. This was a pretty easy choice for me, for a number of reasons. But before I go into those, let me talk about the other nominees.

Kelly Clarkson. She's a great singer, but I don't understand why she got nominated in this category. Yes, her duet with Jason Aldean was a huge song for both of them. Sure, she released a country version of a song that had already been a single on pop radio. And yeah, she's good friends with Reba McEntire. But none of that makes her a country singer. Her inclusion in this category makes absolutely no sense. If she ever does a fully country album and starts releasing country songs to radio - and country remixes don't count - than I would have no problems with her being nominated for country awards. She could do well in country music, but she needs to fully commit to a project instead of just flirting with the genre. 

Miranda Lambert. As the reigning female vocalist of the year, Miranda certainly can't be counted out. She's had a pretty good year this year and to say she has a good chance of winning again would be an understatement. I don't have much else to say about her honestly.

Martina McBride. Without question one of the best singers in music today. All music; not just country. The way I see it, her voice is so good that she'd deserve a nomination every year that she continues to make music. But I just don't see her winning this. Not this year anyway. Not when some of the other nominees have had the years they've had.

Taylor Swift. Her Speak Now tour was huge and her new album, Red, is coming out this month. There's been a lot of buzz about her lately, though that's not exactly a new thing. Taylor probably has a decent chance of winning. I'm not sure that her new single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is going to help her out much. Because though there is a so-called country remix, it's a pop song. I'd also say that while she definitely seems to grow as a vocalist with each passing year, she's still the weakest vocalist in this category. But again, you never know. She might take this one home.

And then there's Carrie.


What can I say about Carrie? Well, for starters, her latest album Blown Away was recently certified platinum. Considering that it just came out in May, I'd say that's pretty impressive. The song "Blown Away" has become her 16th top 10 single and as I'm writing this is sitting at #2. Her Blown Away tour, which began in mid-September, seems to be off to a good start and I've been hearing and reading all sorts of rave reviews about it. Carrie may have stayed out of the spotlight before Blown Away was released, but as all of the above proves, she's back. And she's back in a big way.

Vocally speaking, she's one of the best singers in music today. She's singing better than she ever has and is making the best music of her career to date. Out of all of the nominees most recent albums, Blown Away is my personal favorite. My instinct tells me that this award is hers to lose. Sure, it could easily go to either Miranda or Taylor. And maybe they'll decide to throw a major curve ball and give it to Kelly Clarkson. But I just don't see that happening.

So yeah, I'm going with Carrie.






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