Jason Aldean Croons ‘Drowns the Whiskey’ at CMT Music Awards 2018

Jason Aldean followed up Blake Shelton’s rooftop performance with his new single “Drowns the Whiskey” during the 2018 CMT Music Awards.

Though the song is a duet with Miranda Lambert, Aldean took the stage solo and held his own with the track. Aldean kept the set simple with curtains draped behind him that changed color throughout the performance, strumming his guitar while bringing to life the song’s emotional lyrics about drowning one’s sorrow.

The singer kept his delivery understated as let his smooth voice flow, offering a gentle moment during the vibrant awards show. “‘Whiskey’ has always been a favorite of mine, but when Miranda came in and knocked out her parts in only a couple takes, I knew it was special,” Aldean says of the song.

“Drowns the Whiskey” is featured on his new album Rearview Town, which made him the second country act in history to have four albums straight debut in the No. 1 position on the multi-genre Billboard 200 and his sixth album to hit the top spot on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

Aldean earned four nominations at the 2018 CMT Music Awards, with “You Make It Easy” appearing in the categories of Male Video of the Year and Video of the Year, in addition to scoring two nominations in the CMT Performance of the Year category for “Midnight Rider” with Charles Kelley, Darius Rucker and Derek Trucks, and “I Won’t Back Down” featuring Chris Stapleton, Keith Urban and the night’s hosts Little Big Town.