‘The 50th Annual ACM Awards’ – CMIL Predictions
It’s almost time for Country Music’s Party of the Year!
The Academy of Country Music Awards will celebrate its 50th anniversary show with a mega-sized celebration at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX on Sunday, April 19. As we approach the much-anticipated ACM Awards, we’ve compiled our predictions for winners in each of the ACM Awards categories.
Check out our predictions below. Be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts and predictions as well!
Entertainer of the Year
• Jason Aldean
• Garth Brooks
• Luke Bryan
• Miranda Lambert
• Florida Georgia Line
Who Should/Will Win: The entertainer of the Year category is always one of the toughest categories to predict! For us, the front runners in this category are Garth Brooks, Miranda Lambert, and Luke Bryan. It’s really tough to argue who should win this one because each artist has had an amazing year, but if we’d had to pick, we’d go with Luke Bryan. He is still on top of his game in all aspects – radio, television, touring, etc., and he also has a really great record with fan voted awards. It’s hard to imagine Luke not winning EOTY this time around.
Male Vocalist of the Year
• Jason Aldean
• Dierks Bentley
• Luke Bryan
• Eric Church
• Brad Paisley
• Blake Shelton
Who Should Win: We would love to see Dierks Bentley win Male Vocalist of the Year! There’s no doubt that the past year was an incredible year for him. His album, Riser, took his career to new heights. This accolade is much-deserved and long overdue.
Who Will Win: Jason Aldean has taken this one home for the past two years, however, we have a feeling Eric Church will have the edge on him this year.
Female Vocalist of the Year
• Brandy Clark
• Miranda Lambert
• Martina McBride
• Kacey Musgraves
• Carrie Underwood
Who Should/Will Win: There’s not much to debate in this category. Miranda Lambert should and will win Female Vocalist of the Year and it will mark her sixth consecutive win in this category.
Vocal Duo of the Year
• Brothers Osborne
• Dan + Shay
• Florida Georgia Line
• Maddie & Tae
• The Swon Brothers
Who Should/Will Win: Again, there’s not much to debate here. While the other acts are each incredibly talented, Florida Georgia Line has this category on lock down this year. They continued their rise to super-stardom, and will most likely be crowned Vocal Duo of the Year again.
Vocal Group of the Year
• Lady Antebellum
• Little Big Town
• Rascal Flatts
• The Band Perry
• Zac Brown Band
Who Should Win: Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town are neck and neck in this category. Both groups had an incredible year with the release of hit singles and new albums. It’s a tough call to argue one over the other!
Who Will Win: We believe Little Big Town will ultimately come out on top.
New Artist of the Year
• Sam Hunt
• Thomas Rhett
• Cole Swindell
Who Should Win: What a tight race! Sam Hunt, Thomas Rhett, and Cole Swindell have each seen outstanding success, but we think Sam Hunt has an edge here. His music, his songwriting, his style, his stage presence, etc. is so unique and that’s what fans love about him. When you turn on the radio and hear a Sam Hunt song, it’s easy to differentiate him from everyone else and that’s not always easy these days. With two back-to-back hits, Hunt is just getting started and it would be great to see his success recognized.
Who Will Win: Because this category is partially fan voted, we have a feeling Cole Swindell may come out on top here. He has a pretty rabid fan base, and also shares a lot of fans with Luke Bryan, who is up for Entertainer of the Year, so he may enjoy a few extra votes from #TeamLuke.
Album of the Year
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
• Old Boots, New Dirt – Jason Aldean
Producer: Michael Knox
Record Label: Broken Bow Records
• Pain Killer – Little Big Town
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
• Platinum – Miranda Lambert
Producers: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf
Record Label: RCA Nashville
• Riser – Dierks Bentley
Producers: Ross Copperman, Jaren Johnston
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
• The Outsiders – Eric Church
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Label: EMI Records Nashville
Who Should Win: The Outsiders or Riser
Who Will Win: We’ll be shocked if Miranda Lambert’s Platinum doesn’t take this one home. Each one of her albums since 2007’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend have won the ACM for Album of Year, and we’re pretty sure Platinum will continue the trend.
Single Record of the Year
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
• “American Kids” – Kenny Chesney
Producers: Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney
Record Label: Blue Chair Records/Columbia Nashville
• “Automatic” – Miranda Lambert
Producers: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf
Record Label: RCA Nashville
• “Dirt” – Florida Georgia Line
Producer: Joey Moi
Record Label: Republic Nashville
• “Drunk On A Plane” – Dierks Bentley
Producer: Ross Copperman
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
• “I Don’t Dance” – Lee Brice
Producer: Lee Brice
Record Label: Curb Records
Who Should Win: Kenny Chesney had some time off, but came back with a vengeance with the release of “American Kids.” The song was so different, so fun, and marked a new chapter in the superstar’s career. We’d love to see “American Kids” crowned with the ACM Single Record of the Year Award.
Who Will Win: Miranda Lambert’s success will likely continue with another Single Record of the Year win with “Automatic.” It was an important song and is definitely worthy of the honor.
Song of the Year
[Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
• American Kids – Kenny Chesney
Songwriters: Rodney Clawson, Luke Laird, Shane McAnally
Publishers: Big Red Toe Music (BMI), Creative Nation Music (BMI), Farm Town Songs (BMI), Smack Ink (ASCAP), Songs Of Universal, Inc. (BMI), Twangin And Slangin Songs (BMI), Universal Music Corporation (ASCAP)
• “Automatic” – Miranda Lambert
Songwriters: Nicolle Galyon, Natalie Hemby, Miranda Lambert
Publishers: EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. (BMI), Pink Dog Publishing (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI), Wruckestrike (BMI)
• “Drink A Beer” – Luke Bryan
Songwriters: Jim Beavers, Chris Stapleton
Publishers: House of Sea Gayle Music (ASCAP), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)
• “Follow Your Arrow” – Kacey Musgraves
Songwriters: Brandy Clark, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves
Publishers: 351 Music (BMI), Highway 508 Songs (ASCAP), House of Sea Gayle Music (ASCAP), Smack Ink (ASCAP), Universal Music Corporation (ASCAP), Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI)
• “Give Me Back My Hometown” – Eric Church
Songwriters: Eric Church, Luke Laird
Publishers: Creative Nation Music (BMI), Longer And Louder Music (BMI), Songs Of Universal, Inc. (BMI), Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI), Twangin And Slangin Songs (BMI)
• “I Hold On” – Dierks Bentley
Songwriters: Dierks Bentley, Brett James
Publishers: Atlas Holdings (ASCAP), Big White Tracks (ASCAP), External Combustion Music (ASCAP), Songs of Brett (ASCAP), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP)
Who Should Win: This is a tough category! Voters tend to lean toward awarding the Song of the Year award to a ballad. In that case, “Drink A Beer” or “I Hold On” are the top contenders (in our opinion). We can’t pick just one! Both songs are very important to the artists who recorded them and are very relatable to fans.
Who Will Win: Luke Bryan tragically lost his brother-in-law late last year. “Drink A Beer” already meant a lot to the Georgia native, who previously lost his brother and sister as well. The country music community and fans alike rallied around the superstar during this tough time and the song took on a whole new life.
Video of the Year
[Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)] *(Off Camera Award) (TIE)
• “American Kids” – Kenny Chesney
Director: Shaun Silva
Producer: Don Lepore
• “Cop Car” – Keith Urban
Director: John Urbano
Producer: Michelle Abnet
• “Drunk On A Plane” – Dierks Bentley
Director: Wes Edwards
Producer: Clarke Gallivan
• “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” – Glen Campbell
Director: James Keach
Producer: Julian Raymond
• “Somethin’ Bad” – Miranda Lambert Duet With Carrie Underwood
Director: Trey Fanjoy
Producer: Trent Hardville
Who Should/Will Win: The “Drunk On A Plane” music video was SO MUCH FUN. Not only for the fans, but for Dierks Bentley and his awesome alter-ego. This was a memorable video and it definitely deserves the Video of the Year nod.
Vocal Event of the Year
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]*(Off Camera Award)
• “Lonely Tonight” – Blake Shelton Featuring Ashley Monroe
Producer: Scott Hendricks
Record Label: Warner Bros. Records
• “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s” – Tim McGraw Featuring Faith Hill
Producers: Byron Gallimore, Tim McGraw
Record Label: Big Machine Records
• “Somethin’ Bad” – Miranda Lambert Duet With Carrie Underwood
Producers: Chuck Ainlay, Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf
Record Label: RCA Nashville
• “The South” – The Cadillac Three Featuring Florida Georgia Line, Dierks Bentley & Mike Eli
Producers: Dann Huff, Justin Niebank
Record Label: Big Machine Records
• “This Is How We Roll” – Florida Georgia Line Featuring Luke Bryan
Producer: Joey Moi
Record Label: Republic Nashville
Who Should Win: “Meanwhile Back At Mama’s” is such a great song and was perfect for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. While a Tim and Faith duet isn’t much of an “event” anymore, since they’ve recorded together so often over the years, it’s been quite some time since we heard a duet from them. We’d love to see this one take home the ACM.
Who Will Win: Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood’s “Somethin Bad” brought two of the genre’s female powerhouses together. This one will likely come out on top.
Fans can tune in to the LIVE broadcast of the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday April 19, 2014 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.
