The 2017 CMA Awards are just over a week away, and it’s time for the staff of Taste of Country and our readers to square off in predicting the night’s big winners!
It’s become an annual tradition for us to pick our projected winners for the biggest categories at the CMA Awards, and then let our readers weigh in to see who can come closest to picking the winners on country music’s biggest night. Who do you want to see take home the big awards this year?
Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert are the two most-nominated artists in the 2017 CMA Awards; she’s up for Female Vocalist, Album, Single, Song and Music Video of the Year, and Urban is vying for Male Vocalist, Song, Single, Music Video and Entertainer of the Year.
Take a look at all of the 2017 CMA Awards nominees below, and then vote for the artist you think will win in each category. You can vote once per hour from now until the polls close on Nov. 8 at 6PM ET.
The 2017 CMA Awards will air live from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 8 on ABC. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are returning to co-host for the tenth consecutive year.
Remember: The best way to watch the CMAs is on TV, with ToC on your phone!
Entertainer of the Year
Our Pick: Keith Urban
Urban’s on a real hot streak with the success of his Ripcord album, a string of No. 1 hit singles and a massive tour. He’s seen success in all of the major ways that impact Entertainer of the Year, and he’s also got so much support among country music insiders. We predict he will win Entertainer of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards.
Female Vocalist of the Year
Our Pick: Miranda Lambert
Lambert has practically owned this category for much of the last decade, and deservedly so. But her work on her latest album, The Weight of These Wings, is beyond anything else she’s ever done vocally, and it’s not hard to predict that she’ll return as the Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards.
Male Vocalist of the Year
Our Pick: Thomas Rhett
Rhett has become one of the hottest stars in country music in recent years, culminating in the huge success of his new album, Life Changes. The album contains a diversity of material that showcases Rhett’s voice in a new way that surpasses anything else he’s done.
Album of the Year
Our Pick: The Weight of These Wings
It’s a real toss-up between Lambert’s ambitious masterpiece and Stapleton’s instant classic. But in the end, Lambert’s risky mix of country, rock folk and other genres and the sheer audacity of a double album with each disc having its own theme should win her Album of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards.
New Artist of the Year
Our Pick: Brett Young
This is such a tough category. Everyone here is so deserving, but Brett Young just has that something extra that makes him stand out from the crowd. It’s partly his great songs, partly his amazing singing and partly the star presence he carries that makes him such an appealing artist.
Song of the Year
Our Pick: “Better Man”
There’s no shortage of great songs in 2017 in country music, but Little Big Town‘s “Better Man” has the edge. It’s a great melody and lyric, and it marks the return of Taylor Swift to country radio as a songwriter. The award will go to her as songwriter if “Better Man” wins, and we hope she’s on hand to receive it!
Vocal Group of the Year
Our Pick: Lady Antebellum
Vocal Group of the Year probably comes down to a two-way run-off between Little Big Town and Lady Antebellum at the 2017 CMA Awards, and as great as Little Big Town are, Vocal Group of the Year should go to Lady Antebellum this year. It’s hard for a band to come back from a break and still be relevant, and they not only pulled it off, they released one of the coolest singles of their career with “You Look Good.”
Vocal Duo of the Year
Our Pick: Florida Georgia Line
When it comes to Vocal Duo of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards, there’s Florida Georgia Line, and then there’s everybody else. All of the nominees are very talented and doing well in their own right, but right now FGL are in a different galaxy career-wise than any other duo in country music. They’ll take this one easily in 2017.
Musical Event of the Year
Thomas Rhett and Maren Morris, “Craving You”
Another very difficult category, but in the end, it has to be “Craving You.” It’s the first duet Rhett’s ever released, and he’s up for Male Vocalist, while Morris is up for Female Vocalist. Put them together on a song that reached No. 1 before its parent album was even released, and it adds up to winning Musical Event of the Year.
Music Video of the Year
Our Pick: Miranda Lambert, “Vice”
Miranda Lambert has always made great videos, but she’s hit a new stride with the conceptual video for “Vice,” which is fraught with symbolism. The video shows Lambert leaving behind the emotional wreckage of the aftermath of her divorce from Blake Shelton, an event that received more attention than just about any other in country music over the last few years. The dramatic and hard-hitting clip deserves to win.
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This Article Was Originally Posted at www.TasteofCountry.com
