Country Time: The CMA Aftermath
By: Matt Bjorke
Last updated November 20th , 2009

During last week's Country Music Association (CMA) Awards program, Taylor Swift took home every award she was nominated for; Video of the Year, Album of the Year, Entertainer of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year.  The first two awards were pretty much hers to lose as she makes good videos with strong production values while Album of the Year seemed like the perfect category to reward Taylor Swift for a 'job well done' in promoting country music so much that the album was the best-selling release of 2008-2009. Those other two awards, though, found Miss Swift winning in categories against established artists (Kenny Chesney in the Entertainer category, Carrie Underwood in the Female Vocalist) who both had won the categories for three years straight and looked to continue their streaks with strong years.  

There were arguments about Taylor Swift even being nominated let alone win the category for Female Vocalist.  So imagine these same folks surprise when country music's teen queen took home the award.  Carrie Underwood's massive and extremely loyal fans immediately took to twitter and various internet sites to proclaim their outrage over the fact that their idol could've lost a category to an inferior vocalist.  While I personally didn't think Swift would win the award this year, I wasn't stunned when she did.  It was just a case of an industry realizing that Taylor Swift has kept a lot of them in employment as she's brought in fans to the genre.  The entertainer category is one place where Swift was a logical nominee not only because of what she's done for the industry this past year (a consideration for the award) but for her energetic live shows which are not only entertaining but consistently sell-out.  Chesney was a formidable contender here as he is the USA's biggest concert draw (filling stadiums) but in the end, the industry has never awarded the category to the same artist four times and it looks as if they decided this year was Taylor's year to win it. 

Two other categories had surprise wins and they, too, came with some 'controversy.'  Lady Antebellum took home the first award of the evening for Single of the Year for their great single "I Run To You."  The trio, who won last year's Best New Artist award, have seen their profile continue to rise higher and higher and as a result of both their award show win, they've scored the rare feat of getting a country song, current single "I Run To You" to the top of the digital singles chart this week, the first time a country act not named Taylor Swift has achieved the feat.  Lady Antebellum also took home the Best Vocal Group award, stopping Rascal Flatts' six-year reign in the category. 
  
When everything is said and done, though, most people will forget who won what award until November, 2010 when we'll find out who wins the awards again.  I suspect that people may still be surprised  if Swift repeats their awards claiming the very same things they always claim about her, that she's a 'flash in a pan,' inexperienced, 'not ready,' that she 'hasn't earned' her place, that she's not a country singer, that she cannot sing, etc.  While some of those arguments may be valid, the one thing that is absolutely wrong is that she is a 'flash in the pan' for she's one hell of a strong songwriter who will likely continue to make strong songs that find an audience.  That is, after all, why she won all these awards in the first place.

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