Jenn’s Review Of The CMA Awards – The Good AND The Bad

Last night was the 53rd Annual CMA Awards… Country music’s biggest night.

What a star lineup. I mean, every year is a star lineup but this year the Country Music Association pulled out all the stops. Loretta Lynn, Dolly, Willie, Reba, Tracey Clark – the list goes on of the legends and pillars in this format that were present last night. If there would have been any CMA Award show to attend, it would’ve been this one. BUMMED I didn’t go. For being nominated for an award I was given two tickets to go but I declined and I definitely regret that. I might be regretting that for a while. Thank goodness for TV, am I right?

I stayed up for the entire three hour show and I had moments of wow and moments of WTH… here are a few of those reactions:

FEMALE POWER – For an association that has had such female legends it felt good to honor them and show the industry that girls still have a place in country music. They did it tastefully and respectfully of the men. I loved it!

Dolly, Reba, Carrie – How entertaining! Dolly needs her own stand up comedy tour! I’d go lol

Outfit changes – I lost track after 17… Obsessive? Maybe. Do I love it? Of course I do!

All the performances with artists outside the country format – PHENOMENAL! Each kept the country roots and highlighted our artists. So good!

Willie Nelson – Oh, sweet spirit. It felt like maybe I watched Willie perform one of the last times, ever. Bless him.

Hannah Brown – This is the girl who was on The Bachelor and then became The Bachelorette and is now on DWTS. Why was she presenting? Nothing against her but Lauren Alaina is also on DWTS and is actually an artist in the format… I don’t understand Hannah’s place there. Just me?

Broadcast award winners – WHAT THE ACTUAL *beep* Insert your own explicit here… I don’t know if you saw the group photo of all the broadcast award winners or not. You may not have because it showed up on the TV for about two seconds and then there were commercials. What a snub to us. I know that Tony, Jake, and myself didn’t win and we weren’t there so why do I care that the people who beat me got snubbed? Look at it this way – who plays all these artist’s music? Talks about them all the time? Talks about the CMA’s obsessively before and after the show? WE DO! CMA – y’all can do better.

Kelsea Ballerini’s performance – Perfection. To get out in front of people AND on national television and perform your song JUST you and your guitar that you’re playing… Talent. Pure talent.

Who won awards – Well, let’s just say everyone that won wasn’t who I voted for LOL. Of all the categories I only was correct on two. A few *unmentioned* winners didn’t make sense to me but I digress…

The ending of the awards – Always awkward. They announce the biggest award we are all waiting to hear (Entertainer of the Year), we listen to the winners speech and then the hosts get up and say ‘bye.’ We get to the peak of the night and then fall off a cliff. Can I suggest going out with a big performance? Sort of like concerts always end? You trickle out during that last song… Yes? No?

Well, there’s my thoughts. All in all – a great night and I’m bummed I didn’t make the trip to Nashville for the show!

xoxoxo

Jenn