2015 ACM Awards Winners List:
Entertainer of the Year: Luke Bryan
Songwriter of the Year: Luke Laird
Male Vocalist of the Year: Jason Aldean
Single Record of the Year: I Don’t Dance, Lee Brice
Female Vocalist of the Year: Miranda Lambert
New Artist of the Year: Cole Swindell
Album of the Year: Platinum, Miranda Lambert
Vocal Group of the Year: Little Big Town
Vocal Duo of the Year: Florida Georgia Line
Song of the Year: Automatic, Miranda Lambert
50th Anniversary Milestone Award: George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Taylor Swift, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Reba, Brooks & Dunn
Video of the Year: Drunk on a Plane, Dierks Bentley
Vocal Event of the Year: This Is How We Roll, Florida Georgia Line feat. Luke Bryan
Far be it for me to point a finger but in the battle for pop supremacy, dance, hip hop and country go at it every year and rock and roll sits at the back of the club, saying “this rounds on me”. While Imagine Dragons envisions a world where beats and rhythm and blues just might meet in the middle, the truth is the always protean rock and roll lost its snap 20 years ago. Country rock, yes, dance rock… it doesn’t mesh enough to sound good or too sound artistic. It loses on every level.
Which saves it from an award ceremony like this one. At the start of the year I’d have absolutely embraced my inner Miranda Lambert ( “Thank you so much for allowing me to live my dream. I love you so much, thank you”) and been happy she walk away with album, female vocalist and Milestone awards, but after a lousy live show, I am seriously less thrilled. As for the other names here? Lee Brice? Luke Bryan? The awful Florida Georgia Line? Really, this is country?
These are all such lame country stars compared to the music’s golden age. Still, at least it sells and if you are gonna make pop music, for godssake make sure it is popular.