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NASHVILLE -- The coronation of Miranda Lambert began early – Wednesday morning, actually, when she and Keith Urban were honored for musical event of the year for “We Were Us.”
But the spitfire singer continued her watershed year at the official ceremony for the 48th Annual Country Music Association Awards that night when she earned three more glass trophies for album of the year ("Platinum), single of the year ("Automatic") and a fifth nod for female vocalist of the year (she surpassed Reba McEntire's career wins in the category).
“It’s really unbelievable. I feel like this year more than ever I’m in the moment and enjoying every second,” Lambert said backstage,
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
clad in a figure-enhancing white dress. “I really love my job and I love music and I love country music. It feels really good to know that people are paying attention.”
The ceremony was also momentous for Leesburg native Luke Bryan, who went big with his inaugural CMA Award – entertainer of the year.
Bryan was presented with the award by Garth Brooks, a man in black from head to toe making his first appearance at the show since 2005.
“The fact that I’ve never met Garth and he handed me the entertainer of the year award, that is just crazy to me,” Bryan said backstage, wearing his natty black velvet jacket. “When I was a kid and you saw how he put on a show, it was undeniable that you (wanted to) put on a show like Garth.
“To try to understand that your first CMA Award is entertainer of the year...,” Bryan continued. “I have long sought to get one of these in my hands. To get the respect of the CMA board and all of its voters is a ginormous deal. I can’t help but, in the back of my mind, want some of that respect from this body of people. I’m humbled and really just so blessed. I will never take a second of it for granted.”
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
This year’s show, which aired live from the Bridgestone Arena, was peppered with predictability (the polarizing Florida Georgia Line earned vocal duo of the year honors for the second consecutive year, Little Big Town scooped up vocal group of the year for the third time) as well as surprises in the win column and on the stage.
The luminous Kacey Musgraves – and heir apparent to Loretta Lynn – trotted out Lynn’s “You’re Looking at Country” before the queen, in one of her regal ball gowns, popped out from backstage to sing a few verses as well.
Musgraves’ victory in the song of the year category for her unconventional “Follow Your Arrow” wasn’t expected considering her competition of Lambert, Eric Church, Lee Brice and Dierks Bentley.
“For a song that I was told would never and could never be a single, it gives me a lot of faith that people still connect with a message when they love it,” Musgraves said backstage. “It’s an anthem for all kinds of people. I could not be more proud.”
“Arrow” was co-written by Shane McAnally and Brandy Clark, who lost new artist of the year to Brett Eldredge. Musgraves and Clark are two of only 14 women who have won CMA song of the year honors.
A face familiar to the CMA Awards – Blake Shelton – also had a significant evening, and not only because of wife Lambert’s multiple scores: His fifth consecutive win for male vocalist of the year tied him with Vince Gill and George Strait for the record.
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
Credit: Melissa Ruggieri
“I’ve been doing this since my early 20s, and to know that I’m still hanging around after all this time and still have a home here (at the CMAs), it’s hard to explain,” Shelton said backstage. “It’s easy for me to go, a lot of this stuff is because of ‘The Voice,’ but on the other hand, ‘The Voice’ is because of the music and they kind of go hand in hand. It’s been the perfect recipe. This is beyond a dream come true. I could not be a happier human being with the way this night has gone. This might be the biggest night of our lives as far as the music industry goes.”
Continuing its Grammy-like tradition of mixing genres during performances, the CMAs cross-pollinated with the pop and rock worlds to mixed results.
Lambert and Meghan Trainor (a country songwriter before her breakthrough hit) proved a cute, agreeable mix on the doo-wop-ish “All About that Bass.” But Ariana Grande’s appearance at the end of Little Big Town’s terrifically spunky “Day Drinking” overpowered with a miscast rendition of “Bang Bang” performed with the group, which still maintains ties to Georgia.
But even Grande’s histrionics couldn’t mar the visual effect of LBT’s glowing costumes and precision drum line.
“So many people and so many wires in all kinds of places,” joked the band’s Kimberly Schlapman backstage. “We couldn’t bend over or turn to the side or we’d short out (the costumes).”
Later in the show, Jennifer Nettles and Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott jammed with The Doobie Brothers on a harmonically rich “Listen to the Music.”
The performance was a highlight of the three-hour ceremony, as was The Band Perry’s gorgeous rendition of Glen Campbell’s “Gentle on My Mind,” which featured a lovely, understated lead vocal by Kimberly Perry and spot-on harmonies from her hirsute brothers Neil and Reid.
The show was hosted, for the seventh consecutive year, by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, who revealed the sex of her baby to Paisley (it’s a boy!) and performed song parodies about such topical subjects as Ebola and Taylor Swift’s defection to the pop industry.
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