Yesterday I got to see the American Country Music Awards on my tellie. The bands were as competent as ever, lots of good twang etc. The show got off with Taylor Swift trying to rock the house, singing totally out of tune, off pitch the whole tune through. Later she came back for a ballad, alone with her guitar, and the catastrophy was complete. She couldn't hit one single tone right. Totally off target all the way, and I'm not exaggerating. She didn't even have a voice worth listening to. It cut me like a knife and her song was an offence to all people with a minumum of ear.

She would have been pulled off the stage even in the worst of Oslo's karaoke bars, and what happens next ? She walks away with three of the awards !!! What is Nashville thinking about these days ? " You don't know how much this means to me", she said in her acceptance speech. That may well be, but if this kind of charade is allowed to go any further I know what it will mean to country music: The End.

Country music? Mostly a bunch of right wing loud-mouths (tho there are exceptions)..Good riddance! And take Charlie Daniels with you!

As I've said for years, there are DOZENS of (relatively) current C&W hitmaker women that I'd like to see nekkid, but NONE that I'd like to listen to.

critics..

The lady from Sugarland , Jennifer Nettles can sure sing as can Miranda Lambert but besides those two you are right Dominic. Country rock light is all the Nashville industry puts out these days for the most part, and a damn shame at that as there are a ton of great alt-country and real country artists toiling in obscurity keeping the real spirit of country alive.

I didnt listen to cma but I suspect they werent paying any attention to the country music I like.

Did any of these get an award?

Cross Canadian Ragweed
Shooter Jennings
Robert Earle Kean