I understand that the "mainstream" artists are the ones making money for their labels, but there is so much more talent out there that deserves to be recognized, IMO. I'm afraid this is going to be the Carrie Underwood show again, with her winning all the awards that she is up for. American Idol has a huge following and I understand that is a big part of her success at the moment, but there are other female artists out there that can sing.
That being said, I honestly think the closest race of the night could be the Duo of the Year award. Sugarland is hot and with them being moved into this category could really give Brooks & Dunn some competition. The other duos are good too, but Sugarland is the darling of CM at the moment. Vocal Group of the Year is probably going to go to Rascal Flatts again.
Male Artist of the Year, IMO, should go to Brad Paisley, but either Keith Urban or Kenny Chesney will probably walk away with that one. Keith Urban really didn't do much this past year so his nomination was a bit of a mystery to me, he didn't tour much and his CD was released later in the year.
I would like to see George Strait or Tim McGraw take home EOTY, but have a feeling it will be Kenny Chesney again. Tim had one of the highest grossing tours last year but didn't release a new
CD. What I would like to see is more women being nominated in this category.
