CMA countdown starts....

The Country Music Assn. Awards are only a couple weeks away (Nov. 7). Tickets are still available for those willing to make the trip to Nashville. A pair of reserved seats at the Sommet Center can be yours for $817.01. With face value at $382.50, you're only paying about $52 in service charges, which, admittedly, isn't so bad.

Alison Krauss, Kellie Pickler and Jason Aldean were added to the list of performers yesterday. They join the likes of Big & Rich, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney and the Eagles, among others. Yes, the Eagles, you read that right. But those wondering what the SoCal rockers are doing at a country award show, take heart. According to the CMA database, the Eagles have scored two CMA nominations -- one in 1976 and one in 1977. So, you see, it makes perfect sense to bring back band with such an illustrious country history.

But back to the awards. Over the next couple weeks, leading up the show, major categories will broken down here.

First up is Male Vocalist of the Year. The nominees include Kenny Chesney, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Josh Turner and Keith Urban (pictured). Including this year's tallies, those artists have a total of 147 nominations among them.

Strait is clearly the veteran/legend among the crew, racking up a whopping 70 nods. He hasn't won since 2005 (Musical Event of the year: "Good News, Bad News"), and this could be his year. He's coming off an induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and his album, "It Just Comes Natural," spawned the hit "Give it Away." He's the safe choice, and a solid bet here, but the rival Academy of Country Music Awards already lavished a few trophies on him, and the CMAs may opt for a riskier choice.

The award could have been Chesney's for the taking. His "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates" was one of the more anticipated albums of the fall. It's still bringing in solid sales, having now moved more than 670,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan. But it failed to be the critical breakthrough, especially with all the pre-release hype of the album showing a more graceful, mature Chesney. It was, ultimately, a slight let-down, and I'm betting that swung the momentum away from him.

Turner's "Your Man" was steeped in tradition, but not a stand-out, and Paisley's "5th Gear" brought a much-needed jolt of humor to country. But the winner here will be Aussie Urban, whose "Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing" packed the most grit. It was his most commercial effort, and it accomplished that without sacrificing the guitars. He won the award last year, has a greatest hits package on the horizon, and supposedly won his battle with alcohol abuse. "Love, Pain" also had a bit more groove than the other albums in the category, and he's still country's best male star at the moment.

Now tell me why I'm wrong.

(Photo courtesy AFP/Getty Images)

Comments

[gloria]

Keith should have been the winner in my opinion, but they had to punish him for being in rehab! Country music has lost it in my opinion when they treat someone as talented as Keith Urban like a stepchild and reward someone who writes a stupid song about ticks! Politics are in everything and country music is no exception!