CMA Awards 2010 live: All the performances as they happen

What follows will be instant grades of every performance at tonight's Country Music Assn. Awards. This post is written off-site from the CMAs at the LAT HQ, and strives to be as fast and accurate as possible. This will be updated constantly throughout the night.

There may be typos. 

Carrie Underwood, "Songs Like This." The host of the show gets things going with her Nashville-via-Shania Twain rocker, and a  a song that works on country radio simply because it uses a banjo as if it's a lead guitar. Sporting red heels and a glittery silver dress that looks like it was ripped from a made-for-TV-version of "Tron," Underwood howled and wailed and started the show with a high energy pop tune. It was Keith Urban who gave Underwood an assist on the banjo, and co-host Brad Paisley who wielded the guitar. A minute or two later the hosts gave a shout-out to Gwyneth Paltrow, who was sitting in the audience and will perform tonight, but were careful to say this show is broadcast from Nashville rather than Los Angeles. Underwood's performance, however, was all Hollywood. Grade: B-. Bonus grade: Paisley doing country versions of Lady Gaga songs in the opening monologue: A

Rascal Flatts, "Why Wait" The stage is going for a Las Vegas look, but this is all Branson, Mo., shtick. Proving that a country sparkle is not just for the genre's leading ladies, singer Gary LeVox paces the stage in a shiny purple shirt, doing his best to justify rushing into marriage. Why not? The angry drunk divorce songs can come on Album No. 10. Like too much of mainstream country, this is Nashville comfort food, and it's easy to knock the plain-and-simple quality of the band. But Rascal Flatts look like they're fancy accountants playing Western dress-up for the night, and I find the look too charming to hate. Grade: C

Blake Shelton, "All About Tonight." When Blake's girl Miranda Lambert was onstage accepting an award for “The House That Built Me,” writers Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin noted that the song could have easily gone to Blake. Shelton’s "All About Tonight" could just have easily gone to Rascal Flatts, as there's little to distinguish this tossed-off party tune. Though it's odd to hear Shelton sing the line "we're rocking all kinds of concoctions in our hands" (you know things are getting RECKLESS when there's "CONCOCTIONS"), the tune comes and goes, and without an impact. Grade: D

Miranda Lambert, "That's The Way The World Goes 'Round." The Nashville scene has an artist who’s long been deserving of Taylor Swift-like adulations, and that artist is Miranda Lambert. Expect this to be her year to break through to household name status, and she did nothing to hurt her chances tonight. Lambert was devastatingly fierce from the moment the song started, casually leaning on her microphone and snarling lyrics about a lady who “beats her old man with her pantyhose.” Finally, the CMAs offer a song with a bit of personality -- not that Miranda needs any more. She’s distinguished herself from the other country ladies by taking on a rougher, old-school edge, and she plays it well. If Carrie Underwood looks like a Disney princess, Lambert is the opposite. Her hair is loose and frayed, and her Southern rasp is laced with unpredictability. When she fist punches each guitar riff, you better get out of the way. Team Lambert. Grade: A (NOTE: Earlier, in a moment of haste, I wrote that Lambert performed "The House That Built Me." Grrrr. Embarrassing, but the latter was on my mind, and I was moving fast.)

George Strait, "The Breath You Take." One can rarely go wrong with Strait, and Strait was on point here. From the opening moments of the song, when Strait laid out a portrait of a father and son connecting on a baseball diamond, one knew a tearjerker was coming. Strait delivers with elegance. If there was a problem, it’s that the beautiful number came right after Miranda got the party started. Grade: B+

Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson, "As She's Walking Away." These country good ol' boys just won best new artist, and they never fail at kicking up a tailgate-worthy party. But there's no real heartache in this tale about a gal who got away. "I don't even know her name," Zac sang in this toss-off song of regret, one that comes complete with "roll the dice" lyrical cliches. Grade: D+  

Kenny Chesney, "The Boys of Fall." Nothing adds some oomph to a song about pigskin nostalgia like John Madden interludes. Skip. Grade: F. 

Taylor Swift, "Back to December." One of the world's biggest pop stars has had some shaky award show moments, and she faced plenty of criticism after her Grammy appearance with Stevie Nicks. Swift stayed in her comfort zone here, though watching her felt a bit like watching a figure skater who's had some falls on the big stage. Accompanied by a string section and fake snow, Swift kept it simple. As long as you don't listen to the lyrics ("Turns out freedom ain’t nothing but missing you"), this is a big-moment ballad, and Swift rose to the occasion. Grade: B+

Sugarland, "Stuck Like Glue." No doubt the night's weirdest performance. I'm putting Sugarland in the so-embarrassingly-awful-that-it-was-kinda-awesome category. The stage was dressed like a music box, but it really just looked like a Target commercial. Jennifer Nettles acted like a wind-up toy, which finally explains her Elaine Benes-like dance moves, and for some reason there was a stationary tutu that was used as a prop. Following?  Neither was anyone else here, yet just try to not watch this whole performance on YouTube. It's cringe-inducing, yes, especially the out-of-place reggae-rap thing (!?!). I think Sugarland just created ("concocted?") Nashville's "Troll 2." Grade: A.   

Keith Urban, "Put You in  a Song."  This New Zealander does country fit for a Super Bowl halftime show, but this is the second song tonight about someone inspiring a song. After Sugarland's Candyland-like get-up, Urban straightened the night out. In other words, he brought it back to middle-of-the-road dullness. Grade: C+

Reba McEntire, "If I Were a Boy." Does the world need another version of the Beyoncé hit? Probably not, and one might wish that Reba had dug a little deeper in this cover, which appears on her new album, "All the Women I Am," but Reba's take is subtle and stately. There's nary a song that couldn't benefit from a little of Reba's grace. No one is going to forget Beyoncé's take, but whereas the R&B singer reaches for the stars, Reba goes straight to the heart. Grade: B

Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson, "Don’t You Wanna Stay?" A ballad that turned into some oddly orchestrated '80s hair metal tune. It’s an easy slam, but this is "American Idol" bombast. Grade: D

ALBUM OF THE YEAR: MIRANDA LAMBERT'S "REVOLUTION." Pop & Hiss has been a champion of Lambert for quite some time now, and one can consider her the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Taylor Swift's teenage innocence. She's an ol'-fashioned singer with a whiskey-stained voice, and though she's no old soul, she's downright rebellious, compared to the Nashville establishment. After Nashville backed Swift, championing Lambert is a sign that the CMAs aren’t going to cater to mainstream popularity again. Look for Lambert to take her CMA win straight to an album of the year nod at the Grammy Awards. 

Brad Paisley, "This Is Country Music." A new song from the co-host, and it's a giant mishmash of wrong. It appears to be a pat-on-the-back patriotic sing-along about the awesomeness of country music, but who really knows? So where to start? Paisley has no clue himself. This is how the song opens: "You're not supposed to say the word cancer in a song." Right-o. I would have gone with Alzheimer's myself, dude. By the end of the song, Paisley has pandered to the audience by giving shout-outs to John Denver and Johnny Cash, and there appears to be a dead mother at some point, as well as numerous "God bless America" call-outs. Paisley's a likable-enough performer, but this is a collage of bad ideas. Grade: D

Lady Antebellum, "Hello World." Yea! Someone in the ABC control booth hit the snooze button! So ... we get a 5½-minute nap, right? Grade: C (naps aren't so bad).

Kid Rock, "Born Free."

So...over on Comedy Central tonight, "South Park's" Cartman was riding the back of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu, hoping to use the creature to destroy his friends. A shame, as there was a better Cthulhu target over on ABC.

"Born Free" doesn't even merit a grade. It deserves to be destroyed by a hellish reign of terror:

 Photoshopped images: Kid Rock at the MTV Europe Music Awards (Getty): Cthulhu ("South Park" Studios).

Carrie Underwood, "Mama's Song." A signature Underwood song, but really no reason to give the artist two performances. The CMA Awards are starting to feel like they're padding, and this wedding-dance song isn't helping the pace, regardless of how studiously Underwood performs it. Grade: C+

Dierks Bentley, "Up On the Ridge." The CMA Awards are bringing the performances fast, and thankfully, Dierks Bentley performs with brevity. The rushed acoustics have a slightly spooked edge, and though these write-ups are getting shorter, "Up on the Ridge" was one of the more textured tunes tonight. Grade: B

Miranda Lambert, Sheryl Crow & Loretta Lynn, "Coal Miner's Daughter." There's been plenty of hyped-up words spilled on Lambert tonight, and though Lambert and Crow gave a faithful take on Lynn's country classic, the moment was overshadowed by Lambert accepting her award for female vocalist of the year. Standing with the legend, Lambert broke down in tears, and received a peck on the cheek from Lynn. A few minutes earlier, Lambert, Crow and Lynn shared lines on "Coal Miner's Daughter," and it was a treat watching Lambert and Lynn onstage together. Crow, to be fair, held her own, but it was clear she was there for crossover star power. Still: Grade: A

Gwyneth Paltrow & Vince Gill, "Country Song." This was a stunt performance to hype the film for which the song takes its name, but what does it say about mainstream country if Paltrow can take the stage and sing with more poise and barroom bitterness than a number of other blond country starlets? Paltrow struggled on a couple of notes, but she could cut a country album without embarrassing herself. Vocally, she possesses a sunburned tinge, and it would no doubt be a nice complement to Chris Martin's pillow-soft vocals, should she ever cut a duet with her Coldplay husband. Grade: B+ 

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR: BRAD PAISLEY: Before Paisley was cut off, and before he started praising the likes of Live Nation and the William Morris Agency, he gave one of the more impassioned, heartfelt speeches of the night. One wished he would have continued telling tales about how he fell in love with country music. He dedicated the trophy to his late grandfather, who Paisley said loved Buck Owens and Johnny Cash. It was his grandfather, Paisley said, who encouraged him to play the guitar. "This is going to get you through lonely times, and you'll never be alone with this," Paisley said through tears. It was a speech that redeemed his earlier song.

--Todd Martens

Image: Miranda Lambert at CMAs (Associated Press); Taylor Swift (Getty Images)

Comments

[Allen]

I have to ask, in all sincerity, are you tone deaf? Kelly Clarkson's vocal performance was the best of the night. You might think the song has weird orchestration or amateur lyrics (I've definitely thought so), but judging from a vocal perspective, Kelly outsang every other performer tonight, and that enough should garner their performance a grade better than a "D." Should have had Ann Powers cover this. She, at least, gives credit where credit is due.

[Jennifer]

Brad gave a touching performance! This song is charming and speaks of the charm and virtue of country music. It appeals to FANS of country music. And after reading this LA times blogger's so called "Grades" it is SO apparant that he is NOT. What a HATER! Your opinion makes me love Brad's song even more! And by the way, if you were SMART, you would realize that it's a call out to all naysayers of Country Music, who bag on it on principle, and who don't even begin to know how to understand or appreciate it. How fitting and awesome that you hate it! It was written as a big middle finger pointed in YOUR direction! Ha!

[Dana]

Whoever wrote this is an ass who knows nothing about country music. The only one I agree with is Kid Rock, who obviously doesn't even belong in country music. His song is stupid and sounds nothing close to country music, hence the name Kid ROCK.

[Jim Lane]

Come on Todd, you gave Lady A's Hello World a C? Are you serious? Hello World is going to be another number one song for them, but you won't know because you'll be asleep. lol

[Todd]

Pretty good review and grading except for the Brad Paisley GaGa thing I would have given that a C + I think you have to look at Jason and Kelly as the odd couple - sure her voice is amazing but it sure ain't country and Jason sure is country - and there's the problem - Grade D is correct . Carrie certainly deserved 2 performance slots, will give that an A+ for the Academy, Sugarland is an acquired taste , A for professionalism C for the song and singing, Taylor , why do I always cringe when she sings, gradeD for performance B- for song Also a D to the sound department - I know the venue is tough to get a good sound but why not move it to a smaller venue with good sound, most people watch it on TV anyway
Night's highlights - opening number, Brad winning Entertainer, Brad and Carrie as co hosts ( they just work beautifully as hosts), Loretta Lynn , Zac Brown( the song isn't their best but their harmonies and musician skills are amazing)

[Sarah]

How can anyone take a country music "critic" from LA seriously? LOL that's like taking a rap critic from Nashville seriously. This is the only blog I've seen slamming the Jason Aldean-Kelly Clarkson duet. So, what does that tell you? And if it's a personal thing against Clarkson, it makes the entire review even more hilarious. Everyone loves that girl, even people in country music. Just ask Reba, or Brooks and Dunn, or Miranda Lambert, or Jennifer Nettles. Seriously...go ahead. That duet got the loudest and quickest standing ovation last night. Blogger fail.

[annie]

I don't know what song you heard, but the duet with Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson, was easily the best performance of the night - she may not be your cup of tea and you can try to deny it all you want, but she is easily the best vocalist in music today! Greatness! Also, I loved Gwyneth Paltrow and Taylor Swift performances. I do agree with one thing, Miranda Lambert is one of the best country music singers out there, I love her! She always gives it her all.

[stacy scott]

Wow - a review from a newspaper critc from LA!

Now THAT's someone who really "gets" country music.

The millions of us hicks in 'flyover country" (and even us wannabe hicks here in chic Marin County, California ) LOVED the performances and the songs.

[nashville luvr]

Todd,
When you say you love country music, I think it's a crock. Obviously, all you care about is trying to be snarky and somewhat witty, because you are a frustrated writer. Many of the performances you dinged were fantastic...like Jason and Kelly. Don't forget Miranda was once on a "reality singing show" too, so don't feel the need to hate Kelly just because of Idol. And maybe you should actually buy a Zac Brown album and you'll see they are the best new act in country bar none.

[Grandpa]

Whatever happened to Grechten Wilson?

[chrissy]

You are out of your fricken mind. How dare you comment about music when you know nothing about it. Kelly Clarkson was phenominal last night. She stole the show and blew everyone out of the water. Brad Paisley's new song was amazing. You gave the two best performances of the night grade D?!?!
Shut your face. Get your hearing checked!!!!!!!!!

[Tara Phelps]

I think you are extremely biased in your reviews. I like Miranda too, but her performance was pitchy and not her best. Carrie Underwood's performances deserved a much higher grade then you gave it. Why give her a lower grade just because she performed twice? Maybe because she deserved to? I get that you have your favorites, but the LA TIMES has been obssessed with Taylor and Miranda for years, while unfairly trashing Carrie Underwood, who sings circles around both of them. I do like Miranda, but Taylor's performance was pitchy as usual, and also boring. More importantly, it was NOT country. So how can you give her a B+? Spare me. Your bias is showing through, very clearly. Also, Kelly Clarkson sings circles around Taylor and Miranda too. Carrie and Kelly were the two best performances of the night, by a country mile. Yet you trash them both. Sound like another elitist snob who can't take an American Idol alum seriously. Well, did you forget that Miranda Lambert came from a reality tv show too, Nashville star? lol Classic.

[Robert Forstman]

Several people who just got back from the CMAS said Taylor Swift got a few BOOS after her performance, and she saw it and went "WHAT?" in shock. She did NOT get a standing O. That is a lie her team is trying to spin to cover for her reaction to the Boos. Typical Scott Borchetta spinning lies to cover his tonedeaf Princess. lol

[Omar]

Ummm...

Am I reading this correctly? Did you actually give Taylor Swift a B, and you gave Carrie Underwood a C?! This might have been Taylor's finest performance on an awards show, but that's not saying much. She was still horrid, and you ranked her higher than a vocal masterclass that is Carrie Underwood.

Impressive. You've officially established yourself as an enormous idiot, and an mediocre journalist at best.

Kelly Clarkson and Jason Aldean had the PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT, and you gave it a D. Wow. It's obvious you don't know or enjoy Country music, so why do you bother taking 3 hours out of your time to watch it and post a stupid review about it?

[kerrie]

I can't believe you gave carrie a C and taylor I can't sing pop star a B+. can I please go and throw up!!!! Carrie's may have been a ballad of her wedding but she has the voice to back it up. Taylor please!!!!

[Laura]

You are a freak with no clue about good music!! Unbelievable marks . . .

[Mischa]

What???? Jason & Kelly deserve an A!! You get an TDI for Tone Deaf Idiot :)
Miranda got an A??? You have got to be kidding! Taylor Swift a B??? again, WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING DUDE??? You need to hand this blog over to someone who knows something about music.

[peg martin]

Please, can someone tell us who the band members were with dierks bentleys performance On top of the ridge at the cmas? They were not all on his c.d. and they sounded so together on tv. thank you. PEG

[Megan]

The song is called "country strong" not "country song" .... you should really get someone who is actually into country music to write reviews on this. Clearly, you are not a fan of some of these artists so you don't know the way they are.

[Megan]

also, to this "megan c" character, Taylor Swift is nowhere near country... so how can you say Sugarland isn't, Taylor Swift is the defenition of pop...

[Dan]

WOW so many people getting mad at this guys opinion, lol. I thought Taylor sounded great, and so did the people who watched it with me. Good job Taylor, dont worry about the haters. Great song as well!