Strait, Chesney, Nettles win at CMAs

It was a great show, performance-wise.  Although I think the winners are all talented and deserving of their award, I think a lot of good people were overlooked:

Alan Jackson:  This should have been a year that he should have been a strong contender for his "Good Time" album and/or song.  While "Stay" was a great song, there are more current songs that were overlooked.  George Strait continues to sweep album and single (or song, whatever it was) year after year.  Another one that they seem to be stuck on; talented for sure, but there are others out there too.

Keith Urban:  Anyone who has been to any of his concerts, knows he works as hard if not harder than anyone else out there and he does it all without broadway play-type props.  He is a great musician that can outperform many of them without all of the fluff.  He was very deserving as either male vocalist or entertainer of the year.  Not that Kenny Chesney didn't deserve it, but it seems that they get stuck on one performer, and no one else gets a chance.  Brad Paisley, while talented and ambitious, seems to have a run of goofy songs that somehow steal the heart of whoever votes on these things.  He usually sweeps the videos and male vocalist awards, even though there are people more talented with better material for their songs.

Miranda Lambert is very talented and seems to miss her chance year after year.  Toby Keith isn't even nominated anymore.

Rascal Flatts is another one they are stuck on year after year, even though Little Big Town and other nominees are very talented as well.

Sugarland has broken the Brooks and Dunn trend and they do deserve to win with the talent and effort they put into their shows and songs.

I was happy to see Carrie Underwood win again, but Martina is a strong contender as is Miranda Lambert.  Taylor Swift, while a very good songwriter, has a voice like fingernails on a chalkboard.  She is nowhere in the same league as the first three mentioned.  She gets the teenybopper vote every time, but if she had been on American Idol, she would have been tossed in the initial audition for being too "pitchy".  She attempts to make up for her lack of vocals with elaborate sets to accompany her songs.  Give me a talented performer without a showy set any day over an over-embelished performer with pitchy vocals.

They call it country music but it sounds more like cheap rock and roll to me.If i'm gonna listen to rock i'll listen to the real thing.The true counrty music stars are all but gone.

My personal highlights and perspective:

Miranda Lambert and Trace Adkins are two of the most underappreciated country stars of this moment.

Carrie Underwood could wear a trash bag and make it look like the coolest thing ever.  Her grace and humility just put her over-the-top on the beauty scale.  Oh, and she's uber-talented.  Her's was the best performance of the night.

I don't care what anyone says, Kenny Chesney is the bomb and I could eat him up.  This topic is not open to debate with me personally, so don't look for a response if you try.  If you don't like him, don't listen or buy.

I could get stoned off just watching Keith Urban play the guitar.  And that's any day, not just from last night's show.

I was so glad to see Shania back out there and looking more fabulous than ever.

From a writer's perspective, "Stay" is song-writing genius.  Congratulations to Jennifer!

Huge kudos to the industry in general for always finding a way to incorporate recognition and a dedication to our military men/women and families.  Our military is another grossly underappreciated group.

I don't know what you call this but it is definately not country music. I miss & love all the older country music stars. I told my son, while halfway watching the show, it is ashame when my favorite country singer is Kid Rock.  I can't remember her name, but if her black leather dress got any shorter (& the camera looking up it) she need not bother wearing one along with her black leather knee high boots. And why did Carrie Underwood need to change 9 times? So disappointed in country music...it just does not sound the same

I was totally disappointed in the show. Most all of the 'country' artists sang off key or didnt have their sound levels set well. i thought it ironic that the best live performances -- at the CMA Awards -- were provided by: Kid Rock, The Eagles, and a member of Hootie and the Blowfish.

Real country music was not awarded --- total kitsch was.

I enjoyed reading the full story of the country music awards, because I missed the program.  Please inform me of the date and cause  ( if you will), of Jerry Reed's death.  Thank you.