The 2008 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards show was held Sunday night. Like most award shows there were good and bad performances; deserved and not deserved award winners.The best news of the night was Miranda Lambert winning album of the year for “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.” In the past the ACM’s have favored commercial success instead of artistic quality in their album of the year winners. However, this year “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” beat out albums which have sold twice even three times as much as it did.
Here’s hoping the win boasts Miranda Lambert career. She has never had a top ten single which is a travesty, because she makes some of the best country music out there. That of course is her problem; country radio wants its female acts making poppy country instead of real country.
Of the performances I liked Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley’s rendition of “Make the World Go Away” which they did in tribute to the late Eddy Arnold. I also enjoyed Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert’s performances.
I did not feel Brooks & Dunn should have won duo of the year. Sugarland clearly had a better year. It looks really bad when you give Sugarland the single and song of year awards and then do not give them duo of the year.
Sugarland outsold Brooks & Dunn the last couple years and charted more hit songs.
The ACM’s have made some “interesting” award choices in the past. Brooks & Dunn over Sugarland for duo of the year is now one of them.
But you can’t stew over who won and who lost. I enjoyed the show despite some sound problems and look forward to the CMA Awards which come up in the fall. Hopefully, Alan Jackson will win some awards there for his great, new album “Good Time”.
