Now that the 58th annual CMA awards have ended, there’s much to reflect on. Hosted by Luke Bryan, Peyton Manning, and Lainey Wilson, fans continue to reminisce about the glory days of Brad Baisley and Carrie Underwood. Nonetheless, the show was full of memorable performances and head-scratching wins.
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Chris Stapleton Wins Big
The night started off with Song of the Year and Single of the Year, with Chris Stapleton’s “White Horse” winning the award in both categories. “White Horse” is the biggest track from his last album, Higher, and it has raked in more than 200 million streams on Spotify. Stapleton would go on to take home Male Vocalist of the Year, beating out Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs. Fans were very vocal on social media, expressing frustration and joy at Stapleton’s winning so many awards. Not to diminish the talents of any of the other nominees for vocalist of the year, but looking at Chris Stapleton’s god-given talent and how he’s been able to change his sound for each project, it’s a no-brainer that he keeps racking up the awards.
Wide Arrange of Performances
Megan Moroney kicked things off early in the night with her smash hit “Am I Okay?” However, the energy was up and down all night. Throughout the show, some barn-burning performances and others may have put the audience to sleep. Kacey Musgraves’ “The Architect” was by no means a poor performance, but it felt a little boring and wasn’t in line with the show’s overall tone. However, Luke Combs sparked life back into the room with “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” reminding fans why it was the biggest song from the Twisters soundtrack. One of the more unique performances of the night was Dierks Bentley, who was joined by Sierra Hull, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, and Molly Tuttle, who were performing Tom Petty’s iconic “American Girl.” While some acts sounded shaky on the broadcast, those in-house at Bridgestone Arena were treated to a spectacular show.
Justice for Brad and Carrie
Ever since Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood moved on from hosting the CMAs, it’s been a questionable show. This year, Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson, and Peyton Manning hosted the show. While it may not have been a total trainwreck, it was full of awkward pauses and jokes that missed far and wide. The chemistry between the trio never seemed to click, making it all feel manufactured and unnatural. When Brad and Carrie ran the show, most of their jokes had a specific flow that, unfortunately, can’t be replicated. With the two of them hosting the show for so long, fans grew to expect a certain standard of comedy and entertainment, but the shows haven’t reached that standard by any means. It’s hard to duplicate the iconic feeling those two provided viewers, but this trio isn’t the right choice moving forward.
Old Dominion Reigns Supreme
The category for a group of the year has been dominated by a select few over the years, but none more than Old Dominion. Now their seventh win, Old Dominion has won CMA’s Group of the Year as many times as Tom Brady has Super Bowls. Looking at the list of nominees, it was clear that what seemed like an obvious choice for fans was a long shot for those voting in the industry. It would have been such a monstrous moment for all fans to see The Red Clay Strays win being viewed as an outsider among the other nominees. Even though they are signed to a major label, they still have a mysterious energy around their music. At the same time, the other four nominees are the pinnacle of polished Nashville machine music. Nonetheless, the fact that The Red Clay Strays was even considered might as well be a win for so many fans.
Morgan? Waylon?
After being barred from winning awards in 2021, Morgan Wallen and his die-hard fans have felt a certain chip on their shoulder at these award shows, so one would think they’d want to be in the room if he wins the biggest award of the night. Yet once Jeff Bridges struggled to read his name from the envelope, he was nowhere to be found. Notably, Wallen was not at the BMI awards the night before, where “Last Night” was named Song of the Year. His “One Night At A Time” tour wrapped up in October, so it still remains unclear why he wasn’t present at the award show despite being nominated six times.
The 58th Annual CMA Awards can now be streamed on Hulu.
