CMT Blog: Brad Paisley

Let me preface this entry by saying that I love, love, love country concerts. I do wish, however, that an artist would ask me for advice just once on making the perfect set list. I know these artists have to do their big hits -- the ones everybody is paying big bucks to hear. And I know they need to promote their newest album with songs they have on the radio now, or ones they might want on the radio later. And then there are the covers that give everybody a little something unorthodox to remember them by: "Oh my God! You should have heard Keith Urban on 'Material Girl.' He was better than Madonna!"

Read more...

I'm not an uber-traditional Catholic. I don't carry a rosary everywhere I go. I still eat meat on Fridays. And when my friend brings home a new Cadillac Escalade, I will definitely covet my neighbor's goods. But then I hear a song like Lee Ann Womack's "There Is a God," and I am so moved, I think maybe I'm more of a believer than I realized.

Read more...

Remember how on the CMA Awards red carpet, all the country stars were autographing a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS? Well that car can be yours for the low, low price of $30,500 -- or more, assuming the bidding stays active until it closes tomorrow evening. But it's for a good cause. Whatever you pay for the car (100 percent of it) will go to the USO. The USO serves the religious, spiritual, social, welfare, educational and entertainment needs of service members and their families around the world. And you don't have to worry about driving in inclement weather in a car covered with autographs. You actually get the car AND the hood full of about 100 signatures from celebs and artists like Jake Owen, Brad Paisley, Sugarland, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Faith Hill, Billy Currington, Vince Gill, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw and Lady Antebellum. It may be a little hard to showcase such a large piece of country music memorabilia but I'm guessing anyone who can afford the car can afford a proper display.

Photo credit: Theresa Montgomery/CMA

When you watch an awards show on television, there's only so much emotion you feel. But when you see it unfolding before your eyes live, like I did at last night's CMA Awards, everything's a bit more raw. The highs are higher, and unfortunately, the lows are lower. What might have just felt like a heartfelt acceptance speech from Darius Rucker when he won new artist of the year had I been watching at home, last night moved me to tears -- especially when he got the first standing ovation of the night. Or when it started snowing on Lady Antebellum during "Need You Now." I realize it wasn't real snow but it sure made the yearning in their vocals feel real. Or when Brad Paisley accompanied Carrie Underwood on a few parodies of older country tunes. Simply lovely.

Read more...

Here's the first thing Brad Paisley told reporters backstage last night at the CMA Awards: "I had the best time I've ever had at an awards show." That's big praise, considering he's won 13 CMA Awards in all. Paisley picked up his third consecutive male vocalist award and also accepted his fourth CMA Award in the musical event category for "Start a Band," his upbeat collaboration with Keith Urban. "Any time you can streak in a category - careful! - it's not only some pressure but it's a rare, rare sort of honor," he said. "I'm really proud to carry that badge another year."

Read more...

Here's a list of the winners at the 43rd annual CMA Awards taking place Wednesday (Nov. 11) in Nashville:

Entertainer of the Year: Taylor Swift

Female Vocalist: Taylor Swift

Male Vocalist: Brad Paisley

New Artist: Darius Rucker

Vocal Group: Lady Antebellum

Vocal Duo: Sugarland

Musician of the Year: Mac McAnally

Song of the Year: "In Color," written by Jamey Johnson, Lee Thomas Miller and James Otto

Single of the Year: "I Run to You," Lady Antebellum

Album of the Year: Fearless, Taylor Swift

Musical Event: "Start a Band," Brad Paisley (duet with Keith Urban)

Music Video: "Love Story," Taylor Swift

The CMA Awards are always entertaining, and this year's event was no different. I do want to say that Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood infusing their hosting duties Wednesday night (Nov. 11) with some music was a welcome addition. Taylor Swift's opening performance was rockin' -- even for Taylor. I admit I'm a little speechless. Congrats to Lady Antebellum for their wins for single and vocal group of the year and to Jamey Johnson for his song of the year win ("In Color"). The Zac Brown Band's performance of Charlie Daniels' "Devil Went Down to Georgia" was probably the most fun to watch  -- especially since he did the version with the "old lyrics" -- and how about that fiddle solo?

Read more...

Everyone has been so focused on who the CMA entertainer of the year award will go to tonight (Nov. 11), but what about who it's coming from? It's an important job to bestow that award on a fellow artist. And I can't think of a better couple than Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. McGraw himself knows a thing or two about being an EOTY. He won it back in 2001, along with countless other CMA Awards. And while Hill has never been named EOTY by the CMA, she has been honored enough times to deserve the right to stand up there with McGraw and hand it to the lucky winner. Now the only question is, who? Kenny Chesney? Brad Paisley? Keith Urban? Taylor Swift? Or George Strait? We won't know until just before 11 p.m. ET/PT. But feel free to leave you best guess here.

Brad Paisley is about to host the CMA Awards tomorrow (Nov. 11). And he has seven nominations. And he's humble. At least that's what he sounded like when CNN chatted with him after a run and before an appearance on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien. He said that his misspellings on Twitter show just how imperfect he is. And that his cowboy hat represents a lifestyle and what he wants to sing about. He even jokes that he and co-host Carrie Underwood will probably do something really stupid on the awards show. But the one thing Paisley says he hopes for is maintaining people's ears as long as he has things to say. "There's a time that comes when you don't have their ear anymore," he said. "Eventually, that's coming, where they're going to be tired of me. A large fraction of people are probably saying, ‘Yeah I know, buddy. I'm already there right now.'" If he honestly still believes that about himself, he should get an award for the most modest male artist. Maybe next year.

For years I've been curious about the CMA Songwriters Series in New York City and since it coincided with this trip, I caught the early show last night (Nov. 5) at Joe's Pub. The lineup was pretty remarkable: host Bob DiPiero, Jessi Alexander, Jon Randall and Mark D. Sanders. DiPiero opened with "Blue Clear Sky," co-written by Sanders and recorded by George Strait. On his next time through, he played "Southern Voice," the new single from Tim McGraw. Randall offered a new song he co-wrote with Brad Paisley and Bill Anderson, "If You Can't Make Money, Make Love," an incredibly catchy and fun tune. Sanders told the audience that songwriters always know they're onto something when the crowd sings along with a song they've never heard before, which is exactly what happened.

Read more...