Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are hosting the 2008 CMA Awards airing on ABC on November 12th. It should be a power packed show with most of todays superstars scheduled to appear and/or to perform.
Leading the way with five nominations are George Strait and Sugarland. Jennifer Nettles receives a solo nomination as songwriter for Stay, which actually puts her in the lead for nominations this year.
This should be an interesting year for the awards show, there are new names appearing on the nominee lists not just the same people that have been nominated year after year.

Sugarland is the only act up for Entertainer of the Year that features a female performer, as usual the category is dominated by the men. This award will probably go to Kenny Chesney again, though George Strait might pull off an upset. It would be nice to see it go to someone new such as Brad Paisley though. He has been such a solid performer thru the years and consistently puts out fresh music for his fans. Don’t count out any of the nominees, there is a reason they are all in this category, they are at the top of their game and any of them could walk away with the award.

Male Vocalist of the Year is basically the same with the bigger stars of the genre taking the nods. Female Vocalist of the Year features a few new faces, Taylor Swift and Miranda Lambert to be exact. Taylor has had a great year with chart topping single after single, but she is up against the reigning queen Carrie Underwood, has her year been exceptional enough to dethrone Carrie? Vocal Group of the Year which has gone to Rascal Flatts for so many years that they should rename the award includes the new group Lady Antebellum and long time artists The Eagles. Do they have what it takes to wrestle the award away from Rascal Flatts? Vocal Duo of the Year features both Sugarland and Brooks & Dunn as nominees. Sugarland took the award last year, but in previous years it has been Brooks & Dunn all the way. It will probably come down to those two acts to duke it out for the award.

New Artist of the Year has such wonderful nominees that it’s hard to decide which one should win. Some have been nominated more than once but have yet to win. Rodney Adkins has had a stellar year with a few chart toppers, but then so have most of the other nominees. This category is to close to call.

Entertainer of the Year
Kenny Chesney (2006/2007 winner)
George Strait
Keith Urban
Brad Paisley
Sugarland

Male Vocalist of the Year
Kenny Chesney
George Strait
Alan Jackson
Keith Urban
Brad Paisley (2007 winner)

Female Vocalist of the Year
Taylor Swift
Alison Krauss
Miranda Lambert
Carrie Underwood (2006/2007 winner)
Martina McBride

Vocal Group of the Year
Eagles
Lady Antebellum
Emerson Drive
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts (2006/2007 winner)

Vocal Duo of the Year
Big & Rich
Brooks & Dunn
Sugarland (2007 winner)
The Wreckers
Montgomery Gentry

New Artist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Rodney Atkins
James Otto
Lady Antebellum
Kellie Pickler

Single of the Year
Don’t Blink - Kenny Chesney
Stay - Sugarland
I Saw God Today - George Strait
You’re Gonna Miss This - Trace Adkins
Gunpowder and Lead - Miranda Lambert

Song of the Year
Stay - Sugarland
Letter to Me - Brad Paisley
I Saw God Today - George Strait
You’re Gonna Miss This - Trace Adkins
Good Time - Alan Jackson

Album of the Year
Carnival Ride – Carnival Ride
Troubadour – George Strait
Long Trip Alone – Dierks Bentley
Good Time – Alan Jackson
Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates – Kenny Chesney

Musical Event of the Year
Every Other Weekend - Reba McEntire w/Kenny Chesney
Life In a Northern Town - Sugarland w/Little Big Town & Jake Owen
Shiftwork - Kenny Chesney w/George Strait
Gone, Gone, Gone - Alison Krauss w/Robert Plant
Another Try - Josh Turner w/Trisha Yearwood

Music Video of the Year
Good Time - Alan Jackson
You’re Gonna Miss This - Trace Adkins
Waiting on a Woman - Brad Paisley w/Andy Griffith
Stay - Sugarland
Don’t Blink - Kenny Chesney