Miranda Lambert & Her Fans Should Be Fine Not Winning 2016’s CMA for Female Vocalist
Miranda Lambert has won a record-setting six straight CMA Female Vocalist of the Year awards. But there may not be a seventh.
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Miranda Lambert is set up to have one hell of a new year. She has the super-rare event of a double record release for The Weight of These Wings coming on November 18th, which already has many salivating from the list of songwriting contributors and song selections announced, and a strong-performing debut single in “Vice” that has started the record off on the right foot. Her Highway Vagabond tour set to commence in January is already garnering buzz, and looks to re-position her in the live space after having to cut short her last tour due to health issues.
Then announced on Monday (10-31), Miranda Lambert has re-signed with long-time label partner RCA/Sony Nashville who she’s been with since 2004, but this time with Miranda owning her own imprint called Vanner Records. In a move that resembles the deal once signed between RCA and Waylon Jennings, Miranda’s own label will give her more autonomy and control, as well as more of an ownership stake in her music moving forward. And she won’t have to wait until her next record to reap these benefits. The Weight of These Wings will be Vanner Records’ first official release, and likely is the reason she was allowed to work with such a diverse crop of songwriters, and release a double record.
And all this comes after a 12-year run that has put Miranda Lambert at the very top of the mainstream country industry, and made her the undisputed heavyweight champion of the female class for the last half dozen years. Starting in 2010, Miranda Lambert has won every single Female Vocalist of the Year award handed out by both the CMA’s and ACM’s over that period. Two of her albums—2009’s Revolution and 2014’s Platinum—won the CMA for Album of the Year. When it comes to awards and recognition, nobody has been as heavily decorated as Miranda Lambert in recent memory, male or female.
But it has been time for a breather, and Miranda Lambert’s last year has been a pretty quiet one, at least from a musical standpoint. Blame a leadership change at RCA/Sony. Blame some poor performing singles on the back end of Platinum (that could be partly to do with the leadership change at Sony). Blame her divorce from Blake Shelton, or just some needed time off. At the 2016 ACM Awards, Miranda didn’t even perform one of her own songs, instead electing to do a cover of ZZ Top’s “Tush” because new music wasn’t ready to present.
Late 2015, and early 2016 has been a reset period for Miranda Lambert, and that’s completely understandable. And nothing looks more promising than her ability to kick asses and melt faces when the new record, and the new tour commences for the songstress, putting her in contention for top awards once again.
But even Miranda Lambert fans shouldn’t expect, or maybe even want her to win the 2016 CMA for Female Vocalist of the Year. Why? Because what has been the knock on the CMA’s, the ACM’s during this incredible 6-year run where she’s won virtually every award she’s eligible for? It’s that the game is rigged in Miranda’s favor, and her streak has been the result of backroom block voting and horse trading. How much of this criticism is valid, and how much of this criticism is jealous back biting that seems to be especially heated when it comes to the competition between females artists? That is in the eye of the beholder. But if Miranda Lambert wins this year, there will be more evidence than ever that the fix is in.
Don’t mistake this as a commentary that Miranda Lambert doesn’t deserve all the hardware she’s amassed so far. Without question, she is not only one of the most successful female artists in country music in the last 10 years, but in country music history. But there are some other incredible female artist, both nominated and not nominated for the CMA’s Female Vocalist, that deserve a crack at winning the distinction more this year than Miranda Lambert, and would benefit more from the distinction.
Miranda is smart. She knew she needed to take a breather, and more importantly, it appears she knows what direction country music is headed, and wants to be a part of that movement. The Weight of These Wings and the songwriters she’s included shows that she’s patently self-aware of the effect Chris Stapleton’s influence is having on country. Miranda might be the first mainstream star to bake this influence right into her music. The release of a double record sparks memories of the mainstream’s last double effort—Jamey Johnson’s The Guitar Song.
Maybe Miranda Lambert wins Female Vocalist of the Year at the 50th Annual CMA Awards for a record setting 7th time (the previous record was Vince Gill’s 5-time Male Vocalist run). And maybe she doesn’t. But to Miranda Lambert fans, it shouldn’t matter. Because Miranda Lambert is poised to have a 2017 that could cement her legacy in country music, and maybe, one that will also win her a new crop of independent and returning traditionalist fans by showcasing important songs and writers that for too long have been ignored by the mainstream’s top artists.
Ash
November 1, 2016 @ 8:00 am
Miranda has said it herself in her song ‘Good Ole Days’ (off TWOTW) “I stand to loose some winning” and then again in ‘Keeper of the Flame’ “I’m not doing it for the glory.”
From what I can tell some of her major fan pages have already told fellow fans not to start a war and engage in the hate or start the hate if/when ML doesn’t win.
I can not wait for Weight of these wings.
Rachel
November 1, 2016 @ 8:58 am
Where did you hear Good Ole Days at? The only two singles I have heard are Keeper of the Flame and Vice so I was just curious if there are others available elsewhere.
seak05
November 1, 2016 @ 8:59 am
it’s on youtube, but not with Miranda singing it
seak05
November 1, 2016 @ 9:01 am
not youtube, facebook sorry (it’s the other song writer singing, the audio quality is pretty bad)
Ash
November 1, 2016 @ 9:09 am
Adam Hood one of the co-writers performed the song awhile back and said at the show that ML cut it. So it was one of the confirmed writes that fans knew of (before album announcement) and the video is on fb somewhere of him singing it.
Louise
November 1, 2016 @ 8:34 am
I agree that Miranda is the best mainstream country artist. I’m definitely really excited to see where her new music takes her- especially now that she seems to be running the show more. About the awards, I personally think it wasn’t just female wins that had people salty. Miranda won in many categories album, single, song, event, etc. so everyone was jelly. I believe that sometimes happens when you put out the best product. I also find its funny that these same people who work block voting, switching are acting like they don’t use it to their advantages. Anyway, seems that is how country radio has been run for years w/ everyone letting their male artists get #1 by manipulating it.
Brian
November 1, 2016 @ 11:31 am
I think my biggest problem with her winning so many of the awards were when she was winning with very average songs and not even close to being the best in those categories. For instance “Automatic” was a very average output and even other mainstream songs were much more deserving than that song and its album. In her defense though, its not like it was the first time an artist became the hot artist and kept winning awards for very average material. I look forward to hearing her news tuff and have very high hopes for it.
seak05
November 1, 2016 @ 8:52 am
Honestly, the worst thing that could happen for Miranda is winning CMA’s this year (on top of ACM’s this year). At some point, the awards start to matter less if people think it comes not from accomplishment but from political voting. Everyone, including Miranda, knows she shouldn’t win this year, so if she does, then did she really deserve the other 6? Or did she win them for a different reason?
I think the CMA’s and ACM’s would benefit from acting more like the grammy’s, in that if you don’t put out new music, you don’t get nominated.
ElectricOutcast
November 1, 2016 @ 9:08 am
You know what I’d like to see if a win does happen? Have her pull a Garth move and reject her win like Garth did back in 95 during the AMA’s.
Rachel
November 1, 2016 @ 8:56 am
I think she would be surprised if she won the award because I would be willing to bet she is the first one to say there were other women who deserved it this year over her. The only reason I could think she would win it would be biased voters, like you said, or because it’s the 50th anniversary and they are looking at it more as a honoring veterans of country like her (and the performers they have chosen) as opposed to new artists or someone who maybe hasn’t been as celebrated as her. We’ll see! Hopefully Ran Fans understand what you said- next year is going to be a fantastic year for her and better things are to come.
Donny
November 1, 2016 @ 9:09 am
Can someone say overrated
gabe
November 1, 2016 @ 10:10 am
Is she good? Yes. Overrated? Definitely. Putting the spotlight on one person when there are others causes people who would ordinarily love her hate her due to overexposure. There’s a difference between a competition (like Adele & Beyonce for Album of the year at next year’s Grammys) and when there’s a clear winner like Carrie in 2012 & 2013. Think what happened to Ashanti in 2003 @ Soul Train awards…
Brandy
November 1, 2016 @ 7:52 pm
I can say your stupid Donny
jayne steiner
November 1, 2016 @ 10:00 pm
I disagree. She is amazing. Real country not pop.
Lucas
November 2, 2016 @ 11:59 am
I wouldn’t say she is anywhere near Beyonce or Adele’s level of overrated, but sometimes, she can get more credit than she deserves when it comes to the awards, although she is still talented.
Lindsey
November 1, 2016 @ 9:12 am
As far as actual vocals go, I had to hear “Vice” live before I wanted to listen to the recorded version again. There’s something about her recorded vocals that can sometimes make her sound like a little girl. I’ve heard “Keeper of the Flame”, and it’s even more like that. Is she mumbling? Is it production? She writes great songs. Sometimes I just can’t get past that sound, though. She didn’t sound like that on her ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ album.
seak05
November 1, 2016 @ 9:20 am
For me, KOTF is a hot mess of a song, and I didn’t like the production on Vice – though the lyrics are great. I wish she would go back to the Pistol Annie’s sound. I have a feeling this album is going more towards Isbell sound wise (as opposed to Stapleton). For most people that’s probably a good thing (but not me) :p.
justin casey
November 1, 2016 @ 11:32 am
i wanted to like keeper of the flame because i really like the production on it but lyrically it’s a mess and i’ve never had trouble understanding her before but there’s some lyrics in here i can’t seem to make out even after listening to it a few times
Convict charlie
November 1, 2016 @ 10:38 am
She also slurs the S in songs or sort of a hiss if you really pay attention. Even in recorded tracks. It’s when the word starts or ends with that letter. I had someone point it out to me before and I ha do never noticed it beforehand that. Have to really pay attention to catch it.
albert
November 1, 2016 @ 6:10 pm
That is often a result of compression or limiting – common effects applied to recorded vocal tracks to ‘tame’ the dynamics of the performance .
TwangBob
November 3, 2016 @ 8:43 am
Vocal sibilance is an unpleasant tonal harshness that can happen during consonant syllables (like S, T, and Z), caused by disproportionate audio dynamics in upper midrange frequencies.
jayne steinerstevens point, wi
November 1, 2016 @ 7:18 pm
Vice is the most beautiful song I have ever heard her sing. I flipped when I heard it. Ditto to Keith Urbans Blue ain’t your color. Wow… 2 of the best songs ever.
justin casey
November 1, 2016 @ 8:35 pm
blue ain’t your color is i think one of the best songs on country radio at the moment there is nothing in country right now that sounds like it
Stephanie
November 2, 2016 @ 1:00 pm
I actually like that quality of her voice. But I wholeheartedly agree that her music suffers from the production. Why is it all so NOISY? I want her to just back off and make it simpler.
Sarah
November 1, 2016 @ 10:37 am
I’m a Miranda Fan and I definitely hope she doesn’t win.
LuLu
November 1, 2016 @ 11:30 am
I’m not always right, but I think Miranda is at her peak with these awards shows. She very seldom has a #1 on radio.Carrie puts out a new record, has each single she releases go to the top. Carrie does deserve everything she win. She not only has talent in music, she has style and respect for Country music.My thought Miranda may try out the Americana Music hoping to shine there. Gosh will she losE her front row seat if she gets on a losing streak. Just as long as she is as happy as I see her New Boy’s Fan say she is!
justin casey
November 1, 2016 @ 11:36 am
i definitely think this is the year she loses but i can’t think of who should win my only two options are carrie or maybe maren morris. I know many people on here were not a fan of her album considering it’s not country but i honestly think hero should win album of the year because after living with it for a while it really grew on me and became one of my favorite albums to be released this year.
albert
November 1, 2016 @ 6:14 pm
Might have to agree with you justin casey . There is no denying the sheer talent Maren Morris has been blessed with vocally . No her record wasn’t country but if FGL , Luke Bryan , Dierks , Swindle and others are ‘ country’ , MM certainly is and her record is heads hands and feet above many in writing , production and vocal performances .
Bear
November 1, 2016 @ 11:42 am
Never got into her and find it sad she is the best mainstream had to offer all these years. With all the great female talent falling under the radar NOW. I wonder who was overlooked when she was first on the scene?
Kale
November 1, 2016 @ 11:51 am
How come Miranda always wins Female Vocalist even when Carrie has a better year, which is most of the time?
Kate vend
November 1, 2016 @ 2:03 pm
To date there is no female in country music who can compete with Carrie Underwood stats in record sales, tours, popularity, philanthropy, chart performance and vocal abilities. No one. Least of all Miranda Lambert. Never has and never will. The Grammy’s, the AMA, People Choice Awards, CMT awards all recognize Underwood as a superstar and award her opprpriately. Country on the other hand is guided by manipulation and power groups. Their votes have nothing to do with selecting the ‘best’. I think it’s part of their history. A stereotypical male dominate genre entrenched in role playing and power plays.
And yes the over awarding of Miranda Lambert in the presence of the continued success of a Carrie Underwood whose numbers continue to surpass Lambert’s in every category year after year from 2005 onwards unmasks the back room dealings.
gabe
November 1, 2016 @ 2:50 pm
Well said…
LuLu
November 1, 2016 @ 2:58 pm
Come on people more important things to talk about than Miranda winning an award. Anderson East Fan Club Twitter is praying he will be there with Miranda.This woman surely thinks Miranda is his trip to a music career…and a front row seat. Pray Pray Pray. Any other time she is mentioning his wearing the big ring Miranda bought him.As of now the prayer is for him to be with Miranda at the CMA’s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hoptowntiger94
November 1, 2016 @ 5:25 pm
Then, who? Miranda has benefited from a lack of competition, but that’s no reason to give the award to someone else.
Margo Price is the only other person who I can name who would be worthy of the award this year, but she didn’t even get nominated.
I can’t even name the other nominees (except for Underwood).
Benny Lee
November 1, 2016 @ 6:19 pm
Kelsea Ballerini – not country, shouldn’t even be in the genre, much less nominated for an award
Miranda – absolutely love her, but it’s really time for someone else to win
Maren Morris – she has, what, 1 country song?
Kacey Musgraves – gotta say, she’s pretty damn awesome
Carrie Underwood – not personally a fan of her song selection, but she’s a crazy vocal talent and a true superstar, and it’s probably way overdue
If it were up to me, I would replace the 2 blatant pop singers with Kelsey Waldon and Margo Price at the very least.
seak05
November 1, 2016 @ 7:18 pm
Margo is styling herself Americana. Her label entered her album in the Americana category for the Grammy’s.
Martin
November 1, 2016 @ 7:19 pm
Though Miranda may not deserve a win this year, she has been the person to push forward artistically and push authentic country music ahead. I still think history will put her in the same category as Loretta and Dolly. Her influence and acclaim has been that big… and I also think the next album is going to be huge on all charts. I think she is going to have a Linda Ronstadt type moment with her forthcoming success.
I am not sure why Carrie Underwood always gets a pass when it comes to making pop rock music that sounds like it came from the late 1980s early 1990s… I just listened to Dirty Laundry again. If we are going to give that a pass as country music we have to give Sam Hunt’s music a pass too… again, people love it, but there’s no denying that it’s a pop record that is very conservative musically…Of course, country radio plays her, as she is safe in her musical choices. She sings about whiskey and cheating and being bad, but you get the feeling that she has never had whiskey or been bad. Even when she sings about “dirty laundry,” it sounds like clean white linen…
And Miranda has always struggled with radio. Her music is complex and artistic. In many ways, it is Americana. We forget that she paid her dues and that it took her a long time to actually have a hit single…
She wins all the awards because people see her as a real artist who influences the music that other artists make.
To be blunt, I am thinking that if you are a musician or songwriter in Nashville and you want someone’s opinion, you would call Miranda and not Carrie. Miranda is seen as a bona fide artistic maverick. Carrie is seen as an incredibly popular singer with a big voice.
I know that Carrie fans will hate this. However, Miranda is seen as an artist and Carrie is seen as a country pop star… this is why Carrie wins all of the fan voted awards and Miranda wins all of the industry voted awards…
Nobody expects that Carrie Underwood is going to release a record that is going to change the face of country music. People think she’s just going to release a record that will have a lot of hits on it. Miranda, on the other hand, has the pressure on her to make music that pushes the boundaries and changes country music.
albert
November 1, 2016 @ 11:52 pm
You have absolutely crystallized my ( and many people’s ) take on the Miranda/Carrie thing Martin .
( ”To be blunt, I am thinking that if you are a musician or songwriter in Nashville and you want someone’s opinion, you would call Miranda and not Carrie. Miranda is seen as a bona fide artistic maverick. Carrie is seen as an incredibly popular singer with a big voice.” )
Miranda takes the chances Carrie doesn’t and it comes off as more authentic , I think . Yes ..Carrie has an incredible voice but I never considered her a country singer the way Patty Loveless , Loretta and even early Reba were all COUNTRY singers . Carrie is a pop singer …and often just to much voice for the music , in my opinion . GREAT performer , seemingly a GREAT person , talent plus …but missing some element of ‘ country music ‘ authenticity for many , I think .
As a matter of preference I much prefer Miranda’s voice and vocal style .
Martin
November 2, 2016 @ 7:43 am
Thank you, Albert.
I agree that Carrie has a lack of subtlety in the way she uses her voice… her music just follows the sleek Shania Twain trend…
And Carrie did win three years in a row from the start of her career…
Miranda is a rarity. She is that rare artist who is beloved by critics and can also move records. If anything, they maybe should have given the award to Kacey Musgraves last year. However, Miranda can’t be faulted for the fact that country radio doesn’t play enough quality female country music… she has done so much to push the genre forward.
It is still something of a miracle that Miranda has had such a career… her music is not always particularly mainstream and her choices are not always what radio expects or wants…
Kate Vend
November 2, 2016 @ 9:30 am
Martin, where is that great ‘push’ Miranda has inspired in the country genre? It is clear that Miranda and her brand of ‘country’ music is your preference and that’s fine as all the comments on here do nothing more than express people’s preference Including mine.
But awards are based on more than just ‘preference’ they are based on cold hard data, statistics. And there my friend Miranda falls short. What does that say to me? It says that more people including radio and other industry people prefer person ‘A’s, music, delivery,
Sales numbers, representation, artistic persona, etc. more than your ‘preferred’ artist. And let me add that as much as certain bodies in the country genre have tried i.e. Via over awarding Miranda to create the impression that she is the biggest female country artist ……the broader population hasn’t bought it. Just look at the numbers.
That you see one as an ‘artist’ and the other as a popular entertainer is your creation, your preference, and your problem.
I know there is a criteria that is ‘supposed’ to be used to determine award winners, but it is clear that those rules are manipulated and followed only if it favors the designated winner.
Carrie Underwood may not have the support of people like yourself, and she may be overlooked for awards for whatever petty, artsy, reason available, but it is very clear and substantiated with cold hard facts that from 2005 to the present, she is the most recognizable, popular and successful representative of country music.
Martin
November 2, 2016 @ 10:26 am
Kate,
You are right. Carrie has outsold and has had more success than Miranda or any other contemporary female country artist. My posting did not argue Carrie’s popularity. In addition, I think that they will give Carrie the award tonight. In fact, because Carrie is such a mainstream sounding artist, she will continue to get airplay. Meanwhile, more traditional sounding artists like Brandy Clark and Ashley Monroe (and even Kacey Musgraves), are never played on country radio.
However, the Grammys, CMA’s, Oscars are not based on data. They are not based on sales. Although there might typically be a bit of sales success or exposure required to get a nomination. For example, last, year, Stapleton won before he began to sell a lot of records or have a big hit. The industry votes on these types of awards. There are awards (for example, Billboard Music Awards),l that are based solely on chart success and popularity. On that same note, Spider Man did not win an Oscar for Best Picture simply because so many people saw it.
If the CMA’s were based on popularity and sales data, we would already know the winner in every category. And you are right, Carrie would win female vocalist based on that. However, she would not win Entertainer because technically Luke Bryan and Garth Brooks have probably sold more records and concert tickets.
I don’t believe that there is a conspiracy of any sort with people at the CMA trying to give an impression that Miranda is the biggest artist.
Also, remember, Carrie won female vocalist three years in a row from the start of her career…Therefore, she has gotten recognized. And again, I think she will win again tonight. That will give Carrie four female vocalist wins. That hardly sounds like she is being overlooked. That also will make any conspiracy theories about her not winning invalid.
Carrie will continue to make safe-bet, pop records that are very popular with the mainstream. And Miranda will continue to push the envelope and continue to challenge country radio in very much the same way Stapleton is challenging it.
And again, I think Carrie will win big tonight.
seak05
November 2, 2016 @ 12:55 pm
Just for the record, Carrie has more grammy’s than Miranda. Miranda has won more awards at country industry events, Carrie has won more outside of country only events.
Gabe
November 2, 2016 @ 11:19 am
“Miranda, on the other hand, has the pressure on her to make music that pushes the boundaries and changes country music.” I don’t see the pressure she’s facing to change country music, besides if you are going to call Carrie pop/rock let’s call Miranda Americana shall we?
Martin
November 2, 2016 @ 11:44 am
Hi, Gabe,
I agree. Miranda is Americana. And Americana is basically high-quality or traditional, sophisticated country music. I remember when her second album came out, and she was on the cover of No Depression magazine. It made sense to have her on the cover of an Americana publication from the start…
Miranda is expected to make music that is of the highest quality and to also have chart success…Most Americana type artists are not expected to have :”hits” and most chart-topping artists do not have the artistic expectations that Miranda has to fulfill For example, nobody expects Luke Bryan or Florida Georgia Line to release a musical masterpiece. (And I like Luke Bryan’s voice and some of his songs, by the way.)
As we can start to see though, Americana is starting to break into the mainstream…But yes, Miranda (and Stapleton) and Kacey Musgraves are all Americana…They are three of the reasons why Americana is becoming more of a commercially viable genre.
boy
November 2, 2016 @ 4:51 pm
carrie won best new artist at the grammys and has scored a golden globe nomination as a writer.
carrie is suffering from the mariah carey sickness . usually when a person is so so so good at singing like carrie and mariah, the lots will ignore their other attributes and talents. mariah is an amazing writer who wrote most of her songs but she never got the same credit for her writing thanks to her big voice
miranda is a decent to poor singer so the establishment hypes her up as an artistic maverick when she is not. if you break it down , carrie is better overall
carrie sings
carrie writes
carrie can entertain and is a great performer
Carrie lyrics are deeper, spiritual with more humanity to it. so small, something in the water, temporary home, just a dream, good in goodbye, little toy guns.
she sells the records
she is skilled in guitar or piano but does not rely on it to hide her weak singing like miranda
carrie is not weak in any musical aspect like miranda is.
carrie can sing any music genre and has had success in even gospel music.
sure the establishment will call miranda because a lot of them have still not gotten over the fact that carrie came from a talent contest show like american idol.
Dakota
November 19, 2016 @ 8:13 am
😀 Thanks for the laugh this morning…lol
jayne steiner
November 1, 2016 @ 9:54 pm
Martin you hit the nail right on the head.
Martin
November 2, 2016 @ 7:32 am
Thanks, Jayne…
CountryCharm
November 2, 2016 @ 10:55 am
I think we all know why she wins all the CMA and ACM awards, it starts with WM and end with E. Bloc voting is a real thing and explains why even in years like last year, when Miranda does nothing she still wins awards over more deserving artists. It becomes even more blatant when you compare her CMA and ACM awards to the lack of other awards won. She’s however not the only artist who’s benefitted from this. I also think we can save calling her the best mainstream country artist for the day when she can put on a show without having to do covers even when she’s doing a limited performance opening for other acts. She got a lot of flack on social media for butchering classics opening for Kenny this summer.
Martin
November 2, 2016 @ 11:50 am
Carrie is with CAA (Creative Artists Agency). These days, they are more powerful in many ways than William Morris. They are a huge agency with a ton of power. In fact, Lady Gaga just left William Morris for CAA.
CountryCharm
November 2, 2016 @ 4:08 pm
You just proved my point for me by pointing out Carrie is with CAA. Miranda is WME’s biggest country female artist. Gaga has nothing to do with it. WindMills Country did a great write up on how bloc voting works and the power of WME and Live Nation. It’s still on her blog.
Tom R.
November 3, 2016 @ 3:44 pm
It’s crazy that ANY female vocalist would win this award more times than Loretta, Dolly, or Tammy.
Batool
November 4, 2016 @ 1:28 pm
Ill be honest here. I am a huge miranda fan but being honest, she is only big when it comes to “country award shows”. In any other terms, carrie tops miranda undoubtedly. Commercial success, critical success, brand success, grammy success, touring success, mainstream success. It is unfair to call miranda (who i respect and adore) the top of the female country ladder when carrie has sold millions of more records and continues to do so in every shape and form other than the increasingly irrelevant CMA and ACM awards.