ACM Awards

Here are some reasons why you need to watch the ACM awards:

1. Brooks & Dunn & Taylor Swift & Sugarland & Carrie Underwood & Rascal Flatts. Here's one for those with short attention spans. Nearly everything the ACMs have to offer in a tidy little 7 minutes! Host/country royalty Reba McEntire introduces the show by informing us that duo Brooks & Dunn is one of the most acclaimed acts in the history of the awards, but what follows isn't there time to shine. Instead, Brooks & Dunn become the anchor for whizz-bang medley. Swift rocked out with "Picture to Burn," looking more assured than ever. Underwood showed off her near-perfect vocals with a brief turn at "All American Girl," Sugarland was delightfully poppy and Rascal Flatts represented some country good ol' boys. "That's what I call a stimulus package," McEntire said. We'd rather have cash, but it was a solid opening. B+

2. Kenny Chesney's "Out Last Night." The lead single from his upcoming greatest hits package is a pleasant enough up-tempo rocker, representing immediately how country award shows are different from the Grammys. Less than 15 minutes in, and we have an ode to being drunk. Rather than approach anything dangerous or reckless, Chesney spins this tale of hangin' at the local bar into a neat little slice of nostalgia. B.

3. Heidi Newfield's "Johnny and June." Standing in the center of a little circular fire moat, former Trick Pony singer Newfield tried to bring a bit of a rebellious edge to her her ode to Johnny and June Carter Cash. She handled the elements better than Swift last year, when the artist was dumped with water, and did her best to turn the cut into an arm-raiser. But standing around some fire doesn't necessarily bring any to the song. B-

4. Toby Keith's "God Love Her." Hey kids, you can be a little rock 'n' roll devil and ride your motorcycle, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to forgo your Bible studies. Keith's recent country hit was bar-band-fun, accentuated here with a little horn section. Huey Lewis & the News with a slide guitar. C+

5. Jamey Johnson's "In Color." The first ballad of the night comes from newcomer-ish Johnson. The cut has already won song of the year, and it's not. Performing largely in black-and-white here, this one is aimed straight for your heart. Isn't it sweet how he inspires us to reminisce about our grandmother and high school teacher? No. Skip the song and look through your photo album: C-

6. George Strait's "Troubadour." Enough. No more songs about looking back and remembering when you were young and raising hell and hanging out with tough-as-heck women. Strait suffers here because the show is one hour old, and this is already the fifth song about how good things used to be way back when. Nashville, no wonder why Swift is your biggest star right now. She stands out because she doesn't yet have a past to sing sappy songs about. What saves Strait here is he understands his mortality and place in the world. B-

7. Taylor Swift's "You're Not Sorry." OK, so the performance hasn't even started, and we have to deduct an automatic half point here because Swift was introduced to the stage via a David Copperfield magic trick and Pop & Hiss is strictly anti-illusionists. Nothing really country about this tune, as this is pure ol'-fashioned power ballad. Swift doesn't have the strongest voice, and she's better rocking out than singing at a piano. A backing string section, however, kicks in to save her from having to hit any high notes. After the performance, Swift gets an award for selling lots of records. At first, it seemed like an impromptu little thing, but Swift had an acceptance speech at the ready. C. (But if there had been no magic: C+)

8. Lady Antebellum's "I Run to You." The first moment of the night that's close to a current-events reference, with this Grammy-nominated country trio singing about the power of love no matter how crazy this mixed up world gets. It's a perfectly acceptable, perfectly forgettable mid-tempo tune. C-

--Todd Martens

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