I liked the Country Music Awards. I didn’t care for most of the American Music Awards. The fundamental difference between the two is: SINGING!

I’ve made no secret of my disdain for modern music. I think it lacks originality. I should add the element of performance to that criticism too – it also lacks originality. This is where these two award shows differ.

Singing: I still like country music because the performers sing with such soul. As far back as I can remember, country songs have been about heartache, hard times, down-on-your-luck situations that just really show their roots in the blues. I could always feel that. And they still do that – for the most part.

The AMA’s really just consisted of a lot of yelling, screaming and whining into a microphone. Singing has become secondary to a big production number. I got no sense that the performers were singing from their souls.

Performing: I thought the CMA’s did just enough in the performance category to be interesting. The AMA’s take this to another level. I guess if you can’t sing, you have to create as many distractions as possible. Subterfuge…

I will make one criticism of the CMA’s: The artists should try not to look EXACTLY the same. All of the men wear tight jeans, t-shirts, cowboy boots and a big hat. Correction: Sometimes they wear a baseball cap. The ladies are less clone-like. At one point, I had watched 3 different men in passing and didn’t realize they were 3 different men. I just thought it was a really long performance. 🙂

So, that leaves the Grammys. Gotta wait until February for that, but, my thought is that I might get a blend of both. My wish is that I get the best of both – strong singing peppered with clever performances. Let me know what you think…