One problem with country music is that it doesn't deal with sparring very well. Nearly everything vaguely resembling a competition gets watered down so neither side looks bad. The genre's media was left in a bind following the war of words between Zac Brown followers and Luke Bryan followers after the former artist blasted the music of the latter. In the end, CMT and others did they're best not to make anyone look bad. So, it's not entirely surprising that five different performers will share this year's CMT Artist of The Year Award.
That's right. In a battle between Bryan, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, Hunter Hayes, and Florida Georgia Line, Country Music Television couldn't establish a clear winner, and called it a five-way tie. Two-way ties happen from time to time. A five-way is just a tad wishy-washy. So, check out the accomplishments of the nominees this year and tell us who you think the ONE winner should be:
Jason Aldean: Aldean hasn't released any new music since 2012's Night Train, yet 2013 has been his most popular year yet. Perhaps it was his hosting of the CMT Music Awards in June, or his starring in his first film, Sweet Vengeance.
Luke Bryan: Bryan has been a sales giant this year, in country music or otherwise. His latest album, Crash My Party, spent eight weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 on its way to going platinum. It doesn't seem to be slowing down either.
Florida Georgia Line: This duo's album, Here's To The Good Times, has also gone platinum since being released last December, but most folks probably know them thanks to "Cruise," a single featuring Nelly that climbed to no. 4 on the Hot 100.
Hunter Hayes: Hayes is prodigy-material in the country world, earning Grammy nominations this year for Best New Artist, Best Country Solo Performance, and Best Country Album for his self-titled debut. He didn't win any of those, but at least he tied for this one...right?
Tim McGraw: McGraw has released two albums this year, the solo LP Two Lanes of Freedom, as well as the compilation record Tim McGraw & Friends. Although not a groundbreaking year for the established veteran, he just keeps on keeping on.
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