THE ACM NOMS: MOVING COUNTRY FORWARD

Another year, another wave of Academy of Country Music breakthroughs.

The latest batch of noms from the formerly West Coast-based organization, which built its reputation on being the alternative to Nashville’s more traditional Country Music Association, sees Kane Brown score his first Entertainer of the Year nomination, as well as his first Male Artist—not to mention Single, Visual Media and Musical Event of the Year nods for “Thank God for You,” the #1 duet featuring wife Katelyn Brown.

Lainey Wilson, another break-the-mold roots-country star, continues to gain momentum. Last year’s Female Artist, New Female and Song of the Year winner notches her first Album of the Year nomination for Bell Bottom Country—and her second Female Vocalist and committee-generated Song of the Year nod for “Heart Like a Truck.” In addition, HARDY’s blistering domestic-violence tour de force “wait in the truck,” on which Wilson is featured, picks up Single, Visual Media and Musical Event nods, adding three more categories to the throwdown female concert draw.

The perennially likable Cole Swindell breaks through with major nominations, taking home four slots with the Jo Dee Messina-invoking “She Had Me at Heads Carolina.” Not only did the song score in Song, Single and Visual Media, but the “Remix” with former ACM Top New Female Vocalist Messina picked up Music Event of the Year.

Jordan Davis, who had huge awards impact over the last year with “Buy Dirt,” also notches a first. In keeping with the ACM’s long-heralded breakout tradition, Davis finally cracks the Male Artist of the Year ceiling.

For fiercely independent Texan Cody Johnson, the ACMs solidify the bona fides he’s established with Human: The Double Album. The Sebastopol-born former bull rider and prison guard receives three nods for his double CMA winner, “’Til You Can’t.” Those Song, Single and Visual Media nominations reinforce the power of his back-to-basic-values message and no-frills Lone Star State traditionalism.

Also in keeping with the ACM’s Bakersfield/Tulsa/Texas-leaning, “more barroom than boardroom” feel, harder country forces Jon Pardi and Midland land, respectively, in Album of the Year (for Mr. Saturday Night) and Group. These classic ACM-style artists’ commitment to the more West Coast and beer-joint country was rewarded.

As always, the Academy’s commitment to looking beyond the dominant trends is on full display in the Album of the Year category. While women continue to struggle at Country radio and lag behind at the DSPs, three of the five nominees are female. Reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Miranda Lambert’s progressively traditional Palomino and Ashley McBryde’s brilliant small-town song cycle Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville join Wilson, while Luke Combs rounds out the category with his massively connecting Growin’ Up.

Combs is a juggernaut who—like fellow Entertainer nominees Morgan Wallen and Brown—built his audience outside the traditional Music Row process. Taking the music to the people, he was indie-released, touring hard and finding his way via social media, streaming and sheer connection prior to signing with Sony Nashville. Like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, who took their music to Texas, and Merle Haggard and Buck Owens, who stayed loyal to California, Combs went where he could build a meaningful base that was true to who he was and who his fans were.

Decades later, Clint Black and George Strait (out of Texas) and Dwight Yoakam (true to Bakersfield) proved blazing your own trail in country music—beyond Music Row—could provide massive success. It’s a path that outliers from Zach Bryan, the stadium-selling New Male Artist nominee, Parker McCollum (reigning New Male Artist) have followed, as well as HARDY to an extent, and other New Artist nominees ERNEST, Hailey Whitters, Morgan Wade, Caitlyn Smith and Megan Moroney.

Intriguingly, like the Academy Awards, the ACMs have expanded Entertainer of the Year. Going from five to seven nominees allows for true diversity, providing a solid survey of current artists competing for the night’s top prize. Beyond three-time Entertainer Jason Aldean, three-time Entertainer Carrie Underwood and Lambert, high credibility soul-country bar-setter Chris Stapleton joins new-guard superstars Brown, Combs, and Wallen.

It’s noteworthy that Stapleton, who may well be the new Willie, and Wallen, the global streaming country unicorn who transcends the genre, both have Male and Song nominations to go with their Entertainer nods. Wallen’s yearning ballad “Sand in My Boots” and Stapleton’s smoky “You Should Probably Leave” demonstrate the breadth of today’s country.

Further illustrating that breadth is The War and Treaty’s inclusion in Duo. They join old-guard icons Brooks & Dunn, pop-leaning smoothies Dan + Shay, girl-power pair Maddie & Tae and hard-charging Brothers Osborne.

That wide-open reality offers a better view of who’s actually listening, allowing new people to break through in the nominations. Whether it’s Kelsea Ballerini’s return to the Female Artist category (as well as a Visual Media nom for “Heartbeat”) after a run with tourmate Kenny Chesney on “Half Of My Hometown” last year; Dustin Lynch featuring MacKenzie Porter for “Thinking ‘Bout You” and Mitchell Tenpenny joining pal Chris Young for “At the End of a Bar” both scoring a Music Event; or singular songwriter McBryde’s Female, Album and Single, the ACMs continue to move country music forward—and recognize the next wave of country music’s most popular artists.