(I'm posting this personal reaction here, rather than in the CMA awards thread, because I want to separate it from the very understandable fan disappointment, and try to see some broader implications of the night)
I haven't seen the show as a whole, but I have watched some of the performance videos that I was led to by a mixture of personal interest and news write-ups, and I think it is possible to see this week's show as one of the best for female artists in Mainstream Country for quite a while.
Firstly,, the two performances by Carly Pearce and Kelsea Ballerini were real standouts that left me lost in admiration. Both showed the depth of emotion in broken relationships and were very much in line with what I (as a long term Country fan) feel the genre often does best
Secondly, while, in general, I've had less admiration for the recent contributions of some male artists in the contemporary genre, I give kudos to Chris Stapleton for supporting Carly in her song, and to Luke Combs for his very faithful and "in character" cover of Tracy Chapman's emotional anthem of female hopes and perseverance .
And thirdly there was the tribute to Tanya Tucker - and I have to admit that this aging fan did get emotional at hearing that once-in-a-lifetime voice getting such an enthusiastic reception by this crowd!
And that does bring me to what I can see as in some sense being a cathartic theme of overdue recognition in this show. For it is widely believed that Tanya suffered exploitation and alleged abuse from older men in the industry of the '70s, and that her "wild child" reputation led to rejection by many insiders, while the men continued to receive accolades and a free pass.
On a different note, Country Music history owes a deep and wide ranging debt to Black roots music - but Tracy Chapman''s award for Song of the Year was the first time a female African American has ever been honoured by the CMA awards. The song was actually a Folk Rock classic from 1988, which has been top 5 in the UK charts on two occasions, years apart.! But why I think it fitted so well into the current mood in Country is that its story is one of optimism and determination in a young woman's fight to escape poverty and a life of routine.
Finally , I have to come to the big surprise of the night - Lainey Wilson winning not only a raft of personal awards but also the coveted "Entertainer of the Year", on the strength of a hitherto very brief Mainstream recognition., She was probably helped there by the votes for the other candidates being widely split - but even more so ( If I'm right in seeing a theme of many wanting to atone for past mistakes) by the feeling that it should be the year for it to go to a woman. That would leave Carrie and Lainey
as the lead contenders. Harsh as it is, though, Carrie's best chances were in the last few years - but those moments sadly passed without that recognition. Giving it to her this year would seem to some as a retrospective thank you for past glories - and although that would have been richly deserved, and I would have loved to see it, more probably saw a vote for the future as being more important. Moreover, to quite a few in the industry, Lainey's brief spell in the Mainstream disguises a long period of struggle for recognition, for example, living in a camper van outside a recording studio, working through clerical help, small dates and songwriting, before she earnt a breakthrough. That would fit the theme of struggle and heartbreak that has been seen in other aspects of this week's show.
I certainly would not call Lainey a stylistic purist in the Country spectrum.. She draws quite heavily on Southern Rock and on Contemporary General Music. (In fact, I see stylistic echoes of both Carrie's and Miranda's musical approaches in her performances.) But her heart is very plainly in the Country Music genre - and in that respect I think if she is to be a big force for the future, much of the shock will be temporary and more doubters will come to see that the torch will probably be passing to safe hands.