I love awards shows. All of them. I love the glitzy red carpets, the girls' gorgeous gowns, the guys' snazzy suits and tuxes, the musical performances, the scripted jokes,Taylor Swift's face every time she wins. It's almost embarrassing how fast I run home from class or work just to make sure I don't miss the anything. So obviously I'm really looking forward to the CMA Awards this Thursday!

I'm more excited than ever for this year's show! The performance line-up is filled with the best talent, and all of my favorite artists are on the list including Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum, and Miranda Lambert. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are in their fifth year as co-hosts, promising the evening to be complete with witty jokes and banter and the excellent onstage chemistry that the two share.

This has been yet another incredible year for country and all of the nominees have given us so much music to love. Blown Away, Tornado, Night Train, Own the Night, Four the Record, Red...the list goes on.

Of course every nominee in each category is there for a reason, and each one deserves recognition for their achievements and contributions to country music for the past year. But here are some of my picks and predictions as to who will take home the prizes.

New Artist of the Year: There's no doubt in my mind that Hunter Hayes doesn't have this one in the bag. Out of all the artists in the category, Hayes has gained the widest audience and has produced the biggest hit with his single "Wanted."  Aside from his debut record, he has scored a major touring gig on Carrie Underwood's Blown Away tour. He has appealed to audiences in both country and pop and is, of course, every young girl's newest crush. So maybe my 20-year-old girl view is slightly biased, but I would be shocked if he didn't sweep this category as country's biggest breakout star this year.

Female Vocalist of the Year: Each of the artists nominated for Female Vocalist has had a string of victories over the past few years. Martina McBride won for three consecutive years from 2002-2004, Carrie Underwood from 2006-2008, Taylor Swift in 2009, and Miranda Lambert for the past two years. This year's awards introduce a completely new and surprising nominee with pop singer Kelly Clarkson, whose collaborations with Reba McEntire and Jason Aldean have earned her a place in Nashville. It's a tough call between each of these talented women who have all become such iconic figures in country. I would love to see Lambert snag the award for a third year, but I also think the accomplishments Underwood has achieved this year with Blown Away also put her at the top.

Male Vocalist of the Year: I think the real competition is between Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean. These two have been rising to the top over the past couple of years with some of the biggest hits on the charts. Aldean's huge success with My Kinda Party claims iconic hits like "Dirt Road Anthem" and the duet "Don't You Wanna Stay" with Kelly Clarkson that are enough to put Aldean to the top. Luke Bryan's own Tailgates and Tanlines make him an equal contender. The singles "Drunk on You" and "I Don't Want this Night to End" were perfect summer hits. Urban and Shelton have also claimed accomplishments this year both musically and in the television world, and I wouldn't be completely surprised for a win from Shelton. But I still think Bryan and Aldean are the front runners.

Vocal Group of the Year: My top two picks here are Little Big Town and Lady Antebellum. Lady Antebellum is a favorite among many country and pop fans, and they have won this category for the past three years. The success of Own the Night and the album's singles definitely puts them at the top of the game and ready for a possible fourth win. As much as I love Lady A, I would love to see the award go to Little Big Town this year. Sorry for sounding like a broken record by once again raving about Little Big Town, but this year they have certainly stepped up into the spotlight more than ever. Their summer hit "Pontoon"and subsequent album Tornado are enough to put LBT in the winner's category.

Entertainer of the Year: This honored award has been traded between Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift since 2009 with Swift being the reigning Entertainer of the Year. Both are up for the award again this year along with Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, and Jason Aldean. Again, the amount of talent and success that each of these artists brings makes for a difficult decision of who will be crowned the title. Then again, Taylor Swift has won every time she's been nominated for this category, and with her new album being all the buzz, the success of her most recent singles, and just simply the fact that she's the queen of country/pop, I have a feeling we may be witnessing her priceless look of surprise Thursday night.  

This is my favorite time of the year for so many reasons--cold weather, colorful leaves, fall smells, bonfires, pumpkin spice lattes--but most of all it's the season of new music! This year new albums have been dropping like crazy and I have been working hard on keeping up with all of my favorite artists and making sure to check out some new ones as well. It's been overwhelming trying to catch up with all the new releases, but so far I'm pretty impressed with what I've been listening to! So here's a little overview of what I've been listening to for the past few weeks.

I think it's safe to say that most of us can agree that country artist Taylor Swift isn't quite so country anymore. For hardcore country fans this is a problem because they want their artists to be authentic and true to the genre. For non-country fans this is great this is great because they can listen to a country artist and enjoy it. For the music industry in Nashville this is especially great because they earn the attention and money that Taylor brings in from her pop music sales.

Taylor's newest release "I Knew You Were Trouble" goes a step further from pop. This one integrates a bit of dubstep. Yep. Dubstep. In a "country" song. Not that I expected her new song to be anything close to country in the first place, but it seems that every song Taylor releases finds itself further and further from country music.

Not that the song is awful. It's great for pop radio, will naturally become a major hit, and like any other song of hers I know I'll belt it out in the car whenever it comes on the radio (don't act like you don't do it too). But after the releases of Taylor's newest songs, I've read many tweets and statuses from people upset about how far from country has gone from actually being country and asking what is up with this "country/pop."

Here's what's up with country/pop. It's not by any means a concept that only just emerged in this generation, and Taylor Swift is certainly not the only country star to have her musical styles questioned. Country with a pop spin has been around since the 1950s when producers in Nashville developed a new sound in an attempt to reach out to the younger audience that was quickly turning to rock 'n' roll. This new movement was called the Nashville sound (surprise!) and traded out traditional instruments like the banjo and fiddle for string orchestras to create a smoother, less twangy country sound.

Ever since the development of the Nashville sound there, of course, has been opposition to the Nashville industry turning out one money-making pop star after another. Traditionalists turned to movements such as the Bakersfield sound and outlaw country.  Today, artists that don't want to associate themselves with the Nashville pop industry turn to the alternative country scene and roots music (a blend of country, folk, and bluegrass styles).

Don't get me wrong. I don't think there's anything wrong with taking influence from other genres and styles of music. That's how new styles are developed and how music stays fresh and exciting. I also certainly don't have a problem with country/pop. Many of my favorite artists--Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, etc.--fall into this category. These artists have made major contributions to country and will forever be important to the industry. And I don't think many people will argue that Patsy Cline, the most famous artist to come out of the Nashville sound, is one of the most iconic figures in country music history.

I have and always have had a love and respect for Nashville for not being just another New York or LA industry that is only out to make money, but with the strong presence of the world's largest record labels in Nashville there is obviously going to be a part of country that is motivated by making profits. Country/pop stars like Taylor bring in this money and attention to Nashville and the country music industry. Her music reaches out to a wide, young audience that may not necessarily like country music but will contribute to the industry by buying her music and seeing her shows.

Maybe I'm going off on a little bit of a tangent. I guess the big question here is how far can a country/pop artist go before they just simply aren't country anymore? Truth is, I think they can go as far as they want. Taylor and her producers can continue making pop albums and Nashville will always claim her as their own. She can add as much dubstep into her music as she wants as long as one or two of her songs has a hint of banjo or steel guitar. She will never not be country to the country music world because she brings in the sales and the audience that was initially intended with the creation of the Nashville sound. Taylor can even just go ahead and make full out EDM albums for the rest of her career. It doesn't matter. She'll still end up in the Country Music Hall of Fame and will forever be a major country music icon.

October is Country Music Month! Apparently the Country Music Association established this in 1964, but I didn't even know about it until the other day. So I've decided to dedicate today to country music!

One thing maybe you should know about me--I love country music and it's probably something I'm going to be talking about a lot. Go ahead and judge me, but I think country is one of the most stereotyped and misunderstood (for lack of a better word) genres. My friends often refer to country as "tractor music." Yes, there is the occasional tractor song, but country is so much more than farming, tractors, and rednecks.

I too used to stereotype country into this annoying redneck/hillbilly/tractor/twangy category. It was something only my grandpa listened to--definitely not for kids my age. Then in 7th grade my best friend played me Rascal Flatts' Feels Like Today album, and I was shocked at how much I liked it. That same year Carrie Underwood was on American Idol, and I watched religiously every week to cheer on this small-town country girl who I felt I could relate to so well. From there I downward spiraled into a love for country, and what I was going to allow to be just an occasional guilty pleasure turned into more of an obsession.

Over the summer I took a class in the history of country and learned that I actually knew very little about this music that I had claimed to love since I was 12. My professor opened my eyes to the music of the Carter Family, Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn and so many more artists I had never listened to because I thought they were too "old." I learned how diverse country actually is with honky-tonk, bluegrass, Western swing, the Bakersfield and Nashville sounds. I was amazed at Hank Williams' ability to sing a seemingly simple honky-tonk song only to turn around a write a song as poetic and haunting as "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." Although I probably won't go out and buy an album of Jimmie Rodgers songs to listen to for the heck of it, I gained an extensive appreciation for country--its roots, its sound, its meaning. Without country, we wouldn't have many of the other types of music we love and appreciate today. The sounds of country evolved into the sounds of rockabilly and rock 'n' roll that had such a huge impact and influence even on bands like The Beatles.

I understand why many people don't like the "tractor" side of country; however, I hope people will come to understand how much country has evolved over the years and how big of an influence it has had on other genres of music. Country shouldn't be put into a box labeled "Redneck and Tractor Music," but appreciated for being a genre filled with poetry, raw emotion, and some of the most amazing musicians in the business.

For those of you that only think of country as redneck/hillbilly/tractor music or have never given it a try, listen to some of these artists. Maybe you still won't like it and that's ok, but hopefully you'll be able to better understand and appreciate the genre for what it is and not just what people think it is.

Miranda Lambert
I have become obsessed with all Miranda Lambert music lately! Her music talks about everything--love, missing home, religious commentary, and really really getting back at the person that cheated on you. I especially love "Bring Me Down" and "Heart Like Mine." She's so good I don't even know what to say. Just trust me on this.

Little Big Town
If you don't live under a rock, you've probably heard Boondocks and Pontoon, but check out their other stuff! LBT are the masters of harmony, which is what made me fall in love with them. Some of my favorites are "Fine Line", "Firebird Fly," "You Can't Have Everything", and anything off their new album Tornado (it's amazing!).

Sugarland
I know a few people that have said they aren't huge Sugarland fans because of Jennifer Nettles' twang, but once you get past that, she has the most soulful voice you'll ever hear. Sugarland's most recent record, Incredible Machine, really pushes the limits with country, but in such an amazing and refreshing way. I love that they take huge risks and don't put limits on their music. Take a listen Incredible Machine!

Hunter Hayes
Hunter is new on the scene but I have no doubt he's going to be very successful! He's more on the pop/country line, but his music is so much fun and he's an incredible musician (check out the video for "Storm Warning"). He's definitely going to become the new teen heartthrob, but I'm ok with that! "Wanted" has become a huge hit but I also love "Faith to Fall Back On", "Cry With You" and "Everybody's Got Somebody But Me."

Hi guys, I'm Callie! I'm a junior at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana majoring in journalism and minoring in music. I'm hoping to work in music publicity/PR and marketing when I graduate. Because of that, I decided to create this blog (or rather my adviser suggested it, but she had a good idea). I'm here to talk about music. Any kind of music--pop, rock, country, good music, awful music, or whatever I've noticed going on in the industry that I feel so inclined to comment on.