CMA Award Nominees: Who Will take Home the Trophy?

In the world of CMA Awards, the creme de la creme is the Entertainer of the Year Award. Here, country music's biggest stars compete to see who will get the nod for the highest honor. This year, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, George Strait and first-time nominee in the category Taylor Swift are vying to take the trophy from Kenny Chesney, who has won the honor four times throughout the decade -- including the last three years in a row.

Swift's nomination into the "club" is huge because in its 42-year history, only six females have ever won the award: Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell (twice), Reba McEntire, Shania Twain and the Dixie Chicks. This year has been Swift's year in so many respects, but we think the real competition is between Paisley, whose American Saturday Night Tour has garnered rave reviews, and Kenny Chesney, whose string of sold-out shows topped box-office records. Can Chesney go for four in a row?

In the Female Vocalist of the Year category, the contenders are Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, McEntire, Swift and Underwood. Again, Swift's success eclipses everything else -- or does it? You can never underestimate the amazing star power of Reba McEntire, and people still love Carrie Underwood. Add to that the fact that Lambert has just delivered the album of her career, and maybe things are not quite so clear-cut.

Still, we are throwing our hat in Swift's direction because the momentum of her success has only gained speed throughout the year, even moreso in the aftermath of the VMA debacle. Plus, anyone who wanted to vote for her in the entertainer category (and didn't) will most likely give her the nod here.

Chesney, Paisley, Darius Rucker, Strait and Urban are the nominees for Male Vocalist of the Year. Urban and Paisley have traded this award between them since 2004, so it's possible people are tired of handing the award to either of them. Unbelievably, Chesney has never won this category, and this is the first time Darius Rucker has been nominated so maybe George Strait has a shot?

Even though Strait seems to be something other than a mere mortal, we lean toward Paisley for the award this year. Boring, we know.

The New Artist of the Year Award (formerly called the Horizon Award) is probably the most interesting, and certainly the most fun as far as trying to guess the winner. Randy Houser, Jamey Johnson, Jake Owen, Darius Rucker and the Zac Brown Band all have been nominated -- and for good reason. Johnson, who was the recipient of Rhapsody's Music Without Limits Award last year, is our personal pick to win, but who can forget that uber-cute Randy Houser video that burned up the 'Net? Or the fact that Zac Brown's "Chicken Fried" was one of the ubiquitous songs of the year; there was a time when you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing it within 10 minutes. But Rucker has culled an amazing triple-play -- three No. 1 singles from his debut, and we think that tips the scales in his favor.

Tune in to ABC on Wednesday to see the all of this year's winners, plus live performances from the soon-to-be-retired Brooks & Dunn, Chesney, Reba, Paisley, Sugarland, Swift, Urban and Underwood.

Hit Play on the teaser playlist below, or click here to hear all of the 2009 CMA Award nominees.

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