IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Photos and text from wire services Awards, and it will definitely win here.

SINGLE OF THE YEAR: “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” Keith Urban; “Body Like a Back Road,” Sam Hunt; “”Dirt On My Boots,” Jon Pardi; “Tin Man,” Miranda Lambert; “Better Man,” Little Big Town.

FEKADU: Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road” was one of the year’s biggest hits, regardless of genre, and it set a record on Billboard’s hot country songs chart with a whopping 34 weeks on top of that. There is simply no competition.

HALL: Let’s just pretend for argument’s sake that this might come down to the quality of the song and not just popularity. “Better Man” is a classic Taylor Swift pop country song, cause, well, she wrote it and Little Big Town’s pitchperfect harmonies made this one a hit. And “Blue Ain’t Your Color” is a wonderful twist as a romantic ballad and Urban nails the melody and vocals. Urban deserves this award.

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR: Eric Church; Thomas Rhett; Chris Stapleton; Keith Urban; Dierks Bentley.

HALL: Stapleton has an ability to transform any song, even classic cover songs recorded by Willie Nelson and George Jones, with a breathtaking delivery that can silence a room or send fans to their feet. He’ll likely win this one for a third time in a row.

FEKADU: Stapleton has such a strong chance, but methinks Urban, who has consistently released successful albums, hit singles and impressed with his live shows, will walk away with the prize.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS This file photo shows hosts Brad Paisley, left, and Carrie Underwood at the 50th annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tenn.