You've Got to be Kidding Me!

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Reba McEntire, Lee Ann Womack, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift ... and me?"

Those were the words from Miranda Lambert when accepting the Academy of Country Music's Best Female Vocalist award Sunday evening. Many of you know that I am a big Miranda fan. Heck, I practically discovered her. After all, I have the knack of recognizing talent. But Best Female Vocalist? In that crowd?

Miranda also won the ACM for best album, something I predicted could happen. That makes two in a row, and was well deserved. Miranda's Revolution was a superb and diverse effort that has her moving effortlessly from head banger rock to soft ballads and classic country. She is now part of country music's singer-songwriter elite. But Best Female Vocalist?

During the ACM award show, Miranda performed "The House that Built Me", a soft story teller kind of song that showed us a side of Miranda that only fans have seen before. The melody remained in Miranda's lower vocal range and was a little rough in places. If this performance had been on American Idol, the judges reaction would have been:

• Randy - I don't know dog, you know, it was just alright with me. There were a couple of pitch problems, you know. Just keeping it real dog.
• Ellen - You look marvelous Miranda. What are you doing later?
• Kara - You know I love you sweetie, but I just didn't get it. You got to pick songs that complement your voice, and that wasn't it.
• Simon - That was a mess. No, more like a train wreck. It started bad and just got worse. You know that I am a big fan of yours, and I hope you are around next week.

This from the Female Vocalist of the Year?

Maybe. If the award was a talent show, Miranda doesn't win it. She does not have a voice that compares well with Jennifer Nettles, Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, and scores of other artists. But Miranda does have a unique voice that is interesting in it's quirkiness. She makes country twang listenable. Her vocal calisthenics and flutters are her signature. Is she the best vocalist? No. But she may be the most fun to listen to.