The Eighth Annual Country Music Critic's Poll

For the Scene’s eighth annual Country Music Critics’ Poll, we asked working journalists from all over North America, from big-city newspapers and glossy magazines, from alternative newsweeklies and Internet blogs, to vote on the best country acts and records of 2007. This year, our 96 voters handed Texas singer Miranda Lambert one of the most dominating victories in the poll’s history. To read more about the poll results, and what they say about the current state of country music, read Geoffrey Himes’ essay on what it all means on p. 15, and visit nashvillescene.com to read select comments from voters.

Albums:1. Miranda Lambert: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Sony/BMG Nashville)2. Robert Plant/Alison Krauss: Raising Sand (Rounder)3. Brad Paisley: 5th Gear (Arista Nashville)4. Porter Wagoner: Wagonmaster (Anti-)5. Patty Griffin: Children Running Through (ATO)6. Lori McKenna: Unglamorous (Warner Bros.)7. Lucinda Williams: West (Lost Highway)8. Dwight Yoakam: Dwight Sings Buck (New West)9. Steve Earle: Washington Square Serenade (New West)10. Trisha Yearwood: Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love (Big Machine)11. Levon Helm: Dirt Farmer (Vanguard)12. The Avett Brothers: Emotionalism (Ramseur)13. Little Big Town: A Place To Land (Equity)14. Joe Nichols: Real Things (Universal South)15. Lyle Lovett: It’s Not Big, It’s Large (Lost Highway)16. Elizabeth Cook: Balls (31 Tigers)17. Pam Tillis: Rhinestoned (Stellar Cat)18. Kelly Willis: Translated from Love (Rykodisc)19. Teddy Thompson: Up Front and Down Low (Verve Forecast)20. Mary Gauthier: Between Daylight and Dark (Lost Highway)21. Carrie Underwood: Carnival Ride (Arista Nashville)22. Ryan Adams: Easy Tiger (Lost Highway)23. (tie) Merle Haggard: The Bluegrass Sessions (McCoury Music)23. (tie) Willie Nelson/Merle Haggard/Ray Price: Last of the Breed (Lost Highway)25. (tie) Amy LaVere: Anchors and Anvils (Archer)25. (tie) Reba: Duets (MCA Nashville)27. Tim McGraw: Let It Go (Curb)28. Gretchen Wilson: One of the Boys (Sony/BMG Nashville)29. Sarah Borges: Diamonds in the Dark (Sugar Hill)30. Robbie Fulks: Revenge! (Yep Roc)

Singles:1. Miranda Lambert: “Famous in a Small Town”2. Brad Paisley: “Ticks”3. Dierks Bentley: “Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)”4. Gary Allan: “Watching Airplanes”5. Keith Urban: “Stupid Boy”6. Sugarland: “Stay”7. Robert Plant/Alison Krauss: “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)”8. LeAnn Rimes: “Nothin’ Better To Do”9. Trisha Yearwood: “Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love”10. Josh Turner: “Firecracker”11. Brad Paisley: “Online”12. Miranda Lambert: “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”13. Carrie Underwood: “Before He Cheats”14. Taylor Swift: “Teardrops on My Guitar”15. Miranda Lambert: “Gunpowder & Lead”

Reissues:1. Emmylou Harris: Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems (Rhino)2. Gram Parsons with the Flying Burrito Bros: Archives Vol. One: Live at the Avalon Ballroom 1969 (Amoeba)3. The Stanley Brothers: The Definitive Collection (1947-1966) (Time-Life)4. Merle Haggard: Legends of American Music: The Original Outlaw (Time-Life)5. Alison Krauss: A Hundred Miles or More (Rounder)6. Garth Brooks: The Ultimate Hits (Pearl)7. George Strait: 22 More Hits (MCA Nashville )8. Bobby Bare: Bobby Bare Sings Lullabys, Legends and Lies (RCA Nashville/Legacy)9. Neil Young: Live at Massey Hall 1971 (Reprise)10. Arthur Alexander: Lonely Just Like Me—The Final Chapter (Hacktone)

Male Vocalists:1. Brad Paisley2. Josh Turner3. Joe Nichols4. Dierks Bentley5. Dwight Yoakam6. George Strait7. Vince Gill8. Keith Urban9. Steve Earle10. Gary Allan

Female Vocalists:1. Miranda Lambert2. Alison Krauss3. Trisha Yearwood4. Carrie Underwood5. Martina McBride6. Patty Griffin7. Lucinda Williams8. Reba McEntire9. LeAnn Rimes10. Taylor Swift

Duos and Groups:1. Sugarland2. Little Big Town3. Robert Plant/Alison Krauss4. The Avett Brothers5. Brooks & Dunn6. The Wreckers7. The Eagles8. Uncle Earl9. Nickel Creek10. Montgomery Gentry

Live Acts:1. Keith Urban2. Brad Paisley3. Miranda Lambert4. Dierks Bentley5. Kenny Chesney6. Garth Brooks7. Alison Krauss & Union Station8. Willie Nelson9. Sugarland10. Lyle Lovett

Songwriters:1. Miranda Lambert2. Lori McKenna3. Steve Earle4. Brad Paisley5. Patty Griffin6. Lucinda Williams7. Lyle Lovett8. Ryan Adams9. Taylor Swift10. Jeffrey Steele

New Acts:1. Taylor Swift2. Sunny Sweeney3. Sarah Johns4. Jason Michael Carroll5. Ryan Bingham6. Miranda Lambert7. Robert Plant8. Kellie Pickler9. Luke Bryan10. Jason Isbell

Artists of the Year:1. Miranda Lambert2. Brad Paisley3. Alison Krauss4. Keith Urban5. Little Big Town6. George Strait7. Kenny Chesney8. Willie Nelson9. Dierks Bentley10. Carrie Underwood

WHO VOTED:

This year’s voters: Cory Albertson, Tom Alesia, Don Allred, Brian T. Atkinson, Mike Berick, Jim Bessman, Wayne Bledsoe, Bliss Bowen, Jon Bream, David Cantwell, Jon Caramanica, Nancy Cardwell, Robert Christgau, Howard Cohen, Randy Cordova, Rick Cornell, Greg Crawford, Dan DeLuca, Kerry Dexter, Corey duBrowa, Dan Durchholz, Anthony Easton, Chuck Eddy, Dan Ferguson, Tim Finn, Chet Flippo, Janis Fontaine, Doug Freeman, Tom Geddie, Holly George-Warren, Jon Gilbertson, Gary Graff, Joey Guerra, Vernell Hackett, Shane Harrison, Will Hermes, Geoffrey Himes, Lorie Hollabaugh, Hal Horowitz, Keith Howerton, Edd Hurt, Thomas Inskeep, Josh Jackson, Preston Jones, Hunter Kelly, Thomas Kintner, Frank Kogan, Tom Lane, Jeff Leven, Alan Light, Josh Love, Jim Macnie, Lynne Margolis, Barry Mazor, Michael McCall, Sam McDonald, Don McLeese, Kendra Meinert, Fred Mills, Rick Mitchell, Robert Morast, Darryl Morden, Jim Morrison, Stuart Munro, Chris Neal, Ralph Novak, Rob O’Connor, George Paul, Bob Paxman, Rick Petreycik, Shay Quillen, Alex Rawls, Bill Reed, Bobby Reed, Jeffrey Remz, David Royko, Lloyd Sachs, John Schacht, Makkada Selah, Ed Shane, Pam Shane, Craig Shelburne, Hazel Smith, David Sokol, Alison Stewart, Werner Trieschmann, George Varga, John Walker, Ellis Widner, Chris Willman, Kent Wolgamott, Mikael Wood, Ron Wynn, Gregory Yost, Lee Zimmerman, Sarah Zupko