Hits were sung and CMA's were won!

Hello!

I have shed a tear at every single Songwriters Series that I’ve been to so far. When Jessi sung I Drive Your Truck in 2015, then there was last year when Lori sung Girl Crush and this year was no different, The Shires came out on stage and got presented with their first CMA Award, they were speechless! The audience, recognising what a spectacular moment this was for the duo gave a standing ovation to the pair who seemed a little overcome with emotion themselves. We’ll bring you more on that story throughout the weekend, we’d just like to congratulate Ben and Crissie on a fantastic achievement.

The rest of the evening lived up to expectation with five phenomenal hit writers you were always going to know at least one song that was played tonight. Kristian Bush the host and one half of the duo Sugarland played some songs off his solo album as well as from the band’s repertoire, songs such as Baby Girl, a fan favourite it seems and Stuck Like Glue and off his own album, Trailer Hitch and Flip Flops. He brought humour to the round as did Mac McAnally who was at the opposite end of the line. This guy is a fantastic all round musician and he demonstrated his amazing guitar skills all the way through. He played Down the Road which he and Kenny Chesney recorded and took to number one back in 2008. I think my favourite song that he played tonight was All These Years, it was an emotional song that put a different perspective on the theme of cheating. Mac McAnally really shone tonight, I mean he was hilarious and humble at the same time but he really is a fantastic writer.

Drake White was probably the one I was least familiar with before tonight but I enjoyed his songs, his vocals were incredible as well and I know that’s not really what the night is about but with a voice like that I can understand why everyone has been raving about him! The good news is he’s playing again throughout the weekend so hopefully you’ll all manage to catch him again. Maren Morris played a number of songs off her Grammy nominated album Hero, including Rich, I could Use a Love Song and of course My Church which she closed with. The whole audience got behind her and joined in, what a chorus that is! Liz Rose, sat between Maren and Mac also got a few laughs which began with her stool mishap in which she almost ended up with her back to us. She played a couple of Taylor Swift songs, White Horse and You Belong With Me, which the audience enjoyed singing to. She sang a very funny song about not having ex-boyfriends, only ex-husbands. She closed with Girl Crush and the audience singing that last chorus back to her just like we did with Lori last year brought her to tears. Again it was a wonderful moment and one of the highlights of the evening.

After five rounds I don’t think the audience wanted to leave. I mean it really was hit after hit and each writer brought something different to the evening but just like in previous years it was a relaxed and intimate night of great Country music.