At ACMs, genre pitches big tent

They stood next to each other as opposites: the smooth singing "GQ" cowboy with the lady-killer looks of a Matthew McConaughey stunt double and the towering tough guy with a baritone deeper than a mine shaft.

Blake Shelton wore a natty black tie and matching vest; Trace Adkins sported a belt buckle almost as large as the stage he was standing on.

But together, these two country music contrasts gave a singular voice to the shifting demographics of their genre during the 45th Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night at the MGM Grand Garden.

"You ain't gotta be born out in the sticks with an F-150 and a .30-06 or have a bubba in the family tree to get on down with me," Shelton sang during his hit "Hillbilly Bone" early on in the show, backed by Adkins. "All you need is an open mind."

He said it.

Nashville's new thing: inclusiveness.

To wit, Shelton's performance was introduced by Cher, one of several not-so-obvious presenters at this year's ACMs.

She was trumped, however, by an appearance by rapper LL Cool J, apropos of completely nothing, though he did manage to drop a rhyme while prepping the crowd for a performance by Taylor Swift.

"She's made her way onto the charts and into our hearts," he quipped before Swift launched into the rousing "Change," singing high above the crowd on a riser suspended from the ceiling.

Swift is among country's biggest contemporary stars, and she's emblematic of its broadened reach: her tunes are polished-to-a-sheen pop daydreams that sound right at home on any number of radio formats, country being just one of them.

The same could be said of many of the evening's big winners, including coed vocal trio Lady Antebellum, who were honored for song of the year, single record of the year and top vocal group, ending Rascal Flatts' seven-year reign in the category.

Other winners included Miranda Lambert, who earned the album of the year nod and was named top female vocalist. Top male vocalist went to Brad Paisley, who won it for a record-setting fourth year in a row, while Luke Bryan was named top new artist.

In the biggest award of the evening, Carrie Underwood repeated as entertainer of the year, the first woman to receive the honor twice.

Over time, the ACMs have deliberately come to reflect country's ever-widening base, and this year's show embodied as much.

The night began with a raucous take on Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Travelin' Band" with Lambert and Underwood dueting over quick-wristed guitar soloing by Brad Paisley and John Fogerty.

Charlie Daniels ended the song with some fiddle fireworks.

Even less orthodox, by Nashville standards, was the hot-and-bothered pop of newcomer Laura Bell Bundy, who descended from the rafters on an illuminated horseshoe, midriff bare, to swish her chap-covered hips like a backwoods Beyoncé.

Of course, the evening had its traditionalists.

Scruffy-haired throwback crooner Billy Currington spelled out what it means to be a real cowboy on "That's How Country Boys Roll."

"They wake up in the morning and they drink their coffee black, they love their woman one beat shy of a heart attack," Currington sang in a hearty twang. "On the way to work they might stop by a fishin' hole."

As Currington attested to, the evening wasn't all about elevating style over sentiment, a notion that Toby Keith echoed with a heart-in-the-throat rendition of the stark, wet-eyed ballad "Cryin' For Me (Wayman's Song)" which was written in the memory of deceased basketball star and smooth jazz bassist Wayman Tisdale, a friend of Keith's.

Flanked by saxophonist Dave Koz, Keith was visibly emotional as he sang, which he was backstage as well.

"He literally showed me how to live and die," he said somberly of Tisdale after his performance.

Similarly poignant was the final ACM performance from Brooks & Dunn, who turned in a buoyant "My Maria," as chosen by fans who voted via text messaging on what song they wanted to hear.

They also won for top vocal duo.

Overall, though, the ACMs benefited from a feisty, freewheeling vibe.

In this way, the show mirrored the evolving face of Nashville itself.

Perhaps new school beau Jason Aldean put it best during a take on his hard rockin' hit "Crazy Town."

"It's a crazy town, full of neon dreams. Everybody plays, everybody sings," he sang of Music City.

"Hollywood with a touch of twang, to be a star you gotta bang-bang-bang."

And true to Aldean's words, there were plenty of things going boom on this night.

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at 702-383-0476 or e-mail him at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com.