Swift takes home an armful of CMA Awards.

Full list of winners | Photos

It was a night for upsets at the Country Music Association’s Awards show last night.

The biggest was Lady Antebellum snagging two awards – Single of the Year for I Run to You, and even more shocking, the trio bested shoe-ins Rascal Flatts for Group of the Year.

Newsworthy but not so shocking: Taylor Swift walked away with several awards including the Entertainer of the Year award. At 19, she was the youngest nominee ever, and as a winner she’ll probably hold that record for a good long time.

But Swift was also one of the biggest disappointments for award winners: She simply did not deserve being named Female Vocalist.

Considering that she won album, video, and entertainer, this award should have gone to someone who can, well, SING.

I love Taylor’s songs, I give her credit as a songwriter and a performer, but stand her up to a bonafide singer on a vocally challenging song, even a classic like Over the Rainbow sung by Martina or Carrie or even Reba, and her vocals simply would not stand up.

Here’s the rub: Taylor’s songs have made her famous, not her voice, which is so obviously corrected in the studio. And I understand that.

But vocalist should mean unmatched vocal skill. She doesn’t have the power of Martina or the pitch of Nettles.

Just listen: You don’t hear any richness or depth.

And I’m sure if she didn’t write her own songs and had to really sing, she’d never get a recording deal.

Swift proved my point when she opened the show with Fovever and Always, a teenager’s break-up song. Dressed in black leggings, she trashed the set and danced around, even rolling on the floor at one point. These over-the-top performances are just begging to be fast-forwarded.

I wonder if anyone ever tells Swift that something she wants to do isn’t a good idea.

On the upside Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley shined as hosts.

In their opening segment — after Taylor Swift’s disasterous performance opened the show — Brad and Carrie played a parody of the classic Mama, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys, substituting Kanye for cowboys and singing:

“Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be Kanye,
Let ‘em pick guitars and drive them old trucks
‘Cause cowboys have manners, they don’t interrupt.”

Paisley: “That song is just as relevant now as it was when it was written, which was this morning.”

Paisley is so witty, it’s almost hard to tell what what is written for him and what he just comes up with off the cuff.

Paisley: “We’re just one big dysfunctional family. Call it George Strait Plus Eight.”

Speaking of dysfunctional, Jamey Johnson performed Between Jennings and Jones from his critically acclaimed album That Lonesome Song, and took home the award for Best Song for In Color.

Johnson, in his self-deprecating way, said, “I never even thought you let me come to stuff like this.”

But why does Johnson keep his gorgeousness hidden under that beard?

And speaking of gorgeous, another tremendous shocker came from Kellie Pickler, Country Weekly’s Sexiest Woman, when she showed up as a BRUNETTE!

There were lots of performances but some of them fell flat.

Miranda Lambert performed White Liar, radiant in white and tall cowboy boots. But the brightest thing about the performance — and I love Miranda — was her pink guitar.

Zac Brown playing Devil Went Down to Georgia was a big waste of time. Thank goodness for DVRs. I could fast forward through that.

Jason Aldean performed Big Green Tractor, but he didn’t deliver it with much fire or intensity. I guess maybe it’s tough to get excited about a tractor, but the song was a multiple week No. 1 for him and he was singing to his fans and peers and he just seemed bored.

Who didn’t disappoint?

George Strait getting some Twang.

And Lady A performing Need You Now — Hillary Scott’s voice just gets better and better.

Chris Daughtry and Vince Gill performing Tennessee Line, a pop-country ballad. The best vocals of the night.

Underwood was radiant in every dress she wore and she wore plenty. Here’s a rundown of her dresses:

Dress #1 is a dazzling in crystal-encrusted knee-length sparkler.

Dress # 2 was red. She asks Brad, “Can you feel me and tell me if I’m hot?” then sang ‘Swine flu’ to Leann Rimes “Blue, too bad I don’t qualify for that vaccine.”

Dress #3: a red one-shoulder number.

Dress #4 she donned for her performance of Cowboy Casanova, the No.1 song off the No.1 album. Soft white cloudlike diaphanous organza with silver-sequined shorts under it, and 8 back-up dancers in black.

Dress #5 was a long cream colored dress with lavender ribbons and flowers.

Dress #6 was a bright green knee length.

Dress #7 was a lavender and yellow floral floor length gown
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Dress #8 was yellow tiered dress with a black sash.

Dress #9 was a short silver-sequin with a light gray scarf.

The network also played it cautiously this year making sure that the acceptance speech of the Entertainer of the Year didn’t get cut, and they finished the show with minutes to spare.