Number 1: Miranda Lambert

My love, my inspiration, the most amazing woman in music....any music. Now I know that this whole countdown has been all men, but Miranda Lambert trumps all of them. I'm not a huge fan of women country music singers for some reason, I'm not exactly sure why. But Miranda has something in common with all of the guys on this countdown besides talent. She's a bad ass. I'm not going to go through all of the awards that she has won or her albums. Because this is someone that I'm extremely passionate about. Her lyrics are about things that she saw growing up in Texas with her family and she either writes her entire songs herself or has a hand in writing all of her songs. Her voice has a twang unlike that of any other woman. She recently teamed up with two other country artists, who are also her best friends to form the band Pistol Annies. THEY'RE AMAZING!! Their songs sound just like old school country and the album has been referred to as the soundtrack to the recession. When you listen to Miranda sing, you forget that she's a famous artist. She sings about stuff that everyone can relate to, no matter where you're from. The greatest thing about this girl is that she doesn't care about what anyone thinks or says about her. And she stands up for what she believes in 100%. She sings about a broken heart in a way that is so different from the way other girls sing. "It's gonna be easy to fill the heart of a thirsty woman. And harder to kill the ghost of a no good man. And I'll be ridin' high in a fandangled sky. It's gonna be easy, it's gonna be easy from now on." Miranda is not afraid to admit she has emotions and gets a little crazy sometimes. She makes me proud to be a woman, she's beautiful, and she's got a killer voice. And that's why I love her.

So, that's the countdown. Clearly there's a pattern in the people that I love. But here's a list of people that didn't make the cut, but I still love!

Honorable Mention: Josh Thompson, Josh Turner, Eli Young Band, Carrie Underwood, Billy Currington, Craig Morgan, Gretchen Wilson, Jake Owen, James Otto, Jamey Johnson, and Randy Houser.

Number 2: Luke Bryan

Oh my gosh. Look at that smile! It's no wonder why Luke Bryan is my number 2! Once again, I've seen this hottie in concert and let me tell ya, he sure can shake it! He's got such a cute, sexy way about him, and he just looks like such a good guy! Now enough about his amazing looks (and they are amazing), let's talk music! This cutie came on the country music scene in 2007 with his first cd, I'll Stay Me. Luke had a few big hits off of that cd, including, "All My Friends Say" which he became known for. His second cd, Doin My Thing, was a success with the ballad "Do I" and the fun songs "Rain is a Good Thing" and "Someone Else Calling You Baby". That cd was amazing, talking about what country really is and growing up on the farm. But in the summer of 2012, Luke released Tailgates and Tanlines. And with it, the huge hit, "Country Girl (Shake It for Me)" He followed up that single with "I Don't Want This Night To End" and hopefully "Drunk On You" will gain recognition soon. I saw that one in concert and it gave me chills! In 2010, Luke won 2 ACMA's, including "Top New Artist". He's been nominated for other awards since, but no wins just yet. From a small town in Georgia, Luke certainly knows where he came from and how he grew up and he lets us all know. His song from Doin' My Thing-"That's What Country Is" gives us a definition of what country is, and not what mainstream influences has made it. Luke sings about hunting and women, in a way that a lot of country guys don't do. He doesn't have that bad ass attitude, and maybe that is what sets him apart from the rest. He sings about what he believes in and doesn't have to criticize anyone in the process. He simply sings what he feels, and that amazing voice with that southern draw just makes a heart melt! "I held you closer than I had a right to hold. But the only thing that time can't take away....is I knew you that way" See what I mean? That lyric is from the song "I Knew You That Way" from Tailgates and Tanlines. He's just so amazing. His words, his voice, his look. This guy has it all....and he's so humbled! And I am so humbled just to hear his music!

Number 3: Eric Church

Three albums into his career and Eric Church is finally getting the recognition he deserves. Let's get the awards out the of the way first. In 2011, Eric Church took home an ACMA award for "Top New Solo Vocalist". Eric's first album, Sinners Like Me was released in 2006. Although none of the songs were a huge success, the album gave Eric encouragement to push on. In 2009, Eric's big break happened. His album Carolina and the single "Love Your Love the Most" put Eric on the country map. It was an over night success, and he then released "Smoke a Little Smoke" as well as "Hell on the Heart"-two more big successes. So with a huge success like Carolina, Eric had a follow up cd, and in my opinion, the best yet, Chief in the summer of 2012. He released the song "Homeboy" and country lovers everywhere fell in love with Eric again. He has since released "Drink in my Hand" and "Springsteen". Every song on this album is amazing-seriously. The Grammy's decided to give Eric a little recognition and nominated Chief for "Best Country Album." Eric didn't win, and I was mad. The other contenders have had their time in the spotlight, in my opinion, it's Eric's turn. From North Carolina, Eric draws inspiration from all of his life experiences. He sings about the generic country topics: homeland, losing women, loving women, being a sinner, and drinkin beer. But Eric does it in a way that really tells a story. He sings with a bad ass attitude, like a lot of new country artists, but also with his whole heart. In his first big hit, "Love Your Love the Most", Eric lists all of his favorite things, but a woman's (his wife) love is what he loves more than anything. His tender, loving lyrics win the ladies over. And his songs about drinkin beer and workin hard speak to men. When he sings about losing love, he often does in a way that makes you happy that she's gone. Such as in the song from Chief, "Creepin" "Head to the future, run from the past. Hide from the mirror, live in a glass. What dreams forget, the whiskey remembers. Kinda like molasses in late December. Just a creepin" This upbeat tune is one of my favorites. It makes listeners feel better about love lost. Of course there's pain behind the words, but there's also attitude and strength, and for that, I love Eric Church!