Eric Church is among the nominees for Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards, and he deserves to win!

The maverick country superstar takes his own road when it comes to his career. He's a multiple nominee in the 2017 CMA Awards despite being between new albums at the moment, with his most recent album, Mr. Misundestood, released in 2015. Church has extended the promo cycle for that album over a long time, touring most of 2017 on his Holdin' My Own Tour, a unique venture that featured him and his band in massive shows with no opening act and an intermission.

Church has built a rapport with his audience that is unlike anything else in country music, that doesn't rely entirely on radio airplay even though he's an artist with radio hits. His unique voice is a very important part of his appeal. Read on to find out why Eric Church deserves to win Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

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    His Special Character

    As a singer, Eric Church is more of a stylist than a pure vocalist. He's not a power singer who's going to go out and challenge anyone to see who can hit the highest note; rather, he's a communicator who uses the unique voice that he possesses to create a sound that does not resemble any other singer in country music. You only have to hear a couple of words to a new song to realize it's Eric Church singing.

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    "Kill a Word"

    Church has been sparing in releasing new singles, putting out just a handful of songs over the past two years and focusing on each one. "Kill a Word" is a very special track that features him in a powerful message-driven duet with Rhiannon Giddens, and Church delivers an inimitable vocal performance on the track that's a prime example of his unique talents.

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    His Live Ability

    There are plenty of singers who are the product of a sterile studio environment and then struggle onstage. Church is the exact opposite; he is practically synonymous with performing live, giving his best vocal performances at his live gigs. Church's incendiary, one-of-a-kind live shows feature a marathon of his best material and a number of songs shuffling in and out of the set list, and he has to be at the top of his vocal game each and every night to handle it all.

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    He Can Sing Anything and Make It His Own

    Church is such a master stylist that he can take virtually any piece of song material and turn it into his own by putting his stamp on it. He moves different covers in and out of his live set all the time to keep offering fresh shows, and he makes whatever songs he chooses fit with his material by simply delivering them in the inimitable Eric Church way. Check out his Gregg Allman tribute of "Midnight Rider" for just one example among many.

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    His Fan Connection

    The special connection Church has with his most dedicated fans, called the Chuch Choir, is due in no small part to his ability to move them in such a personal way. Church's one-of-a-kind voice is inseparable from his special relationship with the fans, just one more reason why he deserves to win Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards.

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