Twitter Has Named This Performance The True Winner Of The CMAs

Her best work may be in the field of R&B, but Jennifer Hudson proved she could cross genres when she honored music legend Aretha Franklin and her country roots, with her own rendition of "Night Life," which was written by Willie Nelson. Saving Country Music, which was live blogging the event, simply said, "Told you Jennifer Hudson would show up everyone on this presentation, but Lord, wasn't expecting that. WOW."

Hudson's stellar performance added some sparkle to the event, which came under criticism from some country music fans because of the way organizers had handled the controversy surrounding singer Morgan Wallen and his use of a racial slur. While banned from attending, Wallen was still nominated for "Album of the Year." There were those who felt he should have been judged based on his music, including one radio station staffer who voted for Wallen. "He's got an album full of hits," he told The Washington Post. "He did some stupid things that he regrets, but I don't think he should be banned for life. I voted on the merits and music, not his personal life, not his beliefs."