By Chris Jones BBC Music Online in Nashville

Alan Jackson's sweeping victory at this year's Country Music Association awards this week made the bookies' job a little more mundane.

But the biggest evening in the Grand Ol' Opry's calendar still yields plenty of surprises for anyone not used to Nashville tradition.

The three-hour marathon of performance and tribute gives Music Row's finest a real chance to revel in all of the elements that make country the most American of musical genres.

Spectacular stage sets were the order of the evening on Wednesday.

Alan Jackson triumphed

Shania Twain's opening number - her latest single I'm Gonna Getcha Good - featured a leather-clad body double riding a motorbike through the auditorium to the accompaniment of a huge firework display.

Later Brad Paisley sang I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishing Song) on a replica of a bayou fishing wharf and Martina McBride's Concrete Angel was delivered in a cardboard cemetery, complete with dry ice.

Yet underneath the slick trappings this was an event that embraced the Opry's oldest values.

Alan Jackson's victory in five categories symbolises the country community's return to issues such as family and good old heartache.

Tradition

Jackson, McBride and all the other winners all found space to dedicate their triumphs to their moms, dads and, of course, God.

Kenny Chesney, veteran George Strait and Lee Ann Womack's songs all spoke of regret, broken relationships and betrayal. This is after all what Nashville does best.

Shania Twain was a guest

As with any celebrity junket, a great deal of attention is paid to what the stars wear on the night.

Newcomers such as Nickel Creek, with their blend of bluegrass and Chris Thile's manically gelled hair, and Trick Pony both drew comment for breaking the sartorial code of Armani and Stetsons.

The original coal-miner's daughter, Loretta Lynne, wore a ribbons and sash affair that looked as if it had last made an appearance in 1967 when she first won at the awards.

Martina McBride was overjoyed at her best female singer award

The exuberant Deanna Carter's skirt drew gasps for its brevity.

Considerably more upbeat compared to last year's more sombre affair in the wake of the terrorists attack, it seems as if country's newest stars look set to maintain its standards.

The pop cross-over style of Faith Hill and Shania Twain, while tolerated, will seemingly never replace the hard core of the faithful.

Tributes to the late Waylon Jennings, and a brief appearance by King of Country, George Jones both drew wild applause. Country music is alive and kicking.