The trend of creating something new and different in the music industry is always what the record companies are pushing…something people haven’t heard before; that’s what will sell. In an attempt to accomplish this we see the definition of what exactly is “country music” become harder and harder to pinpoint. New country has been becoming more and more pop with crossovers such as Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, The Band Perry, etc; but now we are seeing a new trend: the unlikely duet collaboration. Lately I’ve noticed that a lot of the hottest duets hitting the charts are country duets not sang between two country crooners, but rather one country and the other singer typically pop. My latest duet obsession is “Easy” by Rascal Flatts and Natasha Bendingfield. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDSCjmxO4T4
This collaboration is breathtaking and sang with such a powerful rawness of emotion. I was shocked when I purchased this album to see that Bendinglfield had recorded with the country band. While yes, Rascal Flatts is definitely of the new country style, I had not predicted Bedingfield going the country route, but in a way the two styles are becoming one. With a song such as “Easy”, the melodies are pure country through and through, but having an artist without a typical “country” voice is beautiful and obviously very successful. Another hugely successful yet unlikely duet collaboration is Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson’s “Don’t You Wanna Stay.”
Hitting number one on the Billboard Country Chart and staying at the top on the pop music charts is quite a feat. While Kelly Clarkson might not be an “unlikely” duet partner; having previously collaborated with Reba on her song “Because of You”, her voice once again is not “country,” yet the result is amazing and still sounds country because the way the song is written. These duets show the unlikely becoming all the more likely with huge support behind them. “Bi-winning” you could say: fans win by hearing their favorite powerhouses duet no matter their regular genre, and record labels achieve much more play time with the pop stations playing the country guys and gals as well. I say keep them coming!
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