CMT Duets

Well CMT did their Top 100 duets. I'm a nut for music countdowns so I was into this. And the show didn't disappoint.
Obviously some songs were well out of place. But that's what a countdown does sometimes. I mean considering how well known "Luckenbach Texas" is, how is that #50?

But anyway they did a concert of the Top 12, but here's 15. The top 3 were probably expected. Some surprises.
15. Seven Spanish Angels- Wille and Ray. Enough said.
14. Whiskey Lullaby- Brad Paisley and Allsion Krauss. I'm no fan of anything associated with bluegrass, but this is an excellent song. Chilling. I don't know if I expected it this high though.
13. It's Your Love- Should have guessed this would be huge. I don't know, husband/wife duets never seem to do it for me.
12. The Whiskey Ain't Working- the No hats tour was a huge part of country music in the 1990's. It's too overlooked nowadays. But Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart did some great things together. The concert gets off with a bang.
11. When I Said I Do- Clint Black and Lisa Hartman. A little sappy, but a very good performance. A celebrity marriage that has lasted. Give em props.
10. After the Fire Is Gone- Never had heard of this song, but it's a Conway/Loretta. Terri Clark and Trace Adkins do a fine job.
9. Does He Love You- Never liked this one. Yet it won a Grammy. Have you noticed most bad songs are the ones that win Grammys. Maybe that's why Vince Gill won a bunch...
8. Every Time Two Fools Collide- Kenny and Dottie. Who hasn't Kenny Rogers sung a duet with? Lee Ann Womack knows what she's doing in front of a microphone.
7. You and I- Eddie Rabbitt was big for me when I was growing up. I never had a record of his, but he was almost always on the radio. Hey, like me, he's a Jersey Boy! Brooklyn Born! He passed away 7 years ago and it's a shame. Nobody seems to remember how good he was for so long. Raul Malo (Mavericks fame) and Crystal Gayle did very well. I wonder if Crystal's floor-length hair will ever go gray...
6. You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma- David Frizzell and Shelly West. I really wonder if this song would be as big if it came out today as it was then. Clint Eastwood started a record label just so this song could be released. Very interesting story. Whether you like it or not, you can appreciate it as a great song of its time.
5. We're Gonna Hold On- George'n'Tammy. I thought Golden Ring would have been in this spot. Joe Nichols took George's part. He has a great traditional voice. His first record has some very good songs.
4. Jackson- Johnny and June. It's not easy to pull off a good cheating song, especially such an upbeat one, but when you're as in love as they were, I guess anything's possible.
3. Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys- Montgomery Gentry and Shooter Jennings. Fine performance, but no live performance can match the original studio version. That song should have been expanded. It ends too fast!
2. Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man- One more Conway and Loretta. Travis Tritt and Patty Loveless sang it well.
1. Islands in the Stream- Kenny and Dolly perform. The Bee Gees wrote it. Did Barry, Robin, and Maurice ever write or produce a song that wasn't great?

A few more notes.
#80- Poor Boy Blues. Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler. I remember watching this old video from around 1990 or so. Watching the clips 15 years later made me realize how catchy that thing was! Not the most expressive singing but that song doesn't even need words.
#78- It's Such a Small World- Rodney Crowell and Roseanne Cash. I thought this was inspired by Disney World. Those made records where the drum was so strong I thought that beat would come throught the speakers and pop my eardrums out.
#53- Rockin' Years. Ricky Van Shelton and Dolly Parton. For the Man on Bay Street. An RVS mention.
#47-Funny How Time Slips Away- Al Green and Lyle Lovett. Hey, Al Green is Al Green. I wonder if he ever had his hair as high as Lyle...
#35- To All the Girls I've Loved Before. The best Karaoke song ever. I did this one by myself in college. I did both voices fine. Then I realized I would have to blend both during the chorus. Not easy.
#31- Beer For My Horses. The Pittsburgh Pirates theme song. Actually it could've been Send in the Clowns.
#26- Streets of Bakersfield. Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens. The song that brought Buck back. "Hey you don't know me but you don't like me." You just don't hear lines like that. And the best country recording to use an accordian!
#25- Mendocino County Line- Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack. This song wasn't a big hit, but it's so good. A bit over the top musically with the strings, but the lyrics and Willie's weird pace of singing harmony makes it work. He sings from his soul.

Anthony if you're reading, there were no Billy Joel songs!