Brad Paisley & Keith Urban: Dueling Guitars

Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney & Keith Urban hanging out backstage at the 43rd Annual ACM Awards Sunday, May 18, 2008 in Las Vegas, NV. Photo courtesy of Getty Images and the Academy of Country Music.

Aug. 28, 2008 — Brad Paisley and Keith Urban have a lot in common: They’re both singer-songwriter-guitarists, they’re married to actresses, and they’ve each had their first child in the last 18 months. Adding to the similarities, they’re duet partners now, since Keith joined Brad in recording a song called "Start A Band" for Brad’s next album, Play.

Given that both of them have lightning-quick facility on the guitar, it’d be easy to expect the track to end up a speed race.

"It's probably not what you think, in the sense that it's not a blazing-fast thing," Brad told The Cleveland Plain Dealer. "It's more of a rockin' Eagles-style tune, like back when Joe Walsh and Don Felder would play those harmony parts."

"Start A Band" is one of four songs on Play that feature some vocals. The other 10 songs on the album, due Nov. 4, are all instrumentals.

"This album is a side project, and as artistic [as] I can possibly be in some ways," Brad said.

Both artists have had new developments in recent days. Keith has a slipped disc, People magazine reported, though it’s not expected to put a dent in his touring schedule. Brad’s current single, "Waitin’ On A Woman," got a bit of a makeover on Tuesday when his label released a remixed version of the song — featuring Andy Griffith’s recitations from the video — to radio stations.

"He was my first and only choice for that," Brad said. Had Andy not consented to do the part, "I would've skipped doing a video. The first time I heard the song, I felt like he was the perfect guy to be the wise sage who sits down on the bench."