Let me first send out a hearty congratulations to Reba McEntire on the success of her Reba Duets project. Numbers I have seen predict that Reba will top 250,000 records moved and just might debut #1 on the Billboard 200, something she hasn't done in her whole career.

The first single with Kelly Clarkson put McEntire back in the country top 5 and almost gave her another career #1. I would think all parties involved are very pleased about the early success of the album.

Before we go any further, allow me to tell you what my "special" project was. I am going to tell you who I think Reba should have recorded a duet with. I'll add the reasons why, too. I am including a run-down of those who have passed already in a separate list.

I think now would be a great time to remind you just who Reba did duet with: LeAnn Rimes, Ronnie Dunn, Kelly Clarkson, Rascal Flatts, Trisha Yearwood, Vince Gill, Carole King, Faith Hill, Kenny Chesney, Don Henley, and Justin Timberlake.

Ok.. here we go.. and in no certain order:

1. Shania Twain - this should be obvious. The two ladies are the queens of country and great friends. Shania could have wrote a special track for the album and I'm sure both would be more than excited to perform with each other.

2. Dolly Parton - see above. Especially after seeing these two pair up, although briefly, at the CMT Giants special last fall, I am convinced that this duet would be something very special.

3. Willie Nelson - both are country legends and both can hark that country twang. It's actually quite a shame that Nelson didn't get included, because I think this duet would have been very artistic.

4. Martina McBride - who can go higher? I think these two could have squared off on "Stand By Your Man".. would have been quite the track..

5. George Strait - both are from the South (Okla. and Texas) and to me this seems like a natural fit, kind of like Strait's Wranglers.

6. Carrie Underwood - Idol meets idol. It's a done deal. Of course, now you have two Idols with their idol on one album. But the newcomer looks poised to take over Reba's title of queen in the next few years, so hey, they might as well sing together, right?

7. Elton John - Reba is a music legend, and well, it would have been a wonderful treat for music fans to see these two acts pair up. I can already hear the ballad with John on piano.. ah..

8. Alison Krauss - such an under-appreciated act, I tell you. But a voice for the ages. Can you imagine the haunting vocals that these two ladies could put together? Instant hit! I think fans would have really ate up a blues tune from McEntire/Krauss.

9. Garth Brooks - need I say more?

10. Ann & Nancy Wilson - these Heart ladies could really rock in their day and McEntire knows just the right way to fuse that element into hardcore country madness. A very talented group of ladies, y'all.

I tried to limit this to ten, but I could add George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Keith Urban, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Paul McCartney, and probably more that I will think about tomorrow.

Well that's the "alive and well" list. I'm not going to go into details here, but my list of duets that would be impossible to record because of death would include songs sung with: Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Dean Martin, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams...

Perhaps Reba should spend the rest of her career doing duets. No.. but hopefully I get my wish on at least one or two of those named above.

Do you think differently? Did I miss someone? Email me!

It's been one hell of a week.. so far I've missed two Thursdays.. hmm.. check back here tomorrow. I have something special for you!

Not that my thoughts matter to you, but I have a lot to say about this week's events. So let's get down to it.

Garth Brooks set music history debuting at #1. From all aspects that I can cover, the song is a legit #1. Brooks and his team pulled out all the stops when it came to marketing this single to radio, and they fed off a high demand for new Garth music. Boy, did it work. In less than a week the song roped in 30+ million listeners. Incredible doesn't really describe its run. Of course, the song will fall steeply this week, but Garth and his team hope that it will rebound to #1 in the future. He says the song got there on merit. We'll go with that.

Taylor Swift is beyond ecstatic over her CMA nominations. And she's made it quite clear, she's out to win. It's good to see her in the field. I am also very happy to see some GOOD music get recognized, such as Brad Paisley for Album of the Year and "Because of You" for collaboration. With all the press over the snubs, attention was diverted from the few nice surprises. Of course, as with every other year in recent memory, it's the same people, just a new year. Eventually the CMAs and ACMs will find something more than the performances to bring in fans.

Anyone that doesn't know there's an election coming up in a little over a year must be kept up in a cave in the Rockies. This clever article drags Shania Twain into the mess over association with parties. Shania is a liberal, but she has never stated her personal preference. She's Canadian, why should she? The woman can't vote in this country, and any one that bases their vote off of Shania's opinions doesn't deserve to vote. The lady is back in Canada this week, Toronto on Friday to be exact, and should be in the US of A next week. Nashville should throw a 'Welcome Back' party.

Have you heard Faith Hill live lately? I think she's sick. I love Faith and her voice, but something about her upper register just isn't right. She looks fabulous as the voice of the NFL, and she was gorgeous on "Ellen" Wednesday. But that voice.. She's also changed her story on the CMA incident last November, and she told Ms. DeGeneres that the woman who grabbed Tim's balls deserved to be called out because she shot Faith the "you-can't-do-anything-about-it" look. Let it go. Faith has had some bad press moments. We have all forgotten. Let it go. You don't want to re-upset Carrie Underwood fans. They're a bit feisty, and there's a lot of them.

Country music is out to save the world.. or at least the music industry. It begins Tuesday with Kenny followed by Rascal Flatts and Reba this month. We are also looking at huge releases from Faith Hill, Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood, and Garth Brooks. The fall will be hot. A few high profile B-list albums will also be released, and they could add up to deliver the final punch to prove to the big shots in New York that country is a big deal. Country is cool, y'all!

... I would post my blog this very moment. But, alas, I am busy trying to secure On-Demand a huge feature for this fall. But you can expect my thoughts on, of course, Garth, more CMA reaction, a preview of the fall as country heats up, and what's up with Faith??

Come back around 8pm and see what I think. Remember, you can always let me know what you think. Email me! I'd like that.. derrick@countryondemand.com

Due to what they call "fan response", Tim McGraw's management company has taken the chance to take a huge swipe at the CMA. They say:

To Tim Fans:
First and Foremost, thanks for being the best fans in the industry. We truly appreciate your support for Tim, his music, StyleSonic Records and Neighbor's Keeper Foundation.
We understand your disappointment in the CMA's snubbing Tim and Faith in this year's CMA awards nominations. As many of you have pointed out, this is a very political event. It is NOT based upon merit or success necessarily.

This is not to detract from any nominees. They all work very hard and deserve recognition for their music and their sacrifice to make it in this very tough business. Tim has, and will continue, to give many of them a hand up.

In fact, there are a number of folks deserving of CMA recognition who have never been recognized at all. Tim is one of the most awarded and recognized artists in the history of country music. We have nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about. YOU made him the most-played artist of the first half of this year, YOU made him the #1 seller of the first half of this year, YOU made his Soul 2 Soul Tour with Faith the biggest in country music history in 2006, and now the biggest multi-year tour in country music history. YOU made his Greatest Hits album the #1 catalog album in all formats. THANK YOU!!!!!!

Again, as a lot of you have noted, Tim's label is very small and has very little presence in the CMA organization. We have been a part of efforts to change the lopsided voting which favors a few select companies. CMA has resisted such efforts because vested interests have no economic interest in having the system change.

There is no perfect voting system; it is only a reflection of the rule makers. In this world, those rule makers fear for their jobs as the record industry changes. We feel their pain as we have lost many friends who have had to leave the business because there was no longer a big enough industry to support them.

Those rule makers cling to the concept that the awards can make an artist, instead of great music and artistry can make for a great awards show. Case in point: "If You're Reading This" at the competitive ACM Awards. Are we surprised that CMA's don't want an ACM performance as a single or song nomination? No. Are we disappointed? You bet. It was one of the most amazing moments EVER in awards show history. We cried. We cried again when the families walked through the audience.

Did a label think that up? Was it the show producers? Was it management? Was it the trade association? Nope, folks that was Tim McGraw. His idea, his song, his concept. We were honored to be a small part of it. Does the lack of a CMA nomination detract from the song, the performance or the tribute to the families? ABSOLUTELY NOT. We wish we could share every e-mail or letter that this song has generated. It makes one feel good that music can make a difference in someone's life.

Tim is going to continue making great music as a writer, artist, producer and performer. He is going to continue to pursue his amazing film career. We could chose to look back and point fingers or look ahead and envision the world as it could be. We chose the latter. Or in the words of Tim McGraw, we chose to "Let It Go" -- no need to carry around that kind of load.

God bless you and thank you.

RPM Management

While the statement is not wrong in any means, Tim just needs to wake up and smell the roses. Acts like Toby Keith and Shania Twain found out long ago, the CMA honors who the CMA wishes to honor.

Toby has boycotted the awards for the last several years and, since she wouldn't comment on the matter, said this about Shania in 2003, ""Here she is, completely ignored by the CMA this year, and yet there she was singing on the show. She didn't deserve to be looked over."

Tim will get over it and move on. At least he better, if he wishes to retire and join the political system of this fine country.