NOMINEES FOR BEST COUNTRY DUO / GROUP PERFORMANCE:
"From This Valley" by The Civil Wars
"Don't Rush" by Kelly Clarkson (feat. Vince Gill)
"Your Side of The Bed" by Little Big Town
"Highway Don't Care" by Tim McGraw (feat. Taylor Swift and Keith Urban)
"You Can't Make Old Friends" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
WHO SHOULD WIN: "Don't Rush" by Kelly Clarkson (feat. Vince Gill)
There's seemingly a plot line behind every candidate for Best Country Duo/Group Performance this year. "From This Valley" plays into the drama behind The Civil Wars' breakup and divorce. "You Can't Make Old Friends" has sentiment on its side, thanks to the performance of real-life old friends Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. "Highway Don't Care" just packs about as much star power as any country song from 2013. All of the above are quality entries ("Your Side of The Bed" suffers from an awkward flow, even if it's got a great concept).
Those who haven't embraced Kelly Clarkson's conversion to the country charts yet should reconsider their positions however, because her collaboration with Vince Gill best wraps both performer's talents into a classic duet. Gill never gets his own solo vocal passage, but he provides wonderful harmonies to Clarkson's lead, and contributes a noticeable guitar passage to round off the track.
WHO WILL WIN: "You Can't Make Old Friends" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
The Grammy committees love to see music legends still making contributions to the scene, and they love it when two legends team up to make that contribution. "You Can't Make Old Friends" is a song that's perfect for a duet performance from standard-bearers like Rogers and Parton, and we expect the committee to eat it right up. The Civil Wars would be a great choice as well, but the committee understand it'd create an uncomfortable situation to put that pair onstage together.
