Name that Artist

Between raising hell and amazing grace, this week’s dynamic duo continued their rich tradition of genre-bending with their third album earlier this year. Similar to their first two albums, the newest blends country music with rock, rap, and hip-hop for a unique style that attracts a broad spectrum of listeners.



Since their first album was released in 2004, this band has released 11 singles and recorded two more with other artists. The first album topped both the Billboard national chart and country music chart for best-selling albums while their third, most recent album reached number one in country music and number six on the Billboard 200.



However, not all reactions to the band has been positive. Keith Davis, a country musician from Texas, even went so far as to name this band “as a trend he would eliminate from music.”



During the past several years, this duo has performed or recorded with a number of other artists including Bon Jovi, Gretchen Wilson, James Otto, and Cowboy Troy. They also formed the MusikMafia, a collection of artists and songwriters who performed in Nashville, Tennessee. Finally, they recorded a cover of John Lennon’s Nobody Told Me for a tribute CD and appeared in a music video for Nickelback’s song “Rockstar.”



Although the artists have been performing and recording together for a number of years, each had a rich solo career prior to joining together. One of the two is a former vocalist and lead guitar for the country band Lonestar, while the other is a former rap artist.



For those of you who were wondering, last week’s band was none other than the Beatles. For this week’s answer, go to http://www.rose-hulman.edu/thorn.