Reba McEntire Sings the Praises of Her Peers

Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 04:20 PM, CDT | TheBoot.com

When it comes to singers, it’s hard to argue that Reba McEntire is the reigning queen of modern country music. But the CMA Female Vocalist nominee is constantly being asked about which artists she thinks are among today’s best. Reba has previously told PEOPLE.com how much she admires her former duet and touring partner Kelly Clarkson, and also predicts longevity in the careers of Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler.

And when it comes to the guys, Reba tells the Toronto Star she’s OK with fellow Oklahomans Ronnie Dunn and Blake Shelton. She also cites fellow CMA Award nominee Randy Houser, an artist whom she mentioned in that previous PEOPLE interview.

“Randy’s a great songwriter. His singing reminds me of a cross between Ronnie ... Blake ... and Con Hunley. Love it!” (For those unfamiliar with Con Hunley, from 1977 to 1986, he scored 11 Top 20 hits, including ‘You Lay a Whole Lot of Love on Me,’ later recorded by Shania Twain).

Reba has another Oklahoma resident in mind, namely Trisha Yearwood, whose voice she describes as “very smooth, with a great range that is very believable.” As for the legendary redhead’s own unique style, Reba’s been retooling her stage to direct the focus back to her singing.

“I don’t change clothes 15 times,” she says “I don’t have 10 dancers. I just get up there and sing my songs. And the people seem to like it.”

On Nov. 11, Reba will find out if CMA voters like her enough (as they have four times previously!) to crown her Female Vocalist of the Year.

Posted by Extreme Reba on 09/24/2009 at 04:20 PM