Last November, Brooks & Dunn hosted the CMA Awards for the second consecutive year, and picked up their third Vocal Duo of the Year award.

"We never take this stuff for granted," Brooks said following the win. "The longer we're out here, too, in a lot of ways, the more we appreciate it, because we see so many great acts who're out here with us, and you realize how steep the competition really is. So, this win is even better 'cause it says people are still digging what we're doing. We're still keeping it fresh and people are into it."

"Hillbilly Deluxe," the pair's ninth album, hit stores last October. It's the followup to 2003's "Red Dirt Road," which continued a string of platinum-certified albums for the duo.

"This one is more sure-footed than 'Red Dirt Road,'" Brooks said of "Hillbilly Deluxe" in the duo's online bio. "If there were pieces last time, this is more complete. That's as much about the roots and the word 'real.' We’re playing our hand with our cards showing. Musically, we knew what we were after, so we did this raw--just got out there and played. Or as I was telling someone the other day: the hot rod is still running real fast. It's not about being all polished up, so much as it is going to the line knowing you got a great car."