Sometimes, right is just right. Hot off the heels of Nelly and Kelly Rowland's fine reunion track "Gone" (which Nelly would like you to know is not "Dilemma Pt. 2," but sure sounds like "Dilemma Pt. 2"), Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow have re-kindled that old feeling with their recent duet "Collide." Their world-weary vocals twist around one another, the gentle cry of Crow's voice serving as the perfect complement to Rock's gruff, throaty delivery. The pairing remains such a natural fit that it makes you wonder why it took the pair nearly a whole decade to revisit it.
Which leads us to thinking--what other male-female duet partners of the late '90s/early '00s are long overdue for a reboot? Here would be some of our dream rematches:
- Ja Rule and Ashanti. "Dilemma" might have been the gold standard of the early-00s rapper / R&B singer love duet, but Ja and Ashanti were basically the Marvin and Tammi of the mini-genre. Never quite believable as hard, Ja was much better off performing puppy-love duets like "Always on Time" and "Mesmerize" with the impossibly sweet and innocent Ashanti. Considering that Ja is going to jail soon, there would be no time like the immediate present for a reunion. Maybe they can remake Dirty Dancing in the video this time.
- Amy Lee and Ben McCoy. The two hooked up in 2003 for "Bring Me to Life," Evanescence's nu-metal "Total Eclipse of the Heart." Neither band has seen the top 10 since 2003, the year of that track's big pop breakthrough, and it would be nice to see Amy Lee stomping around rock again.
- Jennifer Lopez and LL Cool J. It's been sort of forgotten to time, but J. Lo and LL's chart-topping, Debra Laws-sampling "All I Have" was actually one of the better pop songs of 2003, a surprisingly thoughtful and emotional ballad of love deteriorated. The song's sort of open-ended conclusion, and Jennifer's recent return to pop prominence, would make the moment ripe for an "All I Have '11." (Nobody puts years in song titles anymore. I blame Ruben Studdard.)
- Moby and Gwen Stefani. It's not like Gwen really had all that much to do with the musical makeup of 1999's "South Side." But the bald-head lick she supplied to the video was key, and it'd probably be only weirder and more beautiful ten years later on.
- Christina Aguilera and The Strokes. This pairing never officially happened in real life, and even when it did in make-believe internet land, it wasn't like Christina was trading off verses with Julian Casablancas or anything. Still, if Freelance Hellraiser can clear time on his busy schedule to hook the two up again ("Not Myself Tonight" with "Under Cover of Darkness"?), the pop-blog community would be overwhelmingly grateful for the trip down mashup-memory lane.
