"Both of Us" B.o.B ft. Taylor Swift

Country and rap make just about the unlikeliest of bedfellows—but don't knock it until you've tried it. "Both of Us," the latest single from Atlanta emcee B.o.B, is a sweet hip-hop ballad featuring a hook sung by the reigning princess of twang, Taylor Swift, and the result is positively lovely. Admittedly, it's more of genre mix-and-match than groundbreaking mash-up, but the frequent transitions between solitary banjo and clanking drum machine beats are seamless and effective. Where the track falls short is Bobby Ray's inspirational lyric, which comes off as slightly clunky and less than inspired. Swift, however, sounds stronger than ever, delivering a gorgeous, nearly ethereal vocal on the chorus. B+