Martina McBride saw a dream come true when she teamed with rocker Pat Benatar in 2003.

The women joined together for an episode of CMT Crossroads, which pairs musical acts from different genres to sing each other's songs. It wasn't that big a stretch for McBride, who had performed Benatar covers in a rock band in her home state of Kansas.

“When I sing Pat’s songs … I hear myself sounding kind of like her," McBride tells CMT. "It’s not something I do on purpose, but it just comes out that way.”

McBride and Benatar are both powerful vocalists, and they also share a diminutive stature. The country star admits she has often drawn comparisons to Benatar, which she doesn't mind. “I’ve read reviews of my show … review after review … that said, ‘She’s the Pat Benatar of country music.’ You know, ‘She looks like Pat Benatar.' So there is a similarity," she says, adding, “It’s cool. It’s cool for me.”

They taped the episode on Oct. 16, 2003, and it initially aired on Dec. 12, 2003. Benatar sat in on McBride's hits "Independence Day" and "When God-Fearin' Women Get the Blues," while McBride joined in on "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "Promises in the Dark" and "We Belong." For the latter, Benatar's husband and longtime musical collaborator, Neil Giraldo, brought out an acoustic guitar for a stripped-down arrangement that was very different from the original recording.

"He's played some of my all-time favorite guitar solos, ever," McBride told the crowd, causing Benatar to reply, "Don't give him a swelled head! I have to go home with him." Giraldo provided the lower harmony parts for the song, while Benatar and McBride traded verses and harmonized in a soaring, once-in-a-lifetime performance.

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