CMT’s latest installment of the rock-meets-country series Crossroads tries something new, pairing Joe Walsh with numerous handpicked guests who join the rock-guitar great exclusively on material associated with Walsh’s career—no one-on-one song-and-style swapping. 

Joe revisits his biggest solo hits but takes full advantage of his longtime association with country-rock trailblazers the Eagles, a band that enjoys widespread favor with the twang-inclined. Even so, the show skews heavily toward classic rock, from Brad Paisley’s intense guitar interplay with Joe on “Rocky Mountain Way” to ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons taking the stage for the Eagles’ decidedly non-country “Life in the Fast Lane.” 

Joe’s broad, ongoing appeal is suggested in the age range of his enthusiastic guests: Hunter Hayes, rising 20-year-old country-pop wunderkind (who youthfully injects showy ad-libs into “In the City”); 30-something Luke Bryan, who brings an “aw shucks” rural vibe to “Life’s Been Good”; and 40-ish Sara Evans, who duets on the Eagles’ slow-dance standby “Best of My Love.” The song, which predates Joe’s membership in the once-winsome West Coast band, proves less than ideal for his rubbery tenor but results in a sweet change of pace.