Urban renewal: Country star no stranger to genre's evolving style.(The Orlando Sentinel)

Byline: Jim Abbott

When country stars cross over, it's usually into predictable Southern rock or Jimmy Buffett territory, which makes Keith Urban's upcoming collaboration on CMT's "Crossroads" especially promising.

Urban will swap tunes with John Fogerty, whose Creedence Clearwater Revival was one of the best country-rock hybrids ever.

"We just had our first run-through yesterday," Urban, 37, says from Los Angeles. "I'm quite a big fan of him, with Creedence and as a solo artist. It's a little premature to know what's going to fly on the show, but I hope it works."

Everything else seems to be working this year for Urban, out on his first headlining tour since claiming the best male vocalist award at the Country Music Association Awards in November. His victory over such hitmakers as George Strait, Alan Jackson and Toby Keith was a surprise that brought tears to his eyes as he delivered a brief acceptance speech.

"It still momentarily seems a bit surreal when I think about it," says Urban, who moved to Nashville from Australia in 1996 to start a country career. "I was shocked at the nomination, because looking at guys like George Strait and Alan Jackson, I'm the odd guy. I thought, `Well, they've gotta have five in the category, so I make up one of the five.'"

Born in New Zealand, Urban moved with his family to Australia as a child. He first picked up a guitar at 6 and started playing the songs that he heard in his father's extensive country music collection.