By Melinda Newman
Special to MSN Music

When Brad Paisley stepped onto Nashville's Sommet Center stage to co-host the 42nd annual CMA Awards on Nov. 12, he carried with him some valuable tips from good friend Vince Gill, who was the show's host a record 12 times.

"He said, when in doubt, turn it back on yourself. It's not a platform to make fun of other people. It's better to build people up," Paisley says, before blithely noting that Gill then immediately forgot his own advice and slapped Paisley down. "He also told me he felt having me and Carrie Underwood host was such a good, balanced choice. He said, 'You have Carrie, who represents class, beauty and grace, and rounding that out, you have you, the smart aleck.'"

November is a big month for Paisley: Not only is the reigning CMA male vocalist of the year hosting country music's equivalent of the Oscars (he's also up for four trophies), but his CD "Play" has also just been released. The 16-track, largely instrumental collection includes four vocal tracks, among them, "Start a Band," an upbeat duet with fellow gunslinger Keith Urban.

Listen to "Play"

Paisley is calling from his Nashville, Tenn., home, where his 20-month-old son, William Huckleberry, is doing what toddlers do: getting into everything. "Huck, no, put those down. Those are matches," Paisley says as his son picks up a container of fireplace matches, intent on dumping them on the floor. A few minutes later, Paisley jokes, "Oh, that's OK," as Huck reaches for the fireplace poker.

Next spring, Paisley and his wife, actress Kim Williams-Paisley, will welcome their second child. Like many new fathers, Paisley says the biggest surprise following Huck's birth was "just how much you feel about this creature who resembles you. It's overpowering." He admits that he was a little reluctant at first to expand from a couple to a trio when Williams-Paisley broached the subject. "As a guy, it's like, 'What? Why do you want to do that? We have a great thing. You really want to introduce that kind of chaos into our life?' And she did and she was right."

Paisley was only a few years older than his son when his grandfather gave him his first guitar, so it's surprising that the dream of recording an instrumental album is new: "I hadn't thought of making one until my Christmas album last year." While recording that effort, Paisley says he felt none of the pressure that normally accompanies making a regular studio album.

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