Country star Brad Paisley [ tickets ] has been known more for his humorous songwriting than for his deft pickin' skills. On his latest album, "Mud on the Tires," however, his guitar work is finally getting some recognition.

"That's the first thing that people forget to notice, maybe," Paisley said. "I don't know why. As a guitar player, it's harder for me to impress somebody than it is to write a song that they like. I think it's just human nature. The focus is always on the vocals and the song, as it probably should be.

"Guitar playing isn't really for everybody. What I did this time is I really worked to try and be really creative enough on the guitar parts so those who aren't real educated would know that there was some difficulty in doing it. I'm just tickled that people noticed."

Paisley, who recently married actress Kimberly Williams, of ABC-TV's "According to Jim," spoke to liveDaily about "Mud on the Tires," songwriting and working with a host of celebrities for the appropriately named song "Celebrity."

liveDaily: With "Mud on the Tires," did you make a concerted effort to show off your guitar skills?

Brad Paisley [ tickets ]: Yeah, I think so. In the past, I really had tried to be more of a typical session guitarist, where I was thrown in there and tried to fit what I was playing, and I wasn't so concerned with impressing anybody. With this album, I just changed my mindset a little more, and figured, "Why not try to be really entertaining instrumentally as well, and throw caution to the wind and play tastefully where I needed to?" At the same time, if there's a song where there's a possibility of guitar stuff that would be fun to listen to, then go for it and [don't] worry about what anybody thinks. In the end, I think everybody liked it better.

Was it a tricky process, considering if you had to write more guitar parts for each of the songs?

I had actually already written it. I normally will pick songs based on the songs I want to do. The guitar parts aren't really a consideration in terms of what I decide to record unless it's an instrumental.

You worked with Alison Krauss on the weeper "Whiskey Lullaby." What was she like to work with?

It was wonderful. She was the consummate pro. She went in and spent seven hours getting everything right on there, from her vocals to her harmony part. She played viola on the record and I think she's the greatest. She's definitely my favorite singer that's ever lived. I've never heard anyone like her.

That's such a heartbreaking song.

Yeah, it's pretty dark.

It's definitely different than some of your other works.

I get told by so many people that it's their favorite song on their record. I imagine there's a market for total depression. I'm just glad that people like that sort of music. I grew up on that--George Jones, and that really dark stuff. They would do stuff that wasn't dark. Most of the time it was songs that were "cry in your beer." In this case, it's "cry in your whiskey." The first time I heard it, I thought that I would love to cut it. I didn't know if anyone would relate. That's one of the reasons Alison Krauss is on it. Our thinking was that, by putting her on it, it sweetens up on it a little bit. It makes it more both sides of the story. It makes it more of an event.

Besides Alison Krauss, you also have guest appearances by Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi. How did that come about?

They're on "That's Love." They do the "yeah, yeah, yeahs" in the background. My wife works for Jim Belushi. I've got to know him real well. I've got to know Aykroyd too. They're both just really good guys. They were in the studio the same time I was. They were cutting their own record. I sent them the tracks and they did a little pass on it. If you're going to have guys sing "yeahs" in the background, it might as well be those guys.

Your video for "Celebrity," a parody of the life of celebrities, is hilarious, with cameos by the likes of William Shatner and Jason Alexander. How did you manage to corral all of that talent?

It was hair-raising. It was a little stressful. They all have obligations. They seem extremely excited about it and say they'd be there. But they're still a few weeks out when you book the space. Anything can happen. Luckily, it took a few days, we did it our way and it worked.

Speaking of celebrities, you sang at the wedding of "Bachelorette" Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter.

It was just as surreal as it seemed for you to be watching it. It was a huge event. It was an honor for me. I like those two. I think they're real special and they're good people. Good kids. I just thought it was an honor to be asked. I think they're a real couple. They're one of the few that met on TV that will make it. I don't know that for sure about others. I do know that I have a lot of faith in them. They seem really determined to make it work and they seem to really care about each other. I'm really proud of them that they pulled it off and they went through with it.