Originally Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn were solo
artists. The now famous duo Brooks &
Dunn was founded in 1990. They released
their debut album BRAND NEW MAN in 1991.
They’ve released 50 singles, with 20 hitting #1 on the Hot Country Songs
chart, and 19 more reaching the Top 10.
In addition, they won Country Music Association’s ‘Vocal Duo of the
Year’ every year between 1992 and 2006, except for 2000. RED DIRT ROAD (2003, Arista Nashville) was
their 8th of 10 studio albums.
Bob DiPiero and Bart Allmand wrote the opening song, which I
love, ‘You Can’t Take the Honky Tonk out of the Girl’. It’s a fun, contagious country and western
number: “Yeah, she lives in L.A./She flies to New York City/That woman’s been
around the world/You can take the girl out of the honky tonk/But you can’t take
the honky tonk, take the honky tonk/Out of the girl”. ‘Caroline’ is the confession of a cheater:
“My Sweet Caroline, from your loving arms I’ve strayed/In your heart may you
find/Dear, forgiveness I pray/A fool to temptation/Well, I surely played/I come
to you now for salvation/Have mercy in love’s name”. ‘When We Were Kings’ is a great country story
song: “Yeah, we ruled from the blacktop/To the levee where the party never
stopped/Yeah, there was power in the night/The spirit was alive when we would
sing/Shan na (7X)/When we were kings (2X)/Yeah, that was the fall of ‘69/I
guess Uncle Sam was hedging his bet/Tommy’s number came up/He said ‘Hey, I’ll
be fine/I’ll teach ‘em a lesson they’ll never forget!’/Angel and I went to wave
goodbye/I guess we’d always thought we’d see him again/You know I took her out a
couple of times/We always just wound up talking about him”.
Ronnie Dunn and Terry McBride wrote ‘That’s What She Gets
for Loving Me’. It is a pretty country
ballad on the subject of loyalty: “At times I lay awake at night/Stare at her
laying by my side/Knowin’ there in her heart as she sleeps/She can forever
count on me/That’s what she gets (2X)/That’s what she gets for loving
me/Whatever turns her on/I’m here to do it/Till the day they write my name in
stone/I’ll live to prove it”. Next up is
the Brooks & Dunn penned, catchy title track, ‘Red Dirt Road’. It hit #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart and
is one of my favourite country songs of all time! It’s a story song with this as the chorus:
“It’s where I drank my first beer/It’s where I found Jesus/Where I wrecked my
first car, I tore it all to pieces/I learned the path to heaven is full of
sinners and believers/Learned that happiness on earth ain’t just for high
achievers/I’ve learned, I’ve come to know/There’s life at both ends of that red
dirt road”. ‘Feels Good Don’t It’ is a
happy song of gratitude: “How ‘bout those lonely nights/You used to
pray/Something like this/Would come your way/Thank your lucky stars/Lucky’s
what we are/Feels good, don’t it?/Some people go through life/Never
knowin’/What love is or where it’s goin’/Me and you, girl we just walked up on
it/Feels good, don’t it?”
‘I Used to Know this Song by Heart’ is a soulful song of
heartbreak with great electric guitar work: “I used to sing this song to you
for days and days/In so many different manners, in so many different ways/I
used to think this dream we shared would never come apart/I used to know this
song by heart”. Ronnie Dunn and Craig
Wiseman wrote ‘Believer’, a song of longing: “What do I do to make you love
me/Baby, like I love you?/Why do you keep the key to your heart/Behind a door I
can’t get through?.../Someday you’ll feel in my kiss/What I do in yours/So I
wait to see in your eyes/Oh, that light I’m looking for”. ‘Memory Town’ is a country and western ballad
that finds the lead character fondly reminiscing: “I can pull the shades and
feel your lips/They’re touching mine again/I can watch the shadow of the moon
slow dance across your skin/Hold you in a place where lovers never say
goodbye/And every moment comes alive/And every time I close my eyes and go back
down to memory town”.
‘She Was Born to Run’ is a melodic country tune about a
life-long romantic commitment: “It’s been years now and I’ve never
doubted/Somewhere, somehow we’d make it through/She’s right here, no two ways
about it/Her heart’s still mine and her love’s still true/She was born to
run/Was the Master’s plan/Born to run/Put her heart in my hand/Born to run,
born to run to me”. ‘Till my Dyin’ Day’
is a song of positivity: “I’m gonna run with the wind behind me/Have fun when
the sun is shining/And stop when the world reminds me/I got to take the time to
pray/And fight for the right to be free/Smile at what my children might be/And
live with you beside me/Oh, till my dyin’ day”.
‘My Baby’s Everything I Love’ is a fun, honky tonk tribute to one’s
lover: “My baby’s like a trip to town/Radio up, top pulled down/Can’t get my
fill, I can’t get enough of/My baby’s everything I love/She’s all I need in one
tight package/Got a spell on me, works like magic/I’m after her like a hound on
a rabbit/She’s got it all and I got to have it”.
Kix Brooks and Bob DiPiero co-wrote the upbeat country/rock
track ‘Good to Be Me’. Here are some of
the words: “I’m a country boy and I’m a rockin’ roller/Like a little crown in
my Coca-Cola/Say a little prayer for all the soldiers fightin’ for the USA/I
never was captain of the football team/You ain’t never been a prom queen/We’re
just us and that’s okay/If I got you, well, it’s a good day/Good day to be me”. ‘Good Cowboy’ begins with these lyrics that
will make some blush: “Say things to me like a cowgirl would/And I’ll do tricks
for you like a cowboy should/Oh, you look romantic layin’ in the hay/And I need
you tonight in a new kinda way/When you look at me with those eyes/Oh, it makes
me start to fantasize/Do it to me like I know you could/So I can do it to you
baby/Like a cowboy should”. Last up is
the unlisted Ronnie Dunn penned track ‘Holy War’. It is a clap along Gospel number that offers
a commentary on society: “I turn on the TV/Lord, I can’t believe my eyes/Oh,
terror walks the streets/While a million mothers cry/Christians pray to
Jesus/’Lord, help us if You can/Send Gabriel and His legions/To defend His
promised land’/They say a holy war is comin’/Gonna be the end of mortal man/There’s
a TV preacher sayin’/Armageddon is at hand”.
RED DIRT ROAD is my favourite male artist mainstream country
music album so far. Both Brooks and Dunn
are capable of carrying the lead vocally.
The musicianship on this project is simply terrific. Players such as Kenny Greenberg, Glenn Worf,
Brent Mason, Eric Darken, Jerry Douglas, and Aubrey Haynie all make great
contributions, as do the 13 background vocalists including Bekka Bramlett,
Vicki Hampton, and Dan Tyminski. The
lyrics deal with the good and the bad when it comes to male-female
relationships. An element of Christian
faith peaks through as it does in much of country music. The front cover of the CD is a great shot of
the legendary country duo. I’m rating
RED DIRT ROAD a perfect 100%. For more
info visit: www.brooksanddunn.wordpress.com.