Before Brooks & Dunn formed as a duo in 1990, both
Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks were solo artists.
Each of them had two singles hit the charts in the 1980’s. The duo released their first joint album
BRAND NEW MAN (Arista) in 1991. It
landed them four consecutive #1 singles on the U. S. Billboard Hot Country
Singles & Tracks charts. The album
was produced by Scott Hendricks and Don Cook.
The title track, ‘Brand New Man’, hit #1 on the Hot Country
Songs chart. It is one of four songs on
the project that are penned by Kix Brooks, Don Cook, and Ronnie Dunn. It’s an upbeat country and western song that
speaks of being transformed by finding the right lady: “Oh, how I used to
roam/I was a rolling stone/I used to have a wild side/They say a country mile
wide/I’d burn those beer joints down.../I saw the light/I’ve been baptized/By
the fire in your touch/And the flame in your eyes/I’m born to love again/I’m a
brand new man”. ‘My Next Broken Heart’
has an old country twang to it and a not so optimistic outlook: “Well, I
thought all along you’d be the death of me/But I met one tonight who wants
what’s left of me/I’ve seen that look before/She’ll tear my world apart/I’m
working on my next broken heart”.
‘Cool Drink of Water’ is a fun, toe-tapping story song: “I took
her to a nightclub where we used to go a lot/The beer is cold and frosty and
the band is blazing hot/I went back for a refill and this guy walked up and
said/’There’s a blonde out on the dance floor turning everybody’s head’/She’s a
cool drink of water/And I should run, yes I probably oughta/She might be the
devil’s daughter/But she’s a cool drink of water”. Chick Rains is a co-writer on ‘Cheating on
the Blues’. It speaks of the importance
of moving on when a romantic relationship is through: “He left you, she left
me/Drowning in this misery/We stopped living when they said goodbye/We’ve been
faithful to these blues/But I’ve had enough/Now how about you?/Don’t you think
we’ve earned the right to go cheating on the blues tonight?”
‘Neon Moon’ is a moving, depressing country ballad: “When
the sun goes down on my side of town/that lonesome feeling comes to my door/The
whole world turns blue/There’s a rundown bar/’Cross the railroad tracks/I’ve
got a table for two way in the back/Where I sit alone and think of losing you/I
spend most every night/Beneath the light of a neon moon”. ‘Lost and Found’ is a melodic song where the
main character is a man whose gal has ran off: “She’s out there somewhere
burnin’ up the night/Somehow I’ve got to run her down/I’m running out of
time/It’s kinda like a lost and found in a border town/You’re askin’ ‘bout a
diamond ring/They just look at you like you’ve lost your mind/Say they haven’t
seen a thing/But I know she’s been here lately/I can still smell her
perfume/And she gets crazy on a full moon”.
Next up is ‘I’ve Got a lot to Learn’, a country ballad of
regret: “I thought I had her wrapped around my finger/I didn’t think this
bridge would ever burn/I always thought she’d take me back/But she taught me
the cold hard fact/When it comes to love I’ve got a lot to learn”. Ronnie Dunn wrote ‘Boot Scootin’
Boogie’. It became a #1 single for the
duo and a line-dancing classic! It`s
also one of the duo`s signature songs.
It`s all about having a blast: `Yeah, heel toe do si do/Come on baby,
let’s go boot scootin’/Oh Cadillac blackjack, baby meet me out back/We’re gonna
boogie/Oh, get down, turn around, go to town/Boot scootin’ boogie”.
‘I’m No Good’ is a honky tonk song delivered from the
viewpoint of a drunk man: “I got whiskey to keep me warm when the sun goes
down/And this God forsaken honky tonk ain’t likely to run out/So won’t you come
on home and save me/Stop me before I drown/’Cause I’m no good, pretty mama/When
you’re not around”. Last up is ‘Still in
Love with You’, a sentimental ballad: “If I had a horse, I’d ride off in the
sunset/If I had wings, I’d fly off/In the sky so blue/If I had the time/I’d
spend my whole life dreaming/But I’d wake up, still in love with you”.
BRAND NEW MAN is a wonderful, mostly old-style country and
western record. Themes of loneliness and
heartache are frequent, but there are also some happier songs to be found
including the title track, which uses religious imagery to get its point
across. Both Kix and Ronnie are capable
of carrying the lead vocal. Background
vocalists include: John Wesley Ryles and Harry Stinson. Instruments used include: pedal steel and lap
steel guitars, mandolin, fiddle, Steinway piano, and harmonica. All in all, I’m rating this 1991 debut album
87%. For more info visit: www.brooksanddunn.wordpress.com.