In a modern music world that moves at lightning speed, it seems many veteran artists find themselves practically reinventing the wheel to try to stay relevant — and it often falls flat.
This can cause a loss of emotional integrity and an overall lack of relatability and honesty, two things we as listeners want from our music. Yet, when you have a musical history that spans over 30 years and a praiseworthy number of awards and accolades, the question can be perceived as, “how can you build on the foundation that’s already there?”
Enter Brooks and Dunn.
It’s safe to say that Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn are tried and true veterans of the country music scene, as their first (and arguably best) album, Brand New Man, hit airwaves in 1991. The years that followed would see them hoist a host of ACM and CMA honors, two GRAMMY awards, and 30 million albums sold among other accolades. It’s clear they know what they’re doing, and they continue to stay relevant as we knock on the door of 2025.
With an envious music career trajectory, Brooks and Dunn are at it again, seeking to gain new listeners and deliver something fresh and exciting to lifelong fans.
2019 witnessed the release of their inaugural comeback project, Reboot, which earned them their 10th Billboard 200 Top 10 album. This collection featured artists like Luke Combs and Kacey Musgraves among numerous others on each of the 12 tracks.
Dropping today, November 15th, 2024, Brooks and Dunn have released their second iteration of their comeback era, a whopping 18-track collection of songs featuring an impressive lineup of musical guests.
While it’s a curious move that they remade songs of theirs they already remade on the first Reboot, (i.e. “Brand New Man” and “Neon Moon” etc.) Reboot II still offers an exciting array of collaborations and versions. And what is cool with this project, is that Brooks and Dunn gave the participating artists — whose styles are not necessarily their style of country (or country at all) — complete creative license to reinvent their songs from the duo’s vault.
The result is an extraordinary collaborative effort celebrating the beauty of creative experimentation and merging old and new, as many of the featured artists grew up listening to Brooks and Dunn. After months of workshopping ideas and style choices, the artists’ hard work has finally come to fruition.
Released back in September as a single, “Play Something Country” features arguably the most popular female country singer of 2024 in Lainey Wilson. The opening track is a dynamite way to kick off the album, and delivers quintessential honky tonk country with touches of jukebox rock n’ roll. It’s undoubtedly a banger you’d likely hear blasting from many a bar in Nashville.
Their massive hit and second track on the album, “Neon Moon,” — which featured Kacey Musgraves on the first Reboot — this time features polarizing but wildly popular country artist Morgan Wallen. Wallen’s soulful yet distinctly country sound lends a hand to craft an extra tender version of this classic. The exchanging verses between Wallen and the duo will certainly strike an emotional chord for new and old fans alike.
But don’t be fooled, as not every track takes a traditional country route.
Venturing down the heavy metal path is Halestorm’s rendition of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” and top young blues rockers Marcus King and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram also lend their talents to the album. Mega-star country rapper Jelly Roll undertook “Believe,” a number quite different from his typical faire. Accompanied by a 60-piece (!) orchestra, this song becomes a highly evocative number that showcases unprecedented vocal strength and a stirring melody.
One of the most intriguing parts about this project is its ability to bring together some of the biggest names in modern country and country-adjacent music, creating new life to a selection of songs that have impacted millions of lives over the years. While some may view this as a low hanging fruit endeavor, Reboot II offers a chance for the collaborative efforts of generational musicians to continue impacting lives in new ways, together.
Note* Paul Howard contributed to this article.
