Brooks and Dunn have been a staple in country music for decades thanks to some of their iconic songs like “Neon Moon,” “Red Dirt Road,” and countless others. The Hall of Famers will have their names etched into country music forever with the impact they made. Right off the bat, the duo made an impact on country music. In an interview, Ronnie Dunn shared that when Tim Dubois introduced the duo, their career blossomed. “He (Dubois) takes us out to lunch to introduce us over a cheap taco, as Kix says, and what was this, on Friday, had asked us to write. I think on Monday and Tuesday we’d written the first two #1 hits,” Dunn said. “When something takes off like that, you don’t say no to the job in this business.”
From there, they would quickly become one of the best-selling country duos ever. Songs like “Neon Moon” and “Red Dirt Road ” topped the charts 20 times. They helped shape country music in the 1990s and early 2000s before they dropped their final album, Cowboy Town, in 2007.
After years of not performing music, they released a reboot album in 2019. Featuring major artists like Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, and Midland, it was neat to honor their past while nodding to the genre’s future.
Now, the duo has released a second reboot album called Reboot II. It made sense after the first album’s success, but the execution made it difficult to see the album as anything more than a money grab. Since they aren’t putting out any originals, it’s best for them to stay in the spotlight and relevant in today’s country music scene.
In an interview, Brooks & Dunn explained that Reboot II was a hands-off experience for them. They essentially just went into the studio to sing their parts. They left all the creative decisions up to the artists they collaborated with. Their counterpart, if you will, chose what song to cut, the production style, tempo, etc. Ronnie and Kix were just along for the ride.
That seems like an awesome idea, but also feeds into the money-grab allegations. Since they were somewhat uninvolved in the creative process, the feeling of detachment indicates that they aren’t as invested in the record and are just doing it because they need to put something out. If their goal was relevance, they would achieve it simply because of the high-profile names they worked with, like Morgan Wallen, Megan Moroney, and Riley Green.
The issue with all “reboot” albums is that the risk is much higher than the reward for the music itself. If the song is iconic enough to make it on the reboot album, it raises a fundamental question: if it ain’t broke, why fix it? A song like “Brand New Man” is rarely better the second time. Otherwise, the only engaging factor is that there is a new artist on it, but in this case, it sounds much worse. That came into play time and time again on Reboot II. Some of the songs sound night and day different from the original recordings, recordings that we still listen to today for a reason.
In the last two years, Megan Moroney has become nothing short of a superstar. She joined Brooks & Dunn in re-recording “Ain’t Nothing Bout You,” a song known for its catchy chorus and iconic guitar opening. Moroney took a different approach in her version, slowing things down and making it more piano-based. There is something to be said about respecting the original enough to not even attempt to recreate greatness, but at the same time, you don’t want to change too much, either. The entire mood is completely different, and it takes from part of what made the song so iconic. The guitar riff and upbeat, catchy melody is why the song topped the charts. Megan makes this song unique to her but, in turn, takes away some of those legendary aspects.
That being said, Moroney does a fantastic job of making the song her own and giving it its own entity. It feels completely separate from the original and honestly seems like something that would end up on a Megan Moroney album before a Brooks & Dunn.
While it delivers a cool “passing of the torch” feel, much of the album’s sound differs from what we’re accustomed to hearing from Brooks & Dunn. Despite this being a recreation of their own hits, it seems like they’re featured artists on other people’s music. That also obstructs them from a ‘full album feel,’ as there are many different stylistic choices from one song to the next. The fact HARDY’s growl (while it’s a guilty pleasure) is on the same album as Megan Moroney’s calm yet delicate sound is a lot to wrap your head around.
Warren Zeiders joined the duo for “Brand New Man,” and it raised some question marks, to say the least. Ronnie Dunn said Zeiders was looking for a Nirvana-type sound when recording the track. They may have found it, but it was the song’s downfall. It is unique and seems right up the alley of Zeiders and his fan base, but the whole thing feels weird. It’s an uncomfortable listen as it is so different and feels wrong. The song’s weird, gothic feel makes it feel super unnatural. The song’s mood does not match the lyrics, raising question marks throughout the listen. That being said, the track has its crowd, but that doesn’t make it any less weird.
One of the project’s worst aspects is the unfortunate overlap between Reboots I and II tracklists. There is absolutely no reason to have any songs make both albums, as it takes any real significance away from the idea that it’s essentially being honored by cutting. It also removes any cool factor from the songs on the first Reboot. Not to mention, Warren Zeiders was forced to attempt to live up to two different iconic versions of “Brand New Man.” As Morgan Wallen cut that for Reboot II, Kacey Musgraves’s version of “Neon Moon” will also barely see the light of day again. Remember, these are all still competing with the originals, which nine times out of ten are still better than the new versions.
Once again, it all goes back to feeling inorganic. Most original songs would have a much longer shelf life than the first Reboot. If they didn’t need that, they definitely didn’t need to be re-recorded a second time. There was no real reason to do it other than for the bag with it.
The harsh reality of this album is that many of the songs don’t come close to living up to the original. That was never expected. But songs like “Brand New Man,” “Believe,” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” especially feel butchered. It’s nearly impossible to top the originals or even do them justice, but there is a point where it just does a disservice to a legendary song.
“Boot Scootin’ Boogie” is, without a doubt, the worst track on the project – to the point it’s almost funny. The song is with Halestorm and sounds like an early 2000s punk rock song. It takes away everything that made the original song so great. The original version is a honky tonk classic that will get just about everyone on the dance floor. The 2024 version will have you questioning where you went wrong with your life. It’s entirely all over the place, a production mess, and just a disaster. This is one where Brooks & Dunn should’ve given a bit less freedom and stepped in regarding the creative process.
There were undoubtedly some high points to the album. Even though it’s the third different version of “Neon Moon,” Morgan Wallen did a phenomenal job with it. His chemistry with the duo is surprisingly excellent, and his vocals clearly stand out. Wallen’s voice in “Neon Moon” feels like the closest thing to his live vocals we’ve heard in a long time, and a big reason for that is the simple production. Even in his more subdued songs like “Lies Lies Lies,” his voice doesn’t sound as natural as in this duet, as Wallen carries out certain notes throughout the song that really elevate it. It runs away as the best song on the project and almost makes the whole thing worth it.
One of the most slept-on tracks is “She’s Not The Cheatin’ Kind” with Hailey Whitters. Production-wise, it is a bit more restrained but stays true to the “core values” of what made that song so iconic. Whitters has been one of the most interesting up-and-comers on the scene; her voice is irresistibly catchy. That made her version of “She’s Not The Cheatin’ Kind” stand out. In this duet, Whitters exudes confidence, taking full control and leaving her voice echoing in your head for hours.
Reboot II was a nice way to honor a fantastic career while looking forward to a new generation of country music. The main problem with that is that’s exactly what the original Reboot was. There didn’t seem like a real point to Reboot II unless it blew the socks off the listener and set itself apart from its predecessor, and it just didn’t do so by any means. Of course, there are some excellent songs, but most are completely butchered or underwhelming. None of it takes from the legacy of the originals, but to be blunt, it’s just unnecessary. It’s cool that B&D is trying to stay involved, but an original album would’ve been a much better alternative to Reboot II.
5.1
