After 20 years as one half of the mega-duo, Brooks & Dunn, Ronnie Dunn has released his first CD as a solo artist.
The self-titled CD contains twelve songs, including the first single, “Bleed Red”. After hearing the CD, I think this was a good song to lead off Dunn’s solo career; it’s not too quiet, yet it’s also not too overpowering. It’s a song that manages to stay the course of where Dunn has been, and where he seems to be heading in the future. For those expecting a change from the Brooks & Dunn days though, you won’t find it on this CD.
What you will find is that familiar, polished, yet a bit rough, voice that brought many of Brooks & Dunn’s hits to life. I find it ironic that, in the liner notes Dunn thanked someone for pushing him beyond what he thought he could do. I don’t quite get that, because to me, any of the songs on this CD could have been a hit for Brooks & Dunn. There’s really nothing I heard that is that different from what Ronnie has been doing the past two decades.
What you will find is that familiar, polished, yet a bit rough, voice that brought many of Brooks & Dunn’s hits to life. I find it ironic that, in the liner notes Dunn thanked someone for pushing him beyond what he thought he could do. I don’t quite get that, because to me, any of the songs on this CD could have been a hit for Brooks & Dunn. There’s really nothing I heard that is that different from what Ronnie has been doing the past two decades.
That’s not to say the CD is bad; it’s not. Anyone who’s been a fan of Brooks & Dunn, especially the songs done by Ronnie, will probably like this CD. If you’re looking for Ronnie Dunn to be a “Brand New Man”, (forgive the pun, I couldn’t help myself!), in his solo career though, it’s not on this CD.
Though the feel of the songs aren’t different from Brooks & Dunn, the songs on the CD are good.
One song that really stands out to me is “Cost of Livin’”. It tells of a man looking for work, so he can pay his bills and feed his family. The concept of the song really isn’t that different than other tunes out nowadays. What sets “Cost of Livin’” apart though is Dunn’s delivery of the tune. It reaches out, gets your attention and keeps your attention through the whole thing. If it was up to me, I’d pick “Cost of Livin’” to be the next single from the CD.
Another song I really like is “How Far to Waco”. This song is the most up-tempo song on the CD; yet doesn’t get as crazy as if say Kix Brooks did the song. That’s just not Ronnie Dunn’s style. He can cut loose on songs, though he just doesn’t seem to go totally crazy, like some artists do. He pulls it off well though, at least on “How Far to Waco”.
I also particularly like “I Don’t Dance”. The title would lead one to believe this could be a song about a guy in a bar and he can’t dance, etc.; it’s not. The song actually tells the story of a guy who makes his living singing in bars, and how even though the girls are pretty, and may hit on him, he doesn’t dance with any of them, or mess around. Instead, he saves all his dances for the woman he loves who’s waiting at home. I really can’t do the song justice here, trying to explain it. All I can say is, I think it’s a really sweet song for a guy to sing to a girl.
In summary, if you’re looking for something totally different from Ronnie Dunn, now that he’s gone solo, you’ll probably want to skip this CD.
However, if you’ve been a fan of Brooks & Dunn in the past, and wondered where you’ll get your fix, now that they’ve split, fear not; this CD will have you reliving those times once again.
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