Hillbilly Deluxe

by

Brooks & Dunn

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Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn are two super-talented guys. They're also the reigning Duo of the Year for roughly a decade (they deserve it, though). HILLBILLY DELUXE is not their best album of all time (personally, I think that would have to be STEERS & STRIPES or RED DIRT ROAD, though each to his own). However, these guys never miss the mark, and this album is guaranteed to please!

Dunn gives some of his best vocal performances yet, such as the growled spoken-verses on "Whisky Do My Talkin" and the heartfelt spoken-verses of "Believe," and yet belts his heart out on "I May Never Get Over You." Brooks rocks out on "She Likes To Get Out Of Town" (a cliched song, yeah, but just try not to enjoy it), and "One More Roll Of the Dice." "Play Something Country" is a catchy hit that you can't help but listening too, no matter how many times you've already heard it (and it's been played a LOT). "Just Another Neon Night" and the title track are tributes to small-town rednecks who have nothin' better to do but go honky-tonkin'. The album ends with a powerful performance of Radney Foster's "Again."

Two superb singer/songwriters, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have, for more years than one dares count, entertained and delighted fans. HILLBILLY DELUXE continues their tradition of blending honky-tonk, classic country, and rock into a modern sound that has managed to garner them hits, long after many of their peers have dropped off the radio. If nothing else, HILLYBILLY DELUXE serves as an important reminder, for those of you who may not have caught the drift: Brooks & Dunn ain't finished yet, not by a long shot.