Brooks & Dunn - "Brand New Man"

[StevePulaski]

Brand New Man (1991)
By: Brooks & Dunn

Rating: ★★★½

When Brooks & Dunn assembled in the late 1980's, Kix Brooks already had something of a name on the country map, albeit a small one, and Ronnie Dunn was, more or less, a nobody. Together, one would've ostensibly assumed that they would crank out one or two albums with some hit singles here and there before fading into obscurity. Nonetheless, defying most predictions, Brooks & Dunn lasted twenty years in the music business together, cranking out enough number one singles to justify an entire album made up of them at one point and a legacy of two soulful, crooning cowboys that went on to capture the hearts of the public.

Brand New Man alone had four consecutive number one hits and was declared Platinum six times by the RIAA, cementing the idea that there was a legitimate market for these two previously lost souls in the music industry. Brooks & Dunn kick off their debut with the titular track, also the album's lead single, which is an insanely catchy romp about finally tying yourself down to a woman after boasting a wild side "a country mile-wide," so says Dunn in the song. Following up that track is a contradictory song called "My Next Broken Heart," a somber, but uptempto, tune about a man who has a habit of falling in and out of love with women who either can't settle down or those who walk in and out of his life, leaving him drinking in the same old bar he has been at for years and trying to find another gal who wants what's left of him. Personal empathy aside, this is a fantastic track and my favorite kind of country heartbreak song. It has an uptempto sound, so it doesn't actively depress or sadden on a level where one must stop everything to weep for a few minutes, and it possesses lyricism far beyond the traditional "she left me drinking in a bar" scenario to evoke something more hurtful, but more honest all the more.

Brand New Man is filled to the brim with honesty and passion, with other songs like "Lost and Found," about a man fearing for the safety of a woman he loves when she leaves his side because of her known recklessness and rowdiness and "I've Got a Lot to Learn," a man expressing what little knowledge he has about the four-letter work beginning with an "l," being thrown in for good, empathetic measure. And who could forget "Boot Scootin' Boogie," the infectious country line dance song that really gets your system going, especially after drinking half a case of beer?

Brooks & Dunn's longevity is undeniable, but their debut album is even more impressive considering the first couple albums of new artists, especially in a duo's career, are largely devoted to artists beginning to find themselves, what works, and what doesn't, which makes for a great deal of trial and error. However, Brand New Man clicks instantaneously for two key reasons: one, Brooks & Dunn have fantastic country voices that mesh well and work together at exemplifying whatever emotion they want to bring to the table in their songs and, two, the fact that both men were willing to dabble into pop/rock influenced country, but never too far as to alienate or turn off potential fans. Both men play the median here, weaving in and out of genre influences accordingly, making for a hugely successful debut with a great deal of winners.

Recommended tracks (in order): "My Next Broken Heart, "Brand New Man," "Lost and Found," "I've Got a Lot to Learn," and "Boot Scootin' Boogie."