It’s been five years since Brooks & Dunn released their first-ever entirely collaborative project, REBOOT, which introduced a whole new generation of fans to a collection of their biggest hits with added vocals by some of the hottest country stars. After realizing that even more artists wanted to get involved, they returned to the studio and experienced more creative freedom than ever before while working with some of the hottest acts in country music and beyond to create the sequel project, REBOOT II.
Out now via Sony Music Nashville, the album offers reinterpretations of 18 additional fan-favorite hits such as “Neon Moon,” “Believe,” “Brand New Man,” “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” as well as many others, allowing the duo to celebrate their successful 30-plus years in the business while also showcasing their profound versatility.
These tunes were given a new life thanks to the lineup of featured artists that includes Morgan Wallen, Marcus King Band, Megan Moroney, Warren Zeiders, Jelly Roll, Riley Green, The Cadillac Three, Halestorm, Mitchell Tenpenny, The Earls of Leicester, Jake Worthington, Hailey Whitters, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, HARDY, ERNEST, A Thousand Horses and Corey Kent.
It was Brooks & Dunn’s manager, Clarence Spalding, who had the idea to create another collaborative project, knowing that there were a lot more artists itching to get the chance to cover some of these iconic hits. The duo expressed hesitancy at first, as they were unsure if there would be enough interest, but next thing they know, 20 incredible singers were lined up and ready to get into the studio.
“Clarence came up with a great list of artists. They all picked their stuff and with this one, you know, the first album, it just kind of organically stayed a little bit true to what we’d done originally. I mean we’re blurring the lines, but it wasn’t really that, except for Kasey’s (Musgraves) version of ‘Neon Moon.’ It was what it was, and it was cool,” Dunn told Country Now and other outlets.
Unlike the first REBOOT project, this set of singers were given complete freedom to explore their artistry and make the classic tunes their own. They were invited to bring in their own bands and producers and fully take the reins on where the songs would go.
“There was ‘Boot Scoot,’ which is as far on the outer perimeter of things that we’re used to here in town that broke the rules for sure. But everybody did,” added Brooks. “They came in with a different twist and we were able to be in the studio with ’em and sit there. If there were younger artists that came in that was struggling with the production, we just kind of eased ’em into a different thing.”
Some groups like Halestorm and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram had their own arrangements ready to go, but others like Warren Zeiders came in looking to start from scratch and ended up creating an unexpected Nirvana-leaning sound with guidance from Brooks & Dunn.
“There wasn’t an artist or musician in the room that wasn’t an artist on their own right,” said Brooks. “And I brought that up to Dan Huff and he said, ‘no, they are.’ I said, ‘they’re either producers themselves or they’re artists.’ So it is like getting on a horse at the Kentucky Derby and going, ‘I’m favored to win it.’ It really was an experience. Fun stuff.”
Brooks & Dunn gave fans the first look into the new release when they unveiled “Play Something Country” with Lainey Wilson. While listeners might expect this song to capture Wilson’s traditional country sound, it actually lends a ZZ Top-inspired sound, thus kicking off the unexpected twists and turns that can be heard throughout each of the tracks.
“If you’re wondering what Lainey was like that day, that track is a great representation. I mean, she came in with a flame shirt on, she had had bell bottoms made with my ugly flame shirts,” Brooks said with a laugh. “It totally adapted everything with a black cowboy hat and it was just like she came in buzzing, she was fired up, she was ready to go. She wanted to do that song. I think the whole studio full of musicians totally took the vibe of what she was coming in with.”
Whether it was bluegrass, heavy metal, ‘90s grunge or true country music, Brooks & Dunn encouraged their fellow artists to let loose and use this as a chance to step outside their comfort zones in order to take the songs that fans know and love and completely transform them. The result is a vibrant and versatile collection that gives the classics a brand-new life. Plus, the duo admitted it was the “most fun thing” they’ve been involved with in a “long, long time.”
Upon hearing the most hard-rocking version of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” ever done before, thanks to the talented vocals of Halestorm, the duo says they wondered if they had taken things too far as it was their biggest departure from country music yet. However after feeling the energy in the studio that day, they were instantly put at ease and felt incredibly excited to be stepping outside their normal bounds, despite the opposing opinions they may get from listeners.
“I’m sure there’s some country fans that are going to go, ‘what?’ And then there’s going to be some progressive thinkers that are going to go, ‘that’s so cool’ and that’s a chance you take with sticking your neck out on something like this. But gosh, at this point in our career it’s like ‘man, let’s hear what people are thinking.’ It is fun to get outside the lines and there’s some people that don’t like bluegrass music either, but we got the best of that too. If you don’t like Jerry Douglas, then you don’t know anything about bluegrass. So there’s just great players and performances on this in both of those genres. To think enough of our music that they wanted to cover, it makes you feel good,” they shared with pride.
Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn honed in on their signature sound and style many years ago, but with REBOOT II, they are proving that their music can still resonate with the new generation of fans in more ways than one. Within the past few years, they began noticing a shift in their audiences as younger fans were filling the seats of their live shows and their classics were taking over social media. They are crediting their resurgence to some of today’s hottest country singers today like Luke Combs and Lainey Wilson who frequently wear their merch on stage and cover the Country Music Hall of Famers’ songs for their fans.
While reflecting on their new wave of fans, the duo noted that it’s “surprising” and also “really cool” at the same time.
“Kix a couple of years started this in the concerts. We kind of looked at out and noticed that it was a little younger crowd mixed in there, it was a lot of a younger crowd,” Dunn explained. “It be 12, 15,000 in arena and he goes, ‘how many of you out there are first time Brooks and Dunn ticket buyers?’ And three quarters of that audience raised their hand. So okay, here we are.
Brooks added, “It’s awesome, it’s great energy and just the support, a lot of it [comes from artists] name dropping us in songs and wearing our hats and T-shirts and stuff. It always raised us an eyebrow. I go, well that’s so cool. I mean we used to do that all the time with [Merle] Haggard and Jones and people we cared about. And that’s just something that those kind of little tributes, I think at some point if it happens enough, it kind of starts catching on.”
Beginning March of 2025, Brooks & Dunn will return to the road for the Neon Moon Tour. The upcoming trek features the duo alongside special guest David Lee Murphy. Tickets for the Neon Moon Tour are on sale now.
Next week, Brooks & Dunn will join forces with Jelly Roll for a performance of “Believe” on the CMA Awards.
REBOOT 2 Track List:
- “Play Something Country” with Lainey Wilson
- “Neon Moon” with Morgan Wallen
- “Rock My World (Little Country Girl)” with Marcus King Band
- “Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You” with Megan Moroney
- “Brand New Man” with Warren Zeiders
- “Believe” with Jelly Roll
- “She Used to Be Mine” with Riley Green
- “She Likes to Get Out of Town” with The Cadillac Three
- “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” with Halestorm
- “Ain’t No Way To Go” with Mitchell Tenpenny
- “How Long Gone” with The Earls of Leicester
- “I’ll Never Forgive My Heart” with Jake Worthington
- “She’s Not the Cheatin’ Kind” with Hailey Whitters
- “Hard Workin’ Man” with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
- “Hillbilly Deluxe” with HARDY
- “Indian Summer” with ERNEST
- “Drop in the Bucket” with Thousand Horses
- “Only In America” with Corey Kent
The post Brooks & Dunn Unleash ‘REBOOT II’ With 18 Reimagined Classics Featuring Riley Green, Megan Moroney, & More appeared first on Country Now.
