Brooks Dunn Music:

Red Dirt Road Track Listing:
1. You Can't Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl
2. Caroline
3. When We Were Kings
4. That's What She Gets for Loving Me
5. Red Dirt Road
6. Feels Good Don't It
7. I Used to Know This Song By Heart
8. Believer
9. Memory Town
10. She Was Born to Run
11. Till My Dyin' Day
12. My Baby's Everything I Love
13. Good Day to Be Me
14. Good Cowboy
15. Holy War (Hidden Track)

Editorial Review:
Having stumbled in 1999 with the lackluster Tight Rope, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn picked themselves up and dusted off their Wranglers with 2001's Steers and Stripes, an album that some listeners considered their best. But that was before Red Dirt Road, a collection of coming-of-age songs in which country's most successful duo comes clean about who they are and what forged their turbo-tonk sound. The title song is a spectacular and poignant slice of backwoods Southern milieu that melds the push of the gospel with the pull of desire--which, for a '60s teenager, meant girls, cars, and the beer-laced taste of freedom. Both men know a little bit about those subjects (don't miss Dunn's hidden track, "Holy War," which skewers TV preachers), as well as the thrill of Exile on Main Street-era Rolling Stones, a sound that permeates at least three songs here, including the randy "You Can't Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl." Bluegrass also gets a strong nod on the exquisite "Caroline," as does the Tulsa-bred, Leon Russell-fueled music that personally schooled Dunn in the '70s, particularly on "I Used to Know This Song By Heart," a tour de force of sharp Pentecostal vocals punctuated by the searing guitar work of Kenny Greenburg. Everything about this album moves the duo up a level, even Kix's singing on "When We Were Kings," a true-life remembrance of the Vietnam years. A few songs predictably pad things out, but on the whole Red Dirt Road is both surprisingly affecting and monstrously good. --Alanna Nash

Red Dirt Road Reviews:
I'd give it a 3.5
2008-12-08 - I like Brooks & Dunn, but I wish they'd kept this disc a little more rootsy.

Here, they seem to have parlayed their mega-success and ease with lavish studio production techniques into, well, the chance to indulge themselves a bit. Although there are some straightahead Nashville-style honkytonk songs on here, many of these tracks seem more exploratory and even stream-of-consciouness, an interesting (and risky!) approach for Top Ten cowpokes to take. Some of these songs are also quite dorky, in an almost-endearing way (but for me, the dips into warmed-over Southern rock and would-be Muscle Shoals soul sometimes get in the way...) This also includes obligatory, somewhat perfunctory nods towards "The Working Man" and the boys in uniform -- no big surprise there. This is a pretty uneven release, though -- kind of a letdown from the tightly-crafted, hit-oriented cow-pop of their last couple of records. Still, for fans who really like the band and dig their personalities, this album has a very personal, exploratory feel, and though you might not find your toe tapping and boot scooting as much as before, the emotional depth of the songs may offer a new way to look at this band. (Axton)

great country
2006-01-04 - Very good album,very nice pictures.Can it be better?I only heard them the first time after my stay at Vegas last year and now I have all their albums... So...

True Enjoyment
2005-09-03 - Oh what have I been missing!! This is one truely enjoyable CDs. I put this one on during a road trip and just really enjoyed each and every song on here. Super mix!

Dust and Sunshine______________
2005-03-03 - ______________
In my opinion, a band releasing an album naming a road is, perhaps subconsciously, making an effort to release their best material in years. When this album came out, I immediately picked it up, wary about B&D's recent tumultuous career path before the release of "Steers and Stripes." "Red Dirt Road" does not fail.
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It's less of a country album than many country fans seem to suggest (as I've read on the reviews here). But to a standard guy like me, this is as country as it's gonna get, at least for now. And that's good enough.
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Each song has riffs and musical twists that grab you and make you sing outloud, or tap a rhythm on your jeans while listening. And I like the formula they use on several songs: an off-EQ'd or reverbed guitar (12-string, slide, etc.) jamming by itself, before the music kicks in and takes you away.
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This has become my favorite B&D album so far. I wonder if fans consider S&S and Red Dirt Road to be "new Brooks & Dunn"? I feel a sort of different spirit in these albums than with their older releases, which are just as kickin' with the catchy tunes, but a little lacking with slower songs.
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The Beatles released "Abbey Road" and the songs were thematically and musically linked. The same goes with "Red Dirt Road," a more Western approach to small town living, dirt, sunshine, beer, good friends, and lost loves...and this album seems to be haunted as well. Listen closely...they both sing frequently about the past, memories, things that once were...
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Of all those "road" albums (Peachtree, Cross, Car Wheels on Gravel, Golden) I think it's fair to say Red Dirt will become an iconic album for this band.

PHENOMENAL CD
2004-10-23 - Truly enjoyed this exceptional piece of work. Very diverse music while maintaining the country base all the way through. You can really appreciate all of their musical influences growing up.

Their writing is exceptional on "Red Dirt Road", "When We Were Kings", etc. etc. etc.

Don't know if there is anyone in country music today with a finer tenor then Dunn. He shines on this CD especially on "I Used To Know This Song By Heart". Kix sounds great as well.

Surprised more songs weren't released off of this CDs. I think they went into this as wanting to express their musical influences and not necessarily to release radio friendly songs. I REALLY ENJOYED ALL OF THE SONGS ON THIS ONE. There are some songs that really make you stop and think/reflect which is what country music is all about.

ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS CD. THE MORE I LISTEN TO IT THE MORE I LOVE IT. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BROOKS & DUNN.