Brooks & Dunn - Greatest Hits Collection, Vol. 2 (CD)

Canny country-rock hits and convincing ballads

By redtunictroll  Oct 26, 2004 | 3 out of 3 found this Greatest Hits Collection, Vol. 2 review helpful

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This dynamic duo's second volume of hits features a truly generous seventeen tracks, including a trio of new cuts that will entice fans that already have all the albums. The song list picks up in 1998, right where their first hits collection left... off, and carries through to 2004. Though their commercial fortunes waned slightly in the middle of this period, the cherry-picking of hits evens things out nicely.The balance of Ronnie Dunn's deep-well vocals and Kix Brooks' exuberant guitar playing and backup singing has kept this pair on the charts throughout their career, and this collection shows off why. This surely isn't your grandfather's country music - it's heavily influenced by Nashville's pop and rock crossover thumping drums and ringing electric guitars, but as modern country, it's about as good as it gets - and that's good!A few of the slower tunes, like the string-laden "The Long Goodbye," frame their remorse with soft-focus mellow-rock production, but Dunn's soulful ballad singing is still exquisite. The tight harmonies of "I Can't Get Over You" strain with emotional agony, and the stark solo vocal of "A Man This Lonely" is gripping. Even better is the old-school torch ballad, "I'll Never Forgive My Heart," with piano, fiddle and weeping steel, and an incredible cover of Roger Miller's "Husbands and Wives."As fine as this duo takes it down-tempo, it's mid-tempo and upbeat songs like "How Long Gone," "You Can't Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl," and the self-penned "Only in America" whose hooks will stick in your head for days. These songs exemplify the brilliant marriage of country sentiment with power-pop production - the guitars of "Only in America" combine a wicked electric riff with strumming acoustics to induce foot-tapping as the chorus has you singing along. Of the three new tracks, "A Man This Lonely" is the most essential addition to the duo's canon - a beautifully realized Dunn-sung ballad. The opening "That's What It's All About" is sure to appeal to young parents with its in-the-moment self-realization, and the Kix Brooks-sung "Independent Trucker" is a good slice of honky-tonk road music. All three are nice additions for fans and a bonus for those just getting familiar via this hits collection. Read more Less