I’m convinced that beneath the country skins of Kix Brooks and
Ronnie Dunn beat hearts with more than their share of rock and roll
veins.
I suspected as much when I bought their album
Borderline on the strength of the song “My Maria”. Now,
after listening to their 1993 release
Hard Workin’ Man (only about two years after I first bought
the tape), I’m even more certain.
Brooks & Dunn have always known how to put a good groove to
a country song, making it a cut that could find fans in the rock
world. The title track reminds me of Travis Tritt; it’s a song that
glorifies the blue-collar worker and the life he chooses to live.
It’s a pleasant enough little number that is sure to entertain.
The crossover occurs at the halfway point of
Hard Workin’ Man. Cuts like “Rock My World (Little Country
Girl)” and “That Ain’t No Way To Go” are not pure country songs in
the truest definition of the word. Instead, Brooks & Dunn draw
on many different musical influences for these numbers, influences
that make the songs stand out that much more for the better. “That
Ain’t No Way To Go” is a solid ballad that almost could fit into an
AOR format.
However, their roots are most definitely in country – and
surprisingly, this is where the music can be hit or miss. Cuts like
“Mexican Minute” and “We’ll Burn That Bridge” are solid enough
efforts, but by the end of the album, on cuts like “Our Time Is
Coming,” the formula begins to wear a little thin. And as
challenging as “Texas Women (Don’t Stay Lonely Long)” is
time-signature wise, it does not rank among the best work of the
duo.
The saving grace of
Hard Workin’ Man is that it’s still a fun album to listen
to, and is one that could easily draw in someone who is not a big
lover of country music. While some diehard country music
afficionados might pooh-pooh this
nouveau country, I say, welcome it with open arms. If it
attracts a new audience to your style of music, who cares how they
did it (unless, of course, Vanilla Ice chooses to don a set of
chaps and hit the mechanical bull).
Hard Workin’ Man is the traditional pleasing fare that
Brooks & Dunn have been churning out for years – and if you
like any of their works, this album is not going to disappoint you
at all.
