Cowboy Town

iTunes Review

It’s been nigh on 17 years since Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn first slapped their brand onto an album’s worth of Lone Star twang-rock and heartfelt balladry. The duo has cranked up its patriotic component and cruised on (with a few commercial dips in the road) ever since. Cowboy Town (2007) largely stays true to form, but draws deeper from B&K’s Southwestern roots for inspiration. The swagger in the pair’s collective step gets looser on tunes like “Drop In The Bucket” (a ZZ Top-style rave-up) and “Tequila” (a raucous bar anthem if ever there was one). The glory days of the ‘70s Texas music scene are saluted in “The Ballad of Jerry Jeff Walker” (featuring guest vocals by JJ himself), while the title song reaffirms heartland virtues to a Springsteen-like track. Then there’s “Johnny Cash Junkie (Buck Owens Freak),” an absolutely shameless invocation of country music iconography. Further populist social commentary is offered in “American Dreamer” and “God Must Be Busy.” If there’s anything lacking here, it’s an undeniable romantic ballad, but even so, Cowboy Town is prime Brooks & Dunn, full of hell-raising, flag-waving and moments of sober reflection.