In late 2010 Brooks & Dunn announced they'd be retiring the duo to concentrate on other endeavors and with that, Kix Brooks set about creating his own solo album for Arista Nashville (Ronnie Dunn released a self-titled album for Arista in 2011). Blessed with a voice that is not unlike Joe Walsh's, it was a smart decision, then, to get Joe Walsh to play some slide guitar on the Top 30 hit title track, "New To This Town," a song about a guy who has lived in a place so long that he longs for the ability to feel like he's once again a new resident of the town, if just to get that feeling of freshness for a single day.
"Moonshine Road" finds Brooks in a smoky, roadhouse blues mode with "Moonshine Road," the kind of song that showcases his artistry to be bigger, maybe more wider than people want to give Kix credit for. He follows this up on the album with his sophomore single from the album, "Bring It On Home," a radio-ready song written with Peach Pickers Rhett Akins and Dallas Davidson. This one feels more radio-friendly than "New To This Town" was and could be this albums huge hit. "Complete 360" is yet another roadhouse-ready party tune which suits Kix's guitar slinger mentality.
In fact, most of the songs on this album find Kix Brooks on the rockin' side of country music. Songs like "My Baby" "Tattoo," "Lets Do This Thing" and "Next To That Woman" showcase Kix's aptitude for tempo tunes while the Peach Picker's "In The Right Place" and Brandon Kinney/Trent Summar's "There's The Sun" showcase a couple other sides to Kix Brooks' artistry with the former being another radio-ready mid-tempo while the latter is a sultry, cool swaggering story song.
It'd have been easy for Kix Brooks to stay out of the recording studio and just further his radio career via his Country Coundown USA show but instead of doing this, he steps out front and center to take his lumps as a headliner artist. Like Joe Walsh, Kix Brooks makes music that constantly surprises and with New To This Town, Brooks showcases a propensity to deliver a well-rounded collection of songs that rival the best in the genre.
Autographed Kix Brooks Guitar Giveaway
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