Brooks & Dunn News

Kicked back comfortably in a meeting room at the Sony BMG Nashville offices, Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks exude the same easygoing charm and mischievous sense of camaraderie that characterizes their high-octane stage shows and consistently propels their music up the charts.

It's a winning combination that once again permeates "Cowboy Town," the duo's October 2 Arista Nashville set.

"It's about perseverance and hanging in there and having a good time," Dunn said. "It's a cultural thing. We wear cowboy boots and we are country singers, but it's more about life not getting you down. No matter what happens, you live through it and stick to certain standards."

High musical standards and a maverick attitude have served the duo extremely well. They've won two Grammy Awards and have been named entertainer of the year by the Country Music Assn. and the Academy of Country Music. They have collected the duo-of-the-year honor more than any other twosome in country music history, including 14 trophies from the CMA.

Their previous album, 2005's "Hillbilly Deluxe," sold 1.4 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan -- making it the duo's best-selling set since their first greatest hits package, from 1997. The latter album has moved more than 4 million units. "Musically, they still play the game. They play close to the edges and keep pushing the boundaries," Sony BMG Nashville chairman Joe Galante said. "They are never bored. It shows on the records."

PAYING TRIBUTE

With "Cowboy Town," they recorded 34 tracks before narrowing it to 12 songs. The collection is a diverse mix of barroom anthems and more tender fare; the first single, "Proud of the House We Built," is No. 4 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. The duo pays homage to their influences in such tracks as "Johnny Cash Junkie" and "Ballad of Jerry Jeff Walker," with the latter tune featuring an appearance by the legendary Texas singer-songwriter.

One poignant ballad, "God Must Be Busy," will have to be strategically placed in their concerts, Dunn said. "It's so strong, it will take over our show. We're a party band and continue to be so. We can barely do (the last album's hit ballad) 'Believe' in our show. It sobers that crowd up. So we do it kind of at the end, but if you throw those two songs in together, it's going to take a long time to get that energy going again."

The duo's energy, though, has yet to let up. In the past year, Brooks & Dunn have performed several stadium dates with Kenny Chesney and are touring with Alan Jackson through the end of October.

Marketing for the album will include a contest to find the perfect cowboy town in America. Details are still being worked out for the competition, which will take place in 2008.

In addition to their music, Brooks & Dunn keep busy with other endeavors. Brooks hosts ABC Radio's weekly "American Country Countdown" and recently opened a winery. Dunn is well known for his collection of Russian art.

"They just emptied my house to do shows in Moscow and St. Petersburg," Dunn said of his museum-quality collection. "It's good to have other things to keep you stimulated. Things like that don't necessarily take away from what you do, they add to it. They keep the juices flowing."

"If you're staring at the same thing all the time, you have to get away from it," Brooks added. "It's good to have a fun distraction."

Reuters/Billboard