Steven Martine
First, there was REBOOT. And now, there’s RE-DUNN.
Ronnie Dunn’s follow-up to the CMA-nominated effort that recreates Brooks & Dunn’s biggest hits with today’s hottest stars is a new collection of 24 covers.
Ronnie plans to release two tracks — one country and one rock — every four weeks until the full album comes out in January of next year. The first tracks, “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)” and “Amarillo by Morning,” are available to stream or download now.
Though most fans know “Amarillo by Morning” as George Strait’s #4 hit from 1983, Ronnie’s history with the song goes back even farther.
“It’s funny,” Ronnie tells ABC Radio. “I used to go play that song, ‘Amarillo by Morning,’ in VFWs when I was in college in West Texas. And it was out before George cut it by a guy named Terry Stafford,” Ronnie goes on. “I remember hearing George cut it and go, ‘Oh man, I’ve heard that song before.’”
Ronnie enlisted a two-time CMA Musician of the Year to help him put his own spin on the classic.
“We reinvented the hook line,” Ronnie says. “You know, that fiddle in George’s is so definitive. And I sat with [guitarist] Brent Mason… and I said, ‘Come up with a hook, Brent.’”
“And that’s Brent’s forte. You know he’s played on more hit records than probably any musician in town. And the next thing I know it’s… like, ‘Yes, bro! Get it!’ And away we went.”
Next month, Ronnie will officially be inducted as a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame for his work with Kix Brooks.
Here’s the complete track listing for Ronnie Dunn’s RE-DUNN:
“Amarillo by Morning”
“Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)”
“That’s How I Got to Memphis”
“It Never Rains in Southern California”
“How Long”
“Drinkin’ Thing”
“Together Again”
“Peaceful Easy Feeling”
“Against the Wind”
“If You Don’t Know Me by Now”
“I Won’t Back Down”
“Cowboy Rides Away”
“Showdown”
“Wonderful Tonight”
“Ashes by Now”
“That’s the Way Love Goes”
“I’m Not in Love”
“Brown Eyed Girl”
“You Don’t Know Me”
“Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico”
“A Showman’s Life”
“Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues”
“Amie”
“I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You)”
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