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Brooks & Dunn have always seemed more tradtionalist than they actually were. Even with their first album, they had a clear commercial mind behind their rootsiest material, and it's undeniable that they were not only one of the driving forces behind the line-dance craze, but that they had some of the better mainstream country ballads of the decade. Their trick was not just strong vocals, but keeping the music lean and direct, so it sounded like straight-up country even when it had pop aspirations. They retained that illusion up until the end of the '90s, when they not only increased their pop quotient, but they started to feel like a collective instead of a duo. That's a roundabout way of saying that 1999's Tight Rope, while a solid album, isn't quite up to their old standards. For instance, such blatant radio crossover moves as covering John Waite's new wave-era classic "Missing You" feels wrong, even if it's done as well as it possibly could be. That's obviously a misstep, but the really strange thing about Tight Rope is how the alternation between a Brooks song and a Dunn song feels like two solo albums pieced together, which is something that's never happened before. That these pieces are musically in line with the duo's previous efforts only hammers home the fact that this record is competent, occasionally enjoyable, but not particularly inspired. Parts of the record work quite well, such as "Temptation #9" or the closer, "Texas and Norma Jean," but there are large stretches that either feel contrived or a little too generic. Since Brooks & Dunn are professionals, Tight Rope is always listenable, but the combination of bland material and the disjointed feeling of the record leaves it a little unsatisfying.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Byron Gallimore, Producer - Curtis "Mr. Harmony" Young, Background Vocal - John Wesley Ryles, Background Vocal - Julian King, Mixing Engineer - Julian King, Recording Engineer - Kix Brooks, Producer - Ronnie Dunn, Composer - Ronnie Dunn, Lyricist - Ronnie Dunn, Producer - Terry McBride, Composer - Terry McBride, Lyricist
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Byron Gallimore, Producer - Chas Sandford, Composer - Chas Sandford, Lyricist - Curtis "Mr. Harmony" Young, Background Vocal - Dennis Wilson, Background Vocal - John Waite, Composer - John Waite, Lyricist - John Wesley Ryles, Background Vocal - Julian King, Mixing Engineer - Julian King, Recording Engineer - Kix Brooks, Producer - Mark Leonard, Composer - Mark Leonard, Lyricist - Ronnie Dunn, Producer
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Bob DiPiero, Composer - Bob DiPiero, Lyricist - Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Dennis Wilson, Background Vocal - Don Cook, Producer - John Wesley Ryles, Background Vocal - Kix Brooks, Composer - Kix Brooks, Lyricist - Kix Brooks, Producer - Mike Bradley, Recording Engineer - Rob Jacobs, Mixing Engineer - Ronnie Dunn, Producer
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Byron Gallimore, Producer - Julian King, Mixing Engineer - Julian King, Recording Engineer - Kim Fleming, Background Vocal - Kix Brooks, Producer - Robert Bailey, Background Vocal - Ronnie Dunn, Composer - Ronnie Dunn, Lyricist - Ronnie Dunn, Producer - Terry McBride, Composer - Terry McBride, Lyricist - Vicki Hampton, Background Vocal
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Chris Waters, Composer - Chris Waters, Lyricist - Dennis Wilson, Background Vocal - Don Cook, Producer - John Wesley Ryles, Background Vocal - Kix Brooks, Composer - Kix Brooks, Lyricist - Kix Brooks, Producer - Mike Bradley, Recording Engineer - Rob Jacobs, Mixing Engineer - Ronnie Dunn, Producer - Tom Shapiro, Composer - Tom Shapiro, Lyricist
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Byron Gallimore, Producer - Curtis "Mr. Harmony" Young, Background Vocal - David Thoener, Mixing Engineer - Dennis Wilson, Background Vocal - John Wesley Ryles, Background Vocal - Julian King, Recorder - Julian King, Recording Engineer - Kix Brooks, Producer - Ronnie Dunn, Composer - Ronnie Dunn, Lyricist - Ronnie Dunn, Producer
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Byron Gallimore, Producer - Curtis "Mr. Harmony" Young, Background Vocal - David Thoener, Mixing Engineer - Dennis Wilson, Background Vocal - John Wesley Ryles, Background Vocal - Julian King, Recorder - Julian King, Recording Engineer - Kix Brooks, Producer - Ronnie Dunn, Composer - Ronnie Dunn, Lyricist - Ronnie Dunn, Producer - Terry McBride, Composer - Terry McBride, Lyricist
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Bob DiPiero, Composer - Bob DiPiero, Lyricist - Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Dennis Wilson, Background Vocal - Don Cook, Producer - John Wesley Ryles, Background Vocal - Kix Brooks, Composer - Kix Brooks, Lyricist - Kix Brooks, Producer - Mike Bradley, Recording Engineer - Rob Jacobs, Mixing Engineer - Ronnie Dunn, Producer
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Byron Gallimore, Producer - Curtis "Mr. Harmony" Young, Background Vocal - David Thoener, Mixing Engineer - Dennis Wilson, Background Vocal - John Wesley Ryles, Background Vocal - Julian King, Recorder - Julian King, Recording Engineer - Kix Brooks, Producer - Ronnie Dunn, Composer - Ronnie Dunn, Lyricist - Ronnie Dunn, Producer - Terry McBride, Composer - Terry McBride, Lyricist - Wes Hightower, Background Vocal
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Dennis Wilson, Background Vocal - Don Cook, Composer - Don Cook, Lyricist - Don Cook, Producer - John Wesley Ryles, Background Vocal - Kix Brooks, Composer - Kix Brooks, Lyricist - Kix Brooks, Producer - Mike Bradley, Recording Engineer - Rob Jacobs, Mixing Engineer - Ronnie Dunn, Producer
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Byron Gallimore, Producer - Curtis "Mr. Harmony" Young, Background Vocal - Dennis Wilson, Background Vocal - John Wesley Ryles, Background Vocal - Julian King, Mixing Engineer - Julian King, Recording Engineer - Kim Fleming, Background Vocal - Kix Brooks, Producer - Robert Bailey, Background Vocal - Ronnie Dunn, Composer - Ronnie Dunn, Lyricist - Ronnie Dunn, Producer - Terry McBride, Composer - Terry McBride, Lyricist - Vicki Hampton, Background Vocal
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Bob DiPiero, Composer - Bob DiPiero, Lyricist - Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Dennis Wilson, Background Vocal - Don Cook, Producer - John Wesley Ryles, Background Vocal - Kix Brooks, Composer - Kix Brooks, Lyricist - Kix Brooks, Producer - Mike Bradley, Recording Engineer - Rob Jacobs, Mixing Engineer - Ronnie Dunn, Producer
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Brooks & Dunn, Performer - Dennis Wilson, Background Vocal - Don Cook, Producer - John Wesley Ryles, Background Vocal - Kix Brooks, Composer - Kix Brooks, Lyricist - Kix Brooks, Producer - Lewis Anderson, Composer - Lewis Anderson, Lyricist - Mike Bradley, Recording Engineer - Rob Jacobs, Mixing Engineer - Ronnie Dunn, Producer
(P) 1999 Sony Music Entertainment
Album review
Brooks & Dunn have always seemed more tradtionalist than they actually were. Even with their first album, they had a clear commercial mind behind their rootsiest material, and it's undeniable that they were not only one of the driving forces behind the line-dance craze, but that they had some of the better mainstream country ballads of the decade. Their trick was not just strong vocals, but keeping the music lean and direct, so it sounded like straight-up country even when it had pop aspirations. They retained that illusion up until the end of the '90s, when they not only increased their pop quotient, but they started to feel like a collective instead of a duo. That's a roundabout way of saying that 1999's Tight Rope, while a solid album, isn't quite up to their old standards. For instance, such blatant radio crossover moves as covering John Waite's new wave-era classic "Missing You" feels wrong, even if it's done as well as it possibly could be. That's obviously a misstep, but the really strange thing about Tight Rope is how the alternation between a Brooks song and a Dunn song feels like two solo albums pieced together, which is something that's never happened before. That these pieces are musically in line with the duo's previous efforts only hammers home the fact that this record is competent, occasionally enjoyable, but not particularly inspired. Parts of the record work quite well, such as "Temptation #9" or the closer, "Texas and Norma Jean," but there are large stretches that either feel contrived or a little too generic. Since Brooks & Dunn are professionals, Tight Rope is always listenable, but the combination of bland material and the disjointed feeling of the record leaves it a little unsatisfying.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 13 track(s)
- Total length: 00:47:02
- Main artists: Brooks & Dunn
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Arista Nashville
- Genre: Country
(P) 1999 Arista Records, Inc.
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