Steers & Stripes
WhileIf You See HerandTight Rope, their previous two albums, were Brooks & Dunn's strongest and most mature, their sales didn't earn either album the usual Gold and Platinum awards. Coincidentally, both CDs deemphasized the usual line-dance fodder, generic rockers, and flaccid ballads. On 2001'sSteers & Stripes, the duo stays that course--to a point. "Ain't Nothin' 'Bout You" succeeds as the radio-friendly hit it was crafted to be but pales alongside the masterfully sung "Every River" and the classy ballads "The Long Goodbye" and "My Heart Is Lost to You." Smart Tejano arrangements spice up both the latter number and the witty "Deny, Deny, Deny." "Lucky Me, Lonely You" explores the time-honored shuffle turf ofRay PriceandBuck Owens. Just as prominent, however, are Brooks & Dunn's sorties into bad old habits. "Only in America" overflows with tired clichés. The ballads "When She's Gone, She's Gone" and "Unloved" stumble over their own pretense. The witless dance ditties "Good Girls Go to Heaven" and "See Jane Dance" seem dated alongside the evocative, muscular David Lee Murphy rocker "The Last Thing I Do." The strengths here are potent indeed. Unfortunately, so are the weaknesses.--Rich Kienzle