Brooks & Dunn just needed to see the vision, and Luke Combs and Kacey Musgraves evidently provided it. The legendary country music duo of Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks are still relatively fresh off of the release of their Reboot II album, which helped them bring home the 2024 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year award. It was the 15th time they’ve been honored with the title, and now ties them with the most CMA Awards ever at 19 total wins. If the duo's comeback was in question (and I don't think it was), the 2024 CMA Awards put all of those questions to rest. Unlike the first edition of Reboot, where many of the artists included stayed true to the original song structure, Reboot II featured some wild departures from the source material. When Brooks & Dunn sat down with Rob + Holly on Audacy, Dunn said that was all part of the plan: "The mandate for (the first) Reboot was to stick with what brought us there, but give everyone the freedom to do whatever they want to do. This one (Reboot II) is no holds barred. You come in as an artist, you want to take on a song, you pick it, you do it. We're there for support." There might not be a better example of that than Halestorm's cover of the 90's classic "Boot Scootin' Boogie." Do I still prefer the original? Obviously. But is the rock band's rendition still worth a listen? Yes, if only to hear the heavy metal version of Brooks & Dunn. That's the fun part about the Reboot projects - especially the second time around. They breathed new life into all of our favorite Brooks & Dunn songs. And as Kix Brooks explained, both of the Reboot albums might not have happened if not for some modern country stars covering the legendary duo's tracks: "I give Luke Combs and Kacey Musgraves kudos for kind of getting this stirred up a little bit. Because Luke was doing 'Brand New Man' in his show and he just wanted to do it like we did it. He was just respecting... he liked the song and liked playing it like that. Kacey, she took real liberties with 'Neon Moon' obviously doing her crazy thing on that, which we thought was really cool too." Ronnie made sure to add that the version of "Neon Meon" that Kacey brought into the world could be the sole inspiration for their second go around with Reboot: "That was probably the primary catalyst for moving forward and doing what we did with Reboot II, what Kacey Musgraves did with 'Neon Moon.'" And don't get me wrong, the Reboot projects were great. At the very least, it got country music's hit-making duo back together again, and that's a huge win. However, once fans knew that Brooks & Dunn were back together, there was that subtle, collective voice in the back of everyone's mind asking, "Why don't they just get back to making new music?" If you fall in that category of people, the good news is that new music from Brooks & Dunn seems to be on the way. Kix pointed out in a recent interview that their successful return to touring - though it took up a lot of their creative time - let Brooks & Dunn know that their fanbase is still out there, and it's growing. That comfort zone has evidently led to Ronnie and Kix exploring the idea of new music. And at one point, Kix confirmed that fans should expect Brooks & Dunn to release new music in the next two years. And it's safe to say the Reboot projects played a large role in that... so shoutout to Luke Combs and Kacey Musgraves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dhf_kuX71ds&pp=ygUaTHVrZSBjb21icyBicm9va3MgYW5kIGR1bm4%3D And while we are on the topic of Brooks and Dunn and their Reboot projects, I'd be remiss if I didn't direct you to a recent conversation the country music duo had on the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast. Living country music legends Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks sat down for an episode to talk about their reunion, working with younger artists on their Reboot and Reboot II projects, how “Neon Moon” has become the quintessential Brooks and Dunn song, and much, much more. Download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here. We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts. Cheers, y’all. Audio Video