Introduction
There is a difficult truth about making music with another songwriter: sometimes the person sitting across the room writes a better song than you do. For Brooks & Dunn, acknowledging that truth may be one of the most important reasons their partnership has lasted more than three decades.
After 35 years together, Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks have built one of the most recognizable partnerships in country music. But their latest conversation with CBS Mornings revealed something that longtime fans might find even more interesting than another collection of new songs: the two musicians are still challenging each other creatively, and neither expects to get everything his own way.
The hardest part isn’t writing. It’s deciding what deserves to stay.
During the interview with David Begnaud, Ronnie Dunn described the process behind their upcoming record as an ongoing exercise in compromise.
The two songwriters exchange material, listen to each other’s work, and offer criticism. Dunn admitted that he wants his own songs included, just as Brooks wants his. That sounds like a familiar disagreement between creative partners, but the important part comes afterward.
They have to decide which songs are genuinely stronger.
For musicians who have spent decades establishing their own identities, that requires a particular kind of confidence. It means being willing to hear that someone else’s work may communicate an idea more effectively than your own.
Kix Brooks understands that honesty cannot stop at the studio door.
Brooks explained that both men eventually recognize when one of their partner’s songs is better than something they have written themselves. The challenge, he suggested, is being honest with oneself first, and then finding the courage to be equally honest with the other person.
It is a simple principle, but not an easy one to practice.
In an industry where songwriting credits, creative control, and individual recognition can become deeply personal matters, Brooks & Dunn appear to have developed a working relationship built on something more valuable than always agreeing.
They trust each other enough to disagree.
Ronnie Dunn even joked that this kind of creative tension is the sort of thing that breaks bands apart. Kix Brooks acknowledged the danger, while expressing confidence in how well they have learned to navigate those differences.
That exchange offers a revealing glimpse into the relationship behind the music.
Their partnership has never depended on one person always being right.
The history of popular music is filled with celebrated partnerships that struggled under the weight of competing ideas. The Beatles, whom Dunn referenced during the conversation, remain one of the most familiar examples of how extraordinary creative chemistry does not necessarily guarantee lasting agreement.
Brooks & Dunn have experienced their own difficult periods, including a hiatus, but their ability to return to working together has demonstrated the importance of mutual respect.
Their forthcoming album carries particular significance in this context. Their last full collection of original songs was Cowboy Town in 2007. Their later Reboot projects revisited familiar material through collaborations with other artists, but this new recording represents an opportunity to create something original again.
No release date or final tracklist has been announced.
And perhaps that uncertainty makes the creative process even more interesting. Before listeners can judge the finished music, the two men must first decide which ideas deserve to represent them.
After all these years, Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks are still facing the same essential question that confronts every serious songwriter:
Is the song good enough?
Not because one of them wrote it. Not because it carries a familiar name. But because it deserves to be heard.
After 35 years, that may be the strongest sound Brooks & Dunn have ever made together: two independent voices willing to put the music first.