Country fans have waited a long time for this one.
Brooks & Dunn are Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, the duo behind hits like “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” and “Neon Moon.” Their first album came out in 1991. Both men are in their early 70s now, and they’re still out on the road.
It’s been a while since they gave fans a whole record of songs nobody had heard before. Their last one was “Cowboy Town,” back in 2007. They did put out “Reboot” in 2019 and “Reboot II” in 2024, but those were their old hits sung again with younger stars.
Now they’re finally making a brand new one.
The two talked about it with David Begnaud of CBS Mornings before a show at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana. It was a stop on their 2026 Neon Moon Tour. And it turns out that making an album as a duo comes with a friendly tug of war.
CBS Mornings posted its sit-down with the pair, where they look back on their friendship and their long career together.
Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn sit down with CBS Mornings
So what’s the tug of war about? Songs. Each man wants his own on the record.
“We’re compromising right now. We’re working on a new record,” Ronnie said. “You talk about the ultimate compromise.”
Then he laid it out plainly.
“I want all my songs on there, he wants all his songs on there. So we have to work that stuff out. And you sweat and bleed every word.”
That’s what happens when both halves of a duo write songs. Neither one wants to leave his best work on the shelf.
One of them joked about how they settle it: “We both realize down deep, that song I wrote is better than that song I wrote.” Then came the more serious part. “So you have to be honest with yourself and then at some point, we gotta be honest with each other.”
No album title or release date has been announced yet. Ronnie did give fans a hint back in September, though, when he replied to a fan online. “New music is ready and ON THE WAY!” he wrote.
The timing feels right for it. Kix pointed to a comeback for the sound they helped make famous. “Obviously there’s been a resurgence of ’90s music,” he said. Young country singers like Zach Top have even put out songs inspired by Brooks & Dunn.
Their tour this year is named after one of their best-loved songs, and it’s a good reminder of what all those younger singers are chasing.
The Brooks & Dunn classic their 2026 tour is named for
They’ve got a big few weeks ahead, too. Brooks & Dunn are nominated for CMA Vocal Duo of the Year again. They won it in 2024 and 2025, and they’ve taken it home 16 times in all. At the CMA Awards on Nov 18, they’ll also receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.
However they end up splitting the track list, fans will gladly take every new song they can get. And it sounds like both men are ready to argue (nicely) for theirs.