Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson & More Join Brooks & Dunn For 'Reboot II': 'It Was The Most Fun We've Ever Had,' Brooks Says (Exclusive)

In 2019, when Brooks & Dunn collaborated with such hot new artists as Luke Combs, Ashley McBryde and Brothers Osborne for Restarta collection of duets covering some of the superstar duo's most beloved songs, they could never have imagined that within five years there would be a whole new crop of rising stars to revisit the concept.

Restart proved such a smash hit — giving the Country Hall of Fame pair their first No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart in a decade — that it seemed only natural to reboot Restartbut with a few twists.

Restart IIreleased Nov. 15 on Sony Music Nashville, features a legion of young country artists, many of whom were just beginning to find success or weren't even signed five years ago, including Megan Moroney, Hailey Whitters, Lainey Wilson , Ernest and Warren Zeiders, but the new set also expands the concept to include rockers Halestorm and bluesmen Marcus King and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram. Other artists on the album include Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, HARDY and Corey Kent.

“What was even more impressive was sitting down with this bunch and letting them do the songs in whatever way suited their artistic vision,” says Ronnie Dunn. Bulletin board. “The fun part was that we weren't chasing our original recordings or covers or versions. We freed them up to do whatever they wanted and, I'm biased, but it was really refreshing.”

Hearing some of their songs, while still recognizable, being turned on their heads and recreated with new arrangements, beats or even different genres, “made me realize how good we are,” Dunn says with a laugh, before adding seriously, “I think how lucky we are to have these songs where you can push the chameleon button and they change colors and keep playing.''

Unlike the first version, where Kacey Musgraves and a few other artists subverted their views, but for the most part the remakes stayed true to the originals, half the fun to listen to Restart II are the unexpected ways some of the songs – like Moroney and Dunn's slowed-down, sultry duet on “Ain't Nothing 'Bout You”, the soulful bluegrass of the Earls of Leicester on “How Long Gone” and the high-octane Marcus King's version of “Rock My World (Little Country Girl),” which screams out of the gate.

It turns out that Brooks & Dunn, one of country's most successful duos with 20 No. 1s on the Country Airplay chart — would have gladly accepted more new inventions on the first go-round. “I think artistically, Kix and I kind of wanted to let the horse run like we did in the first one — but the command was, 'Hey, this is an experiment. We've never done this before, so let's try to keep the truck between the lines. “. And we were very happy with that. But that's a whole different animal.”

The surprise is more than an insult, given how Halestorm turns up Brooks & Dunn's classic “Boot Scootin' Boogie” to 11 with screaming guitars and Dunn going head-to-head with singer Lizzy Hale.

“[Halestorm] it didn't disappoint,” says Kix Brooks, adding that after more than 30 years together, it's good for Brooks & Dunn to shake things up a bit. “At this point in our career, we can't really be nervous about it, especially on a record like this, and especially with inviting some of the artists that we did, like Christone 'Kingfish' Ingram and Halestorm. Halestorm are a really badass, really tight rock band and whatever song they come up with is going to hit.”

In addition, Brooks says that some of the artists upped Brooks & Dunn's game in a way that pleased them. “It was fun watching Ronnie go toe-to-toe with Lizzy,” she says. “I was like, 'Good luck mate' — but he did. I feel like a lot of things really challenged us in a way that maybe we weren't before. Kingfish went into 'Hard Workin' Man' with this funky blues, because that's what he does with his band… then it's like, 'Holy crap. How are we going to connect to it?' This was a whole new level of fun.”

Like the first one RestartBrooks & Dunn were in the studio with the acts — neither artist added their parts separately as is the case on many such collaborative albums.

“I felt it would be rude not to be [there]says Dunn. The duo largely left their guests to come up with new interpretations, but were there to help if the artist “got stuck and it would become a team sport to figure things out.”

While Dann Huff produced Restartthis time he still made the majority Restart IIhis tracks — but the artists were also encouraged to use producers and musicians they work with regularly, which added Joey Moi, Kristian Bush and Jerry Douglas to the mix (along with some unintentional levity). “Christian, who produced Megan, has a very worldly approach to production,” says Brooks. “He did this thing with his hands like, 'We've just got to put this and that into that,' and I said, 'You've got that, haven't you, Ronnie?'”

“We almost threw him out the window,” Dunn says with a laugh — adding that he did Restart II “It was the most fun we've ever had,” in part because there was no pressure.

The album contains 18 tracks, including six songs that existed reboot, rebuilt with different artists for Restart II. “You think, 'How can I do it differently? How can it not be repetitive? And everyone found a new way to give it a twist,” says Dunn. Brooks cites a direct reading of Luke Combs in “Brand New Man.” Restartwhile Warren Zeiders slows down the tune Restart II and give it a 'Nirvana kind of groove'.

When asked if there could be a Restart III Five years from now, Dunn says, “We should probably be writing a lot more new songs,” before adding, “we're both still writing.”

The new releases also seem to lead new fans to discover the duo. “Asking our crowds this summer on tour, 'How many of you are at your first Brooks & Dunn show?' and probably 70% of that crowd now has their hands in the air,” says Brooks. “They just find these songs. We're kind of having this renaissance in the scene that's kind of hard to describe.”

Although Brooks & Dunn took a touring hiatus from 2010 to 2015, they now have no desire to see the end of the road. The first leg of their 2025 Neon Moon tour, produced by Live Nation, will kick off March 13th in Lubbock, Texas and run through April 26th in Louisville.

“We finally got to a place where we can not worry about anything, just go out there and enjoy it,” says Brooks.

“We still draw the same crowds we did in our heyday, so let it rock,” Dunn says, adding with a laugh, “And we're still pretty.”

Brooks & Dunn – Restart 2 PART LIST