Brooks & Dunn, “Indian Summer”

Brooks & DunnThe unintended consequences of requited love. Such is the story told by a sympathetic narrator about a young woman who has to leave town after the consummation of her love for the high school football hero.  Ronnie Dunn gives a nuanced performance of an interesting story song, revealing toward the end that he isn’t quite the impartial narrator that he appeared.

The arrangement is reminiscent of the Eagles at their Henley-best, with the only thing holding back the track being that Dunn’s sincerity isn’t matched by his enunciation. It’s often difficult to make out the details of the verses, which makes following the storyline more of a task than it should be.

Grade: B+

Listen: Indian Summer

3 Comments

  1. The only thing that’s a detriment to me is the melody of the verses almost directly rips off “Cowgirls Don’t Cry.” If they’re going to rip off a melody, rip off something other than the previous single.

  2. I agree about the enunciation. But I’m really impressed with the sheer power of the performance, too. All the big notes seem kind of indulgent on Ronnie Dunn’s part, but he sings them so well that it just works. The only thing I really dislike is the guitar solo.

  3. My favorite single of theirs in quite some time – powerful delivery and just a cool little story song. Unfortunately, it’s a little too hard of a story for most casual listeners to understand, so this one wasn’t a major hit.

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