Kix Brooks lone full-length solo effort was originally issued in 1989, the thinking being that the successful songwriter would find just as much stardom as a solo act. Well, it didn't quite work out that way, and despite the charting of the single "Sacred Ground" and a clutch of good-timin' country-pop songs like "Way Up North Around Shreveport," the album tanked.
Kix Brooks does wilt a bit under its late-'80s sheen -- The synths on "There's a Telephone Ringing" are a wash out. And its reliance on easy lyrical devices concerning cold beer and lovelorn teenage wanderlust mires portions of the album in Forgettableville. However, it should have no trouble appealing to
Brooks & Dunn fans, since its best moments ("Baby When Your Heart Breaks Down," "The River") cleverly mix
Brooks' soulful croon with hearty honky tonk and warm acoustic instrumentation. ~ Johnny Loftus