Ronnie Dunn signed to Big Machine's subsidiary Nash Icon for 2016's
Tattooed Heart and, like the Nash Icon records by
Reba McEntire and
Hank Williams. Jr.,
Tattooed Heart is an effective re-creation of the sounds that turned
Dunn into a superstar along with
Kix Brooks in the '90s. His erstwhile partner shows up on "Damn Drunk" -- Nash Icon's inaugural star
Reba McEntire stops by for "Still Feels Like Mexico" -- which only underscores that this album plays to all the rousing arena-country and power ballads that were Brooks & Dunn's specialty. Given that
Dunn is a few years older, he now feels most comfortable in the slower songs -- the mellow Urban Cowboy revival of "Only Broken Heart in San Antone" is a highlight, as is the sultry ballad "I Wanna Love Like That Again" -- so the louder stuff feels a little affected, as if he was chasing after his younger self. Fortunately, most of
Tattooed Heart veers toward the quieter, sensitive moments, which means this is the perfect dose of nostalgia: it conjures memories of the past but exists in a softer, subtler present. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine