Ronnie Dunn, ‘Ain’t No Trucks In Texas’ [Listen]

Ronnie Dunn’s first single on Nash Icon Records doesn’t deviate far from those he recorded in 2014 as an independent artist. “Ain’t No Trucks In Texas” is a guitar-fueled power ballad that relies on his sterling country voice and clever phrasing.

That’s a safe bet. Dunn has one of the best (if not the best) voices in country music, and he’s been around long enough to separate the gold from the straw. “Ain’t No Trucks In Texas” is familiar, almost to the point that you wonder if it’s a cover. The singer is betting that his music wasn’t what held him back as he embarked on his revolution in 2013 and 2014.

He’s probably right. Here he plays a guy who's an even more jaded lover than George Strait was when he sang “Ocean Front Property” in 1987. The chorus goes:

“There ain’t no trucks in Texas / Ain’t no football in the south / Ain’t no bourbon in Kentucky, I ain’t drinkin’ me some now / Ain’t no stars in California, Memphis never had the blues / Oh, there ain’t no trucks in Texas, and I ain’t missing you.”

Wendell Mobley, Tony Martin and Neil Thrasher penned the song, and Dunn produced it himself. The lies escalate through the second verse: “There ain’t no phone sitting by my drink / I don’t hope it’s you every time it rings / I don’t care where you are / I don’t wish you’d turn around that car / I don’t call your friends, I don’t want to know / I don’t regret letting you go.”

Finally at the end Dunn has his “I’ll throw the Golden Gate in free” moment. Throughout he remains progressive — it's always surprising when one remembers he's been famous as long as Alan Jackson. "Ain't No Trucks In Texas" isn't a country music revolution. It's the next small step in Ronnie Dunn's evolution.

Why Fans Will Love It: Dunn's sound is timeless. The song feels like it could have appeared on any of his previous two solo albums, or the half dozen Brooks & Dunn albums before that.

Key Lyrics: "Oh, there ain’t no trucks in Texas, and I ain’t missing you."

Did You Know?: Each of Dunn's three post-B&D solo albums has contained a Texas-themed song.

Listen to Ronnie Dunn, "Aint No Trucks In Texas"

The Best Album of 2015? It's Obvious, Isn't It?