Gene Watson has been singing professionally since the late 1950s and has been a country music album recording artist since the late 1960s.
Gene Watson’s contribution to the country music genre is immeasurable.
It is here where you have an opportunity to read a review of The Bellamy Brothers‘ ‘Double Dog Dare’ (Bellamy Brothers Records, 2024), as published in the February 2025 issue of Country Music People.
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‘Double Dog Dare’ (Bellamy Brothers Records, 2024)
Country Music People, February 2025
This review of The Bellamy Brothers‘ ‘Double Dog Dare’ (Bellamy Brothers Records, 2024) by Paul Riley was published in the February 2025 issue of Country Music People, and is reproduced here with the kind permission of the publishers.
Album Review by Paul Riley
(**** out of 5)
‘When we think of The Bellamy Brothers, we think of their 1976 smash hit, ‘Let Your Love Flow’, and 1979’s ‘If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body (Would You Hold It Against Me)’, but that is the tip of the iceberg for the talented brothers,, who love to entertain their army of fans.
The new album – one of the brothers’ best – welcomes guests, The Isaacs, and country legend, Gene Watson.
The opening song, ‘Tarpene Dreams’, is a burst of warmth and optimism set against an upbeat backing of fiddle and steel guitar.
On the other hand, we get the less optimistic ‘Normal Ain’t Coming Back’. This is good news; normal can be a bit boring and we need a few eccentric people. The Isaacs join the brothers for a witty traditional country track. The song’s moral is that normal won’t be returning, but Jesus will.
Gene Watson joins the brothers for ‘Forever Ain’t Long Enough’, a timeless traditional ballad of some note. The brothers and Watson have impressive voices for men of advancing years.
‘Crawl In A Hole’ finds the brothers digging a bomb shelter! This song includes the album’s best lyrics, ‘Hell, if they get offended by him (Jason Aldean), it’s a good thing they never heard Johnny Paycheck and David Allan Coe’. In the 1970s, Coe was an important outlaw country singer with a killer voice, however, he set fire to his career by releasing some sexist and racist tracks and then he was persona non grata.
The Bellamys have always been at their best with the more country songs: ‘I’m Gonna Find Somebody New’ has a wonderful, relaxed traditional country vibe, but it also has a bit of cynicism when the brothers sing ‘I’m gonna find somebody new to break my heart’.
The brothers end with one of their old songs, ‘I’d Lie To You For Your Love’, on which they are joined by K.T. Oslin (Friday 15 May 1942 – Monday 21 December 2020), who passed away in 2020. The brothers had a hit with this track in 1985 and, apart from K.T. Oslin’s appearance, the song sounds pretty much the same, retaining its 1980s feel.
The Bellamy Brothers have now released more than 50 albums! They still know how to entertain and their voices on this new release sound almost as good as those glorious years of the 1970s.
This new collection of songs is well-chosen and executed. As usual, the brothers exhibit a sense of humour which is showcased best on the album’s strongest song, ‘Crawl In A Hole’ ‘.
Paul Riley
Country Music People
February 2025
