Jelly Roll is one of 18 artists singing Brooks & Dunn songs on the duo’s new album Reboot II. On Wednesday, the former rapper joined Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks onstage at the CMA Awards to perform his version of “Believe.”
Like B&D’s 2005 original, Jelly Roll’s version on Reboot II is rich in gospel accents — onstage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, he was accompanied by nine-member choir as he traded verses with Dunn. A 16-piece orchestra also helped turn the ballad into a grand production.
Jelly Roll is nominated for multiple awards at the 58th CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Album of the Year for 2023’s Whitsitt Chapel. In October, Jelly released the follow-up Beautifully Broken.
“I knew early in this project that this was my exploration of mental health, this was my exploration of addiction, and this was my exploration of detox,” Jelly Roll, born Jason DeFord, told Rolling Stone earlier this year. “These were the feelings that seemed to surround what we were writing. I took a lot of pride in the top line of this album, every lyric I fought for. It took me 18 months to write this album. I got a lot of music, man. I wrote a lot of songs.”
Brooks & Dunn, meanwhile, were surprise winners of the CMA for Vocal Duo of the Year, an award they’ve now won 15 times. Along with Jelly Roll, Reboot II includes artists like Lainey Wilson, Morgan Wallen, and the hard-rock band Halestorm covering B&D classics like “Play Something Country,” “Neon Moon,” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.”
