As fans, we’ve waited a long time for new music from Dierks
Bentley. We’ve watched from silent web
cams, made up stories about the players in the Asheville, NC studio as well the
songs. And because Dierks had to make an
album that was as creatively satisfying as “Up On the Ridge,” no one knew what
to expect: including Dierks.
HOME debuted yesterday morning to an amped up Dierks getting
ready to play the Today Show and the number two overall album spot on
ITunes. Number 1 on the ITunes Country
Charts. Dierks has been quoted about
the creative process, finding the right sounds after Ridge. And he wouldn’t be true to himself if he left
out the persuasion of mandolins and fiddle in a bluegrass bent towards the
album. So this album finds him firmly
settled in knowing who he is and what sounds mirror his feelings. The sounds have matured with him, becoming
more complex, more encompassing, more feeling.
The fun is still there in Am I the Only One and Tip It On
Back. Rowdy drinking songs that have
been associated with the fun, bad boy side of Bentley from the beginning.
But the heart of the man is still there. He’s Everyman. The interesting thing about Dierks’ music is
everyone sees and identifies with something different. From the rowdy 5-1-5-0 and Gonna Die Young, his vocals ease over the
emotion and grab our attention. There’s
balance in the album. It encompasses a
little bit of all of us. The Woods (Jon
Randall Stewart) a mid-tempo song, flirts with familiar advertising lines. Diamonds Make Babies (Jim Beavers) provides a
great live show segue but doesn’t have the same effect on the album as it can’t
slip past the cliché.
However, any female
will tell you that the gravel in Bentley’s voice makes them pay attention to the
ballads. For the ballads on this album
are stellar. When You Gonna Come Around
(Jamie Hartford) incorporates a style that makes you ache to see where it
leads. Karen Fairchild from Little Big
Town provides a smoky quality to the
vocals that match well with Bentley’s gravel and provide sexual
tension. Breathe You In (Ryan Tyndell)
requires you to listen more than once.
And ends with you licking your lips.
Heart of a Lonely Girl (Charlie
Worsham) incorporates those bluegrass elements never far from Bentley’s
heart.
But the two stellar songs that can’t be missed on this album
are Home (Wilson, Beavers, Bentley) and Thinking of You (Beavers,
Bentley). Home, complex enough to
encompass our nation and all the ideas and persuasions that divide us as well
as bind us to each other. Sitting at #7
on the Billboard and Mediabase charts when the album was debuted, Home speaks
to all of us. It supports our diversity
as well as our connections. It’s as
positive a song as it's possible to be, and filled with hope. Bentley supports this vocally masterfully as
I expect it’s a difficult song to sing.
But my favorite is Thinking of You. The song is subtle and you buy right in,
Bentley’s vocals are superior and perfect for the tune. It’s not until the end that you understand
where he’s going with it. No surprise
about where the album is going
though. It’s going to number one with
the fans.
--Janet Marlborough
DB Congress Rep, CA
