​Dierks Bentley appeared to be on a winning streak with his latest album, Black, at least commercially. "Somewhere On A Beach" and "Different For Girls" were huge number one hits for him, and the title track also managed to etch out a top five peak as well. Unfortunately, the last single from the album, "What The Hell Did I Say" flamed out so hard on the charts that it managed to become his lowest peaking single ever. 

For some, perhaps that can be seen as a move of karma. After all, as far as critical acclaim is concerned, Black was Dierks Bentley's most panned album to date. The question of where Dierks went from that album era was completely up in the air. Thankfully, him and his team are at least taking the right steps to cultivate the image and sound for Dierks that we all know and love. The only question is, will his new album, The Mountain be that return to form that many are hoping for? Or is the marketing just pulling the wool over our eyes?

After hearing the leadoff single to his newest project, "Woman, Amen", it's hard to answer that question. One thing that is for certain though is that this song in particular is a throwback to earlier times, most notably the Riser era (which yes, only dates back to 2014). The song itself is just this huge, atmospheric ball of energy that makes me wonder what the concept of The Mountain is really going to entail. 

With this new album, many people (myself included) are hoping for something akin to Up On The Ridge Vol. 2 complete with Bluegrass textures and plenty of fiddle, banjo, and mandolin. Now, "Woman, Amen" does not fit that template whatsoever, but with the atmospheric touches added to it, I can still see it fitting the concept somewhat. 

The song begins with some nice acoustic textures and some huge drums before giving way to some electric guitar. For those who are familiar with the folk-country style of say, High Valley, the style will be a welcome fit. The chorus crescendos into the usual clear, anthemic-esque, booming sound that you would expect for the style. The violin that creeps up (even if it's only for a little while) during the bridge is a nice added touch, and as far as the sound is concerned, I would say that it does feel like something that would fit on a "mountain" themed record. Think about it, the huge, booming texture makes it feel like one is literally shouting from a mountain top, and the fact that it's more folk-pop inspired at least gives it somewhat of a more rural feel (only somewhat though). Like a mountain, there's a lot of wide open space for this song to breathe, and that can be appreciated. Dierks will never be known for his power as a vocalist, but he's able to sound convincing and carry the song until its end. 

Where the song stumbles is the lyrical content. Now, considering that songs such as "Female", "Take Back Home Girl", and even a new song called "Bitches" are plaguing the airwaves (the last one isn't, but give it time), it's easy to cringe at a title like "Woman, Amen". Thankfully the song avoids trying to be an anthem or something sleazy and instead opts just as a simple love letter from Dierks to his wife. In terms of the execution, this will be song known more for its dynamics than any other element. The songwriting is thin and generic on paper, with two verses that only contain four lines each and a bridge that just lists off a random assortment of "things" his wife gives to him (faith, grace, hope, strength are some examples). There's really nothing specific that makes me think Dierks Bentley is really invested in his praise of his wife, and ultimately the generic content is what holds the song back. 

Still, as someone who is a fan of the more folk-pop-country hybird that acts such as High Valley and Lanco have adopted, I probably enjoy this song more than I should. No, it's not the Bluegrass inspired track that I was hoping for, but for a Country single in 2018, I honestly wasn't expecting that, especially when Dierks' last single under-preformed. Still, I'd argue that the song fits what the album is going for, and if this is an album that rips a page out of the Marty Stuart handbook by being based around instrumental and production textures, then count me on board for this new album. Welcome back, Dierks. It's good to have you. 

Grade: B
Listen: "Woman, Amen"

Author: Zackary Kephart

​Oh Dierks…..

When it comes to Dierks Bentley, I’ve always been a big fan of his. In fact, he’s always been one of my favorite artists in mainstream country music. Hell, his albums have always delivered consistent quality, and his singles have always been good to great (minus a few duds, looking at you “5-1-5-0”)

In 2010 he released a bluegrass album of all things at a time when he was looking to break into the “A-list”. That’s really when he earned my upmost respect as an artist. You could tell the project came from passion rather than dollar signs, and when the album was as good as it was, it was a huge victory for mainstream country.

Now let’s flash forward to earlier this year, more specifically January. When Dierks Bentley released the lead single to his album, Black titled “Somewhere On A Beach”, I wasn’t worried. Despite that song being absolutely awful, I had hopes that Dierks would still deliver. Well, he didn’t really on his new album, and to be honest, it was a disappointing listen for me. So on that note, how do I feel about his newest single, the title track of this album?

Well I’ll say this, I probably like it more than I should. I don’t think Black in and of itself is a great song or one of Bentley’s better singles, but I also think there’s a little more effort present here compared to your other slew of sex songs on country radio.

What I can appreciate about this song is the atmosphere it’s trying to convey. It begins with some honestly pretty good drum work that leads into a darker, spacier atmosphere. That atmosphere is also bolstered by smoother, more liquid guitar work. Hey, if nothing else, there’s at least an emotional passion here. Depending on how far you want to take the whole “country or not country” argument will definitely make or break this song in regards to this element however. For me, I can appreciate it.

When it comes to the lyrics, well, look I’ll give Bentley credit here and say that while this song focuses on nothing but the act in question, at least the album expands more on the feelings of love. In other words, it’s somewhat of a concept album. As a stand alone song however, I’m left wishing we had a little more meat to this song besides just “hey, I really want you. Let’s do it”. It’s not lyrically bad per se, it just could have been better.

The one element that I don’t feel holds up all that well however is Dierks Bentley’s vocals. Like I said, the song is trying for more of an emotional passion, and that extends to Bentley’s vocals. You can tell he’s trying to really throw himself into this song. The problem is that there’s parts such as the chorus where they just sound very jarring next to the production. In other words, his vocals aren’t a good fit for this type of song.

Like I said though, there’s a limit to how hard I can be on this song. It’s not as if there isn’t some effort present here. The problem for me is in the execution. It’s better than his last two singles at least, so that’s something to appreciate.

Grade: B-
Listen: "Black"

Author: Zackary Kephart

I don’t think there’s a better example of an artist in mainstream country music who straddles the line between commercial appeal and critical acclaim better than Dierks Bentley. He’s a name that gets brought up repeatedly regarding this subject because he’s essentially one of the last male artists out there who actually cares about making quality music. And so, when he announced his new single would be called “Somewhere On A Beach”, I didn’t know what to expect. On one hand, he had the challenge of following up two ballad singles with “Say You Do”, and “Riser”, and so expecting an uptempo party number (a.k.a, Dierks appeasing his label) in the vein of “5-1-5-0” or “Sideways” wasn’t totally out of the question. On the other hand, when Dierks described his upcoming eighth studio album, Black, he proclaimed that the album would explore the concept of love, and so a title such as “Somewhere On A Beach” can sort of depict something romantic such as enjoying a nice sunset with a loved one on a beach listening to the calm of the ocean. The unfortunate thing about this song is that it chooses to be former rather than the latter.

It’s not that expecting a “Bentley dud” (as someone else I saw described them) is bad. Heck, the great thing about Dierks is even his most mainstream friendly material retains at least some sort of artistic integrity, in a way that at least makes it stand out from the crowd. But “Somewhere On A Beach”? This is bad folks. Like, REALLY bad………..

​Considering Black is said to explore the concept of love, the theme of “Somewhere On A Beach” is completely nonsensical. “Somewhere On A Beach” tells of a man who escapes to the beach to escape an ex-lover. It’s just quite the coincidence that he meets a new girl while he’s there. That’s great that you met a new girl dude, but do we have to go all “Home Alone Tonight” by rubbing it in the ex’s face that you now spend your days doing nothing but having wild sex and partying? If anything, that proves you haven’t moved on. And you wonder why she left in the first place? In addition, where’s the love here? Hooking up with some new girl and having revenge sex doesn’t really scream love to me. As immature and cringe inducing as the theme is, the lyrics that get us through it are even worse. Written by Jaren Boyer (“Hell Of A Night”, “Riot”, “Laid Back”), David Kuncio, Josh Mirenda, Alex Palmer, and Michael Tyler Spragg (“Laid Back”), (yes, this song took five writers ladies and gentlemen), there are some lines here that sound like Florida Georgia Line 2.0. The chorus is where the most damage is done. Take a look:

​“I’m somewhere on a beach, sippin’ something strong. Got a new girl, she got it going on. We drink all day and party all night. I’m way too good to have you on my mind. Well, she got a body, and she’s naughty, and she’s got me like you ain’t ever got me. Getting sun, getting sun and I ain’t slept in a week, yeah I’m somewhere on a beach.”

I hate to quote the whole chorus but…….wow.  Honestly, if Dierks was going to pander to any trend, at least this isn’t a pop/EDM hybrid. But still, “she’s got a body and she’s naughty”??? “Getting sun and I ain’t slept in a week”? Dierks, buddy, you’re forty, stop that. Mock something like “Drunk On A Plane” all you want, but at least that had a clever story to it, and even something like “5-1-5-0” had a noticeable energy to it. This? I got nothing folks.

What’s most sad about this song is that even a somewhat melancholy, blues production isn’t enough to cloud the horrid lyrics here. But really, that’s the only saving grace about this song. Heck, even the melody is extremely clunky.

Do I think Dierks “sold out”? No, absolutely not, and anyone who says he has is being totally unfair (notice that doesn’t equate to me saying it’s not fair to dislike this particular song…..). But that doesn’t change the fact that “Somewhere On A Beach” is his worst attempt at trying to win over radio. I heavily believe that this song will be the anomaly of his upcoming album, which really leaves me nothing else to say about this song other than I hope it shoots to #1 so this song can go away and we can hear the quality on this album. Until then, sorry Dierks, but even as a huge fan of your work, this just sucks.

Grade: D-
Listen: “Somewhere On A Beach”

Author: Zackary Kephart

​While the majority of the males on country radio continue to push out R&B flavored “country”, Dierks Bentley continues to stay true to his roots, and that faith has never been more evident than now, as he has just released the fifth single from his 2014 album, Riser. It’s fitting that the title track is the final single from the project. While many mainstream country males continue to release generic songs, Dierks Bentley has arguably released a career type of song with “Riser”. The song begins with light guitar and eases into Dierks telling his wife that she doesn’t have to worry about their life falling apart, as Dierks is a fighter willing to persevere through anything. It’s an anthemic song that calls to anyone who can stick through thick and thin and influences those who can’t. It’s a song that not only has a deep message to it, but also has a way of moving people, something that most songs on the radio don’t do anymore. Vocally, Dierks soars like the phoenix he uses in the single cover art, and the production is light, kicking it up a notch once the chorus starts in.  It probably took a lot of fighting to get this song on the radio, especially since it is the follow up to his ballad, “Say You Do”, a release that was risky in itself. That’s what makes this song much more special and is an effective way of crafting a song that is highly personal, and yet highly relatable. This song feels like it could be one of the biggest of the year if given a chance.
​
Grade: A+
Listen: “Riser”

Yes, I know what you may thinking. Bro-country with a spin on it. Wrong. This isn't bro-country at all. In fact it's rather depressing.

Basically the narrator has this honeymoon all planned out, but then he and his fiancee break up, but he can't return his plane tickets, so he tapes her picture to the seat next to his and gets drunk. On a plane. It's all quite hilarious.

Dierks is in fine form as a storyteller and dials in his inner flight alcoholic perfectly during the bridge where he drunk dials his ex and tells her to kiss his ass. And it's insanely catchy.

This is an outstanding single on all levels. It's hilarious, dark, and fun all at the same time. It's a gem.


Grade: A

Listen: "Drunk on a Plane"

(Credit to 'Farce the Music' for this idea).

3 Up

Chris Young- "Aw Naw"

Youngs voice does not work for party songs. Ballads, mid-tempos, love songs, sure. But please leave the partying to Dierks, Blake, Luke and FGL next time. Thankyou. (At least it's well sung).

Grade: C-

 Craig Morgan- "More Trucks Than Cars"

Backside of the city limit, water tower, power line, swimming holes, county fairs, ford truck, kickin' up dust, biscuits, gravy, waitress calls you baby (there's a new one!), hell ya, amen, yee'haw, city limit sign. Lol. He's desperate.

Grade: F