Dierks Bentley - "Riser"

[carriekins]

1. Bourbon In Kentucky (Hlilary Lindsey, Gordie Sampson, Ryan Tyndell) ** Background vocals by Kacey Musgraves

2. Say You Do (Shane McAnally, Matt Ramsey, Trever Rosen)

3. I Hold On (Brett James, Dierks Bentley)

4. Pretty Girls (Jessi Alexander, Jon Randall, Dierks Bentley)

5. Here On Earth (Ross Copperman, Ryan Tyndell, Dierks Bentley)

6. Drunk On A Plane (Josh Kear, Chris Tompkins, Dierks Bentley)

7. Five (Ross Copperman, Ryan Tyndell, Dierks Bentley)

8. Riser (Travis Meadows, Steve Moakler)

9. Sounds of Summer (Zach Crowell, Matt Jenkins, Adam Sanders)

10. Damn These Dreams (Ross Copperman, Jaren Johnston, Dierks Bentley)

11. Back Porch (Cary Barlowe, Jaren Johnston, Hillary Lindsey)

12. Hurt Somebody (Matt Fleener, Shane McAnally, Mark Nesler) ** Background vocals by Chris Stapleton



Stream: Here!

[jdbowman]

Just started and had to post about "Say You Do"...what a fantastic song. I hope the rest of the album is this good.

[layne]

Excellent! This is definitely my favorite Dierks Album. The only song that I don't really care for is "Sounds of Summer". It's something that sounds like more of a Luke Bryan/Cole Swindell song and feels more like a bro midtempo to me. I also wish he'd left off Back Porch and put something else on since Back Porch was available on the EP. After listening, I don't really think BIK should be re-released. There are far better singles than that IMO that would do better on radio.

[Spacey_Kacey]

Easily a strong contender for album of Q1 for me. Was Eric Church until now, but I'm hopeful about Eli Young Band and David Nail coming close to this. I think I'd be surprised if they passed this though. Very strong. Also Johnny Cash's is released the last day of the quarter so that ought to be good too, but among current radio singers, this will be hard to beat in terms of quality.

I love "Drunk On a Plane". I think I actually might want that as a single. "Here on Earth" is a strong choice too though it might not be a great fit for radio. "Riser" would probably be better. The first two singles are easily the best two songs, but they were also among my favorite radio songs recently so no shame in that. A "Bourbon in Kentucky" re-release would be interesting, but I'm kind of on the fence about that. There's no obvious single choices, but almost everything works better. Tracks 2,7,10,12 are all very good, but I'm not sure they are single-worthy choices whether is be due to other songs of even higher quality or due to radio friendliness.

Overall, seems on par with the previous album (which admittedly I am high on - a lot of strong albums tracks namely "When You Gonna Come Around" and "In My Head" but several other enjoyable ones as well).

Weak songs: "Pretty Girls" and "Sounds of Summer" - the latter isn't terrible...until they do the voice altering stuff. Also forgot how much I disliked "Back Porch" - thought I might have been underrating it but the opposite is actually true. "Cold Cans" was the only good song from the EP

4/5 stars

Singles
3. Drunk On a Plane (I'm sure Back Porch is being considered more seriously, but I can dream until that day)
4. Riser
5. Five or Bourbon in Kentucky (or maybe one of the McAnally co-writes? Or even "Here on Earth". At this point I kind of stopped caring. As long as those first two are singles, I'll be happy.)

[layne]

I'd like to see singles

3. Drunk On a Plane (I realize it's not critically acclaimed but it's different and a clever story)
4. Say You Do
5. Riser/Five

[sabre14]

Great album here from Dierks. I had already heard the previews on iTunes, but it was nice to finally hear the whole thing start to finish. My favorite on this album is still "Here On Earth". Even though I want it to be a single, with the way radio is in 2014, I should know better. My other faves were "Riser", "Say You Do", "Drunk On Plane", along with the first two singles.

I must say I'm surprised that no one thus far feels "Sounds Of Summer" will be the next single. It's not my favorite on the album but it screams radio friendly and the timing would be perfect. Right now I'd bank on that being next with "Back Porch" being the second most logical choice and a slight glimmer of hope that "Drunk On A Plane" gets to be the third single. I also feel that re-releasing "Bourbon In Kentucky" would be a mistake. I personally would love to see it go top 5 and get the justice it deserves but it might be high risk, little reward. Maybe when it's time for a hold over single till the next album and the previous singles have all done well, then I might say what the heck and give it another shot. But there are plenty of good tracks on Riser to not worry about that right now.

I defiantly will be taking a drive to the nearest Best Buy, or Target to get my hands on this album come the 25th.

[tvoss20]

Just listened to the full stream on rolling stone.com and all I can say is WOAHHH!!! Best cd to be released since Jake's Barefoot Bluejean Night and one of the best ever in my 6 or 7 years that I've been listening to country tunes! This will definitely be my favorite cd of 2014 along with David Nail's.

[carriekins]

For those of you wanting Drunk on a Plane as the next single, Dierks was on the Bobby Bones show this morning and they played it - and introduced it as "possibly the next single." So. Yeah. I can't say I'm thrilled because I'd go with Back Porch or Sounds of Summer first, but ... not my call and I'm obviously in the minority between here and Twitter, haha.

I haven't gotten to listen to the full album yet (I know! Gasp!) but I will this afternoon. I'm very excited to be reading so many positive reactions, though! :)

[ryanroberts]

I share the same thoughts as I did when I first heard previews.. This is gonna be a game changer and might very well be his best record yet! Perfect way to celebrate 10 years at being in the mainstream country scene too. I wouldn't mind seeing Damn These Dreams and or Hurt Somebody get a shot at radio.

Also I'm not sure if I touched on this or not, but obviously this is a very personal record for Dierks. At that the same time though as personal as it is... It is very universal/relatable.

[onebuffalo]

Feb 20, 2014 14:01:49 GMT -5 carriekins said:

For those of you wanting Drunk on a Plane as the next single, Dierks was on the Bobby Bones show this morning and they played it - and introduced it as "possibly the next single." So. Yeah. I can't say I'm thrilled because I'd go with Back Porch or Sounds of Summer first, but ... not my call and I'm obviously in the minority between here and Twitter, haha.

I haven't gotten to listen to the full album yet (I know! Gasp!) but I will this afternoon. I'm very excited to be reading so many positive reactions, though! :)

I thought you had pull with Dierks Bentley. Tell him what singles to release and they will all go to #1.

[xy0cmiller6yx]

Sounds of summer was easily the one song that was stuck in my head after listening to the Itunes previews. I personally love this song. It just screams summer! Oh wait, thats the point haha

Other than that, I pretty much have to agree with the rest of the the above reviews! So I won't repeat it all lol. This CD is fantastic! Could easily become my favorite album from Dierks

[toocountry]

Wow this is so refreshing!!! I have been digging the new Eric Church and just on one listen, I already think that this record is better. This is what Country Music is supposed to be. I love the real songs and different sounds from not just this record from Dierks but also the new Eric Church. I love that there aren't any shades of that current fad of bro/beer/pickuptrucks/chillin/rap lingo country that just makes me wanna puke when I hear it. Music about real life. Love it. I hope other real artists take notice and follow this trend. Cant wait to buy it on the 25th,

[matty005]

Wow, this album is outstanding. I Hold On is the only song I don't really care for. The rest of the album is perfect. So many single choices to pick from. I hoe Dierks released at least 3 more singles from this album. It's that good.

[carriekins]

After living with the iTunes previews for the past month or so, it was so great to get this stream today. It really is a great album. I've been having proud fangirl moments all day. :)

I'll do a track by track. It will be fun!

Bourbon in Kentucky - There is nothing to say about this song that hasn't already been said: a wonderful song that most people didn't get to hear, didn't get its justice at radio, blah blah blah. Still so, so good. One of my favorite Dierks cuts in years... there are a few songs on this album that would likely make my Top 15 Dierks songs list and this is one of them.

Say You Do - And this is another one that would crash my Dierks Top 15. I absolutely cannot get enough of this song. I've been a big fan of Shane McAnally's songwriting for a while now, notably starting with Kenny Chesney's "Somewhere With You" and this one is absolutely no different - I love it. There's such longing in the lyrics and I really feel like Dierks nailed this vocally. SO well done. I would be ecstatic if this was released as a single... right now this is my favorite song on the album.

I Hold On - still love this song, even though it's been 13 months since I heard it for the first time. This song is like the little song that could to me - I'm proud of how well it's doing recently and I know that it will be a very, very meaningful #1 for Dierks when it gets there. IT BETTER GET THERE.

Pretty Girls - While thematically one could argue that it's "bro," I feel like it loses that stigma both in the imagery of the lyrics, the depth of his vocals, and the whole midtempo vibe of the song. It's probably in the bottom half of the album for me overall, but it's not the skipper I thought it would be based on the title and initial info that was released about the song.

Here on Earth - I really like this song. It kind of punches you in the gut, especially if you've ever lost someone close to you (and there are so very few who haven't experienced that), but melodically and lyrically it's so well done. Definitely among the top songs on the album for me.

Drunk on a Plane - So through the course of my listening to the album today, I've done a 180 on this song. I would be totally fine seeing this as the next single. It's silly, yes, and has sort of a novelty feel and will likely have a very high burn rate - but it's well-written and clever and honestly doesn't really sound much like anything else out right now. I really enjoy the instrumentation and Dierks' vocals on this song really sold it for me - and hearing the full song helped, as well. So. Single. Go for it.

Five - Listening to the previews, Say You Do and Five really jumped out at me immediately and were the two I couldn't wait to hear in full the most... and after hearing them both in full that still stands - I love this one, too. Great song. Great storytelling and longing here, and again, Dierks nailed the vocals.

Riser - So much buzz surrounding this song already! What an uplifting song. I love that Dierks' whole premise for naming the album after this song is that this song fully embodies the man he wants to be. I can totally get behind that - it's so inspiring. I'm still nervous about this as a potential single... I feel like the timing needs to be just right for it to work out, but at the very least I hope this song can see some nominations, and if not this year, then for 2015 (depending on its potential release to radio). He really did the song great justice here.

Sounds of Summer - I still think this could be the next single, but I really wish they hadn't used the autotune in the bridge or whatever. It just kind of sticks out like a sore thumb. I like the melody and this song sounds nice, but my husband called it a Jake Owen song and I definitely have to agree (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, per se - it's more BBJN than Beachin so there's that). But overall, I'd probably put this toward the bottom of the album for me... which isn't to say it's a bad song, or even one that I'll skip. To me, it's just filler.

Damn These Dreams - This song breaks my heart. It's almost like it's too honest... like, painfully honest to the point where I'm like, "stop touring! Go be with Cassidy and your adorable children and be a dad!" but then I'm like, well... but he's doing what he loves so I probably shouldn't feel too guilty, right? But man. This is a great song, but it's so hard to listen to. (Kind of like Down in the Mine off Up on the Ridge. Brilliant song - but can't listen to it every time.)

Back Porch - Okay. So when the Cold Cans EP was released this was one of my favorites. I was pretty happy about it being included on the album. Now, I'm just annoyed and I agree with layne because... why? First of all, why did they recut it - it was pretty much fine as it was. Second, why in the world did he add that pseudo-rap bridge? Totally unnecessary and honestly kind of ruins the song for me. And why did he include it at all? Honestly there HAD to have been more songs for him to consider here. I like some of the new instrumentation here but I was so disappointed when I heard the full track. I am sadface. :(

Hurt Somebody - Hello wonderful song. Hello Chris Stapleton harmonies. What a gem. I mean, what else more is there to say?

Singles...

3. Drunk on a Plane (yep. I'm down with it.)
4. Say You Do
5. Riser
6. Five? Haha.

So, I'd probably give this like 4.2 out of 5 stars... deductions for autotune in SoS and Back Porch's unnecessary changes and "updates" and perhaps its inclusion. My favorite Dierks album continues to be Up on the Ridge, which I would give 5 out of 5 stars. Honestly, the only one I don't listen to all the way through any more is Feel That Fire. So after 7 albums, I think that's a pretty good track record (superfan-ness aside). I really love Dierks' vocals throughout this album and I'm kind of thrilled to hear that he'll never record in a vocal booth again because if this is the result, he's absolutely right. All in all, this is a more grown-up album than 90% of his peers are putting out (Eric Church, David Nail, Eli Young Band not included, obviously), a well-written, diverse, and enjoyable listen. Good job. It will be even better if he finally starts getting some industry recognition. And hey, radio, can the next few singles NOT take 30+ weeks to peak? Thanks.

[xy0cmiller6yx]

So let me see here.

Drinking on the back of a tailgate=bro-country=Bad!
Drinking on a plane!= Clever/good story=Good

Haha, I just had too lol
Is it Tuesday yet!

[rsmatto]

I'd be surprised if "Drunk On A Plane" or "Say You Do" don't get released. He said he hoped "Riser" would get single consideration but I doubt it gets any real consideration unless it is the 5th and final single from the record (and that's NOT counting "Bourbon In Kentucky" as a real single).

Edit: "Say You Do" was also co-written by Trever Rosen ("Better Dig Two") and Matt Ramsey ("Chainsaw") who are in Old Dominion ("Dirt On A Road"). The band actually plays all the songs they've had cut as singles and may do this even better than Dierks one that'll be a single at some point, unless it isn't. These guys also co-wrote "Wake Up Lovin' You" which has become a hit for Craig Morgan.

[jughead]

Eric and Dierks already giving us hope that 2014 will be a good year for country music.

[bjer127]

^^ Don't forget Jon Pardi..that album was a very refreshing start to 2014 IMO. But yes, I am anxiously awaiting tomorrow so I can download this. The next 6 or 7 weeks will be exciting for new album releases.

[Marv]

I also agree that the disappointing chart performance for 'Bourbon In Kentucky' was definitely infuriating, which leads me to believe that we'll get three more singles from this exceptional CD once 'I Hold On' is done, hopefully with a #1 peak by the end of next month.

[carriekins]

So I got my presale CD this weekend. Back Porch on the CD does NOT include the rap-bridge that the Rolling Stone stream does. Weird???? But okay that probably bumps my overall rating of the CD to like a 4.7 out of 5 now.

[layne]

Feb 24, 2014 20:35:41 GMT -5 carriekins said:

So I got my presale CD this weekend. Back Porch on the CD does NOT include the rap-bridge that the Rolling Stone stream does. Weird???? But okay that probably bumps my overall rating of the CD to like a 4.7 out of 5 now.

You think maybe the Back Porch on the Rolling Stone stream is the radio version? Maybe it's been selected to be a single and that's the radio version?

[carriekins]

Feb 24, 2014 20:40:21 GMT -5 layne said:

Feb 24, 2014 20:35:41 GMT -5 carriekins said:

So I got my presale CD this weekend. Back Porch on the CD does NOT include the rap-bridge that the Rolling Stone stream does. Weird???? But okay that probably bumps my overall rating of the CD to like a 4.7 out of 5 now.

You think maybe the Back Porch on the oRolling Stone stream is the radio version? Maybe it's been selected to be a single and that's the radio version?

I honestly don't know. Signs are definitely starting to point to DOAP as a single...but maybe. He added that bridge to the live song at his charity event in November...it works in the live environment but was jarring on the CD. It's just odd that the stream was different than the final CD.

[Deleted]

Feb 24, 2014 20:35:41 GMT -5 carriekins said:

So I got my presale CD this weekend. Back Porch on the CD does NOT include the rap-bridge that the Rolling Stone stream does. Weird???? But okay that probably bumps my overall rating of the CD to like a 4.7 out of 5 now.

Did you get the physical copy or digital?

[rjz]

Good album. Drunk on a Plane is my favorite! I wouldn't be surprised at all if that turns up as a single.

[Deleted]

I haven't streamed the album, but I'm looking forward to grabbing my copy after class today. Dierks has always been one of my favourite male vocalists, and the two singles have been enough to make me want to buy this. As for the discussions regarding the next single, for what it's worth, "Pretty Girls" is listed under Singles on iTunes Canada's main music page.

[carriekins]

Feb 25, 2014 5:02:12 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

Feb 24, 2014 20:35:41 GMT -5 carriekins said:

So I got my presale CD this weekend. Back Porch on the CD does NOT include the rap-bridge that the Rolling Stone stream does. Weird???? But okay that probably bumps my overall rating of the CD to like a 4.7 out of 5 now.

Did you get the physical copy or digital?

Both. BP is 3:12 on both. The RS stream was 3:35.

[Deleted]

Feb 25, 2014 9:03:24 GMT -5 carriekins said:

Feb 25, 2014 5:02:12 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

Did you get the physical copy or digital?

Both. BP is 3:12 on both. The RS stream was 3:35.

Thanks! I just bought a copy...usually I go with physical albums but I got the digital one this time. My parents are coming to visit me next week, maybe I'll slip a physical copy into the shopping cart while we're out and about ;)

[countryfan15]

This is a really good album lyrically but i guess i'm dissapointed because i was expecting less uptempo songs and more slower songs judging by the praise of the album by everyone else. But still this is probably my favorite album of 2014 so far( aside from Jon Pardi). Thankful he didn't go the bro-country route. I like every song but not feeling "Pretty Girls" yet lol. Good job Dierks on a outstanding album!

[Deleted]

I have to say, I love that they put "Bourbon In Kentucky" as the first track and didn't just tack it onto the end considering its lack of commercial success. I have been following Dierks periodically since his first album, and I think the man is truly something special. His career easily could have meandered into worthless party shlock, but he's consistently pushed himself creatively and I admire that more than words can express. It also doesn't hurt that he has one of the nicest voices in the industry. I commend him for releasing such a strong album.

[Deleted]

Feb 20, 2014 11:43:13 GMT -5 layne said:

Excellent! This is definitely my favorite Dierks Album. The only song that I don't really care for is "Sounds of Summer". It's something that sounds like more of a Luke Bryan/Cole Swindell song and feels more like a bro midtempo to me.

I can see why "Sounds Of Summer" could be seen as a 'bro-country' song, but I personally wouldn't label it as such. I feel like the lyrics are a lot more descriptive and specific than the typical bro-country song lyrics. SOS includes references of kids playin' in a field and a tin roof drippin' rain in the first verse, plus the line "been waitin' all year now it's finally here, back around" in the chorus is a really strong line. I don't find it to be nearly as stereotypical as the typical bro-country song.

I also like the "boots climbin' barbed wire" line in the 2nd verse, and the mention of lawn chairs out in the yard waiting for the fireworks to go off is a neat line.

And I just really like a lot of the lines in the chorus:

"These sounds goin' down in a nowhere town underneath the wide open sky.
It's the dust in the air and the freedom everywhere, can't you hear it comin' alive
It goes way too fast, it all disappears, but when it's gone we'll still be here
Hangin' around, missin' the sounds of the summer"

Plus, the chorus is heavily accented by a mandolin. I don't think Luke Bryan or Cole Swindell even knows what a mandolin is

I'm not saying it can't be seen as a bro-country song or even that every bro-country song is bad, but the use of the mandolin and catchy guitar riffs in this one, combined with lyrics that are more descriptive than simple stereotypes, makes "Sounds Of Summer" a strong song, at least to me.

**

Anyway, as for the rest of the album...I love it. It's phenomenal. I think it tops Eric's as my favorite of the year and I expect both albums to be very high on my year-end list, maybe even 1-2.

I remember listening to "Back Porch" from the EP and just feeling kinda 'meh' about it but I actually find myself enjoying it a lot now, although I can see why people would've rather had one more brand new song (I don't feel strongly one way or the other here).

"Here On Earth" and "Riser" are stunning tracks. The quiet moments in these songs and the intricately-woven melodies just give me chills. "Five" might be my favorite song on the album along with "Bourbon In Kentucky" and of course I really love "I Hold On" as well. "Damn These Dreams" is a heart-wrenching ballad and "Hurt Somebody" is the type of ballad that you just don't hear too often anymore in country music.

I actually didn't think I'd enjoy "Pretty Girls" or "Drunk On A Plane" that much (based off the previews I'd heard) but DOAP is hilarious and PG actually has a sort of laid-back yet melancholy vibe to it which makes it work for me (I love the 'whoa oh-ohs' in it). I could live with DOAP as a single because I actually do like it and find it quite funny, but I am still hoping it is not a single simply because I want Dierks to showcase some of the stronger songs.

I really don't know what they'll do for the 3nd single. If they want something a little safer and radio-friendly, my choice would be "Sounds Of Summer", followed by "Back Porch" and then "Drunk On A Plane". I would be surprised if they considered any other songs (other than these 3) for the 3rd single.

For the 4th single I would really like "Five" and then I could see "Riser" coming after that. On the off chance that they go 6 deep, they could go with "Say You Do" or one from the SOS/BP/DOAP trio.

So, my picks:

1) Bourbon In Kentucky - this hardly counts and therefore I could see them released another 3-4 singles after "I Hold On", possibly including a BIK re-release
------------
2) I Hold On
3) Sounds Of Summer/Back Porch/Drunk On A Plane
4) Five
5) Riser
6) Bourbon In Kentucky/Back Porch/Drunk On A Plane

Six singles including BIK is probably unlikely but this is how I would do it. I definitely feel like we'll get 3 more singles after IHO though and they have a lot of great options.

Overall, an A+ album, in my book. I don't like to compare it to Up On The Ridge too much since they are totally different styles of music, but as far as his country releases go, this is his best yet. I liked Home a good deal but Riser actually tops that one quite easily for me and I am finding that I revere it about as much as I do Up On The Ridge.

:)