Dierks Bentley - "Black"

[sabre14]

How do we not have a thread for this yet? Whoops.



1. "Black" (Dierks Bentley, Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley)
2. "Pick Up" (Andrew Dorff, Jaren Johnston, Jimmy Robbins)
3. "I'll Be the Moon" (feat. Maren Morris) (Matt Dragstrem, Ryan Hurd, Heather Morgan)
4. "What the Hell Did I Say" (Copperman, Josh Kear, Chris Tompkins)
5. "Somewhere on a Beach" (Michael Tyler, Jaron Boyer, David Kuncio, Alexander Palmer, Josh Mirenda)
6. "Freedom" ((Bentley, Copperman, Gorley)
7. "Why Do I Feel" (Bentley, Copperman, Dan Wilson)
8. "Roses and a Time Machine" (Luke Dick, Adam James)
9. "All the Way to Me" (Bentley, Dick, Scooter Carusoe)
10. "Different for Girls" (feat. Elle King) (J.T Harding, Shane McAnally)
11. "Mardi Gras" (feat. Trombone Shorty) (Bentley, Natalie Hemby, Steve Moakler)
12. "Light It Up" (Jessi Alexander, Bentley, Copperman)
13. "Can't Be Replaced" (Bentley, Luke Laird, Hillary Lindsey)

Listen









Released on May 27th, through Capitol Records Nashville.

[carriekins]

Because they held it off Spotify till now. ;)

I will, obviously, have plenty to say about this album...but I need sleep.

I know you're all waiting on the edges of your seats.

[sabre14]

May 30, 2016 22:19:21 GMT -5 carriekins said:

Because they held it off Spotify till now. ;)

I see. It's all on YouTube though...

I'll edit the thread starter. :)

[carriekins]

May 30, 2016 22:21:41 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

May 30, 2016 22:19:21 GMT -5 carriekins said:

Because they held it off Spotify till now. ;)

I see. It's all on YouTube though...

I'll edit the thread starter. :)

Yeah, it was odd. I assumed it would be held off Spotify until Friday, but Windmills noted it was on YouTube. Although someone said it wasn't uploaded in the correct order on his Vevo channel. Anyway, I assume either the contract with Apple Music for the exclusive was through the weekend, or they're super happy with its sales trend...or both.

[sabre14]

May 30, 2016 22:24:13 GMT -5 carriekins said:

May 30, 2016 22:21:41 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

I see. It's all on YouTube though...

I'll edit the thread starter. :)

Yeah, it was odd. I assumed it would be held off Spotify until Friday, but Windmills noted it was on YouTube. Although someone said it wasn't uploaded in the correct order on his Vevo channel. Anyway, I assume either the contract with Apple Music for the exclusive was through the weekend, or they're super happy with its sales trend...or both.

Well I edited my post with the YouTube link.

If that's the case, it could be up on Spotify by the morning. Whatever. Nothing's ever easy.

[countrymusicjunkie]

I've only had the chance to listen to this all the way through a couple of times so far but I'm already really liking it. I don't think its quite as good as Riser but I knew that album would be tough to top, nevertheless, this is a solid album. I'm a bit worried that "Roses And A Time Machine" will end up being a single at some point, the songs really bad IMO and would be a horrible choice for a single.

This is how I'd rank the songs:

1.I'll Be The Moon (Featuring Maren Morris)
2.Can't Be Replaced
3.All The Way To Me
4.Different For Girls
5.Freedom
6.Light It Up
7.Pick Up
8.What The Hell Did I Say
9.Black
10.Why Do I Feel
11.Mardi Gras
12.Roses And A Time Machine
13.Somewhere On A Beach

[:) KUFan]

May 30, 2016 22:19:21 GMT -5 carriekins said:

Because they held it off Spotify till now. ;)

I will, obviously, have plenty to say about this album...but I need sleep.

I know you're all waiting on the edges of your seats.

Only the promotional singles are on Spotify at the moment. The album is not up yet, at least a for me...

[carriekins]

May 31, 2016 1:27:17 GMT -5 :) KUFan said:

May 30, 2016 22:19:21 GMT -5 carriekins said:

Because they held it off Spotify till now. ;)

I will, obviously, have plenty to say about this album...but I need sleep.

I know you're all waiting on the edges of your seats.

Only the promotional singles are on Spotify at the moment. The album is not up yet, at least a for me...

Yes, sabre14 changed the link to YouTube after our conversation.

[codyj100]

I recently went on vacation and listened to this album on the drive there several times. When it was originally released, I didn't care too much for, "Somewhere On A Beach." However, it has grown on me. I agree with mrck that Black is not as strong as Riser. I don't expect Dierks to ever top that album, because to me...it was a once in a career type of album. But, like all good things...they must come to an end. Now, with the Black era, I am intrigued. It's not a bad album, by any means. I'd probably rank this as his fourth best album, behind, Riser, Home, and, Up On The Ridge. "I'll Be The Moon" and "Black" are my two favorites here, but honestly everything flows on this record. I knew from SOAB that we were going to get something a bit different. Every song works well and there weren't any out of the box surprises or "turn offs," if you will. Here's to hoping this album gives Dierks the extra shove to the top we all know he deserves. 

[sabre14]

The Highway aired a live concert from Dierks on Memorial Day and he pretty much confirmed "What The Hell Did I Say" will have been a single by this time next year.

[CoJoFan]

I think we will go 5 singles on this one. I'd say probably in this order for the next 3. "Black", "I'll Be The Moon", then "What The Hell Did I Say" for the final single. If "I'll Be The Moon" is not a single I'd go with "Freedom" in its place. This is one of the best albums this year so far.

[carriekins]

I ended up being asked to contribute to the fan review for DB Congress so I'm basically just pasting what I said for that here.

Black: There have been quite a few overtly sexual songs released to country radio over the past few years, which I’m personally not a fan of. What ever happened to leaving something to the imagination? But I think Dierks does a good job here of keeping it sexy but not overdoing it. I also really like the production on this song. I can see this being single #3.

Pick Up: I liked this song when it was pre-released, but the more I listen to the album, the more I LOVE this song. I feel like Dierks sings the hell out of this one, you can really hear his frustration. And this is a pretty universal theme, but also one that hasn’t been done a million times, either. I’d be totally fine if this were to become a single, but I don’t see it falling that way.

I’ll Be The Moon: Easily one of my favorite songs on the album. Maren and Dierks complement each other nicely and both sing the song well. You can feel the heartache and sadness. It’s so pleasant to listen to.

What The Hell Did I Say: This one has grown on me immensely since being a pre-release track. Once I listened to it in the car, I was sold, haha! I love a good song to jam to, and this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s super catchy, and Dierks hinted it may be a future single on SiriusXM The Highway.

Somewhere On a Beach: still not my favorite, but damn, did this song blow up and get the job done for leading off this album with some serious momentum. And in the context of the full album, it doesn’t sound out of place at all.

Freedom: This song makes me want to skip along and bop to it. Obviously a theme that’s been done before, but I love how anthemic and sing-along this is. Once more people are familiar with it, this should be a highlight of the live show. Definitely single worthy.

Why Do I Feel: This is where the album kind of hits the brakes for me. Lyrically and vocally (as in, Dierks sounds good), I like this song. But I don’t like the sparse production at all. When I hear the opening piano, I immediate expect to hear Luke’s “Strip it Down” and that’s not really a comparison I enjoy making. I’ve been trying to get more into the song, but the R&B cadence and vocal style aren’t working for me.

Roses and A Time Machine: I think I’m the only person who likes this song. It’s quirky and funky, but I find the lyrics to be self-deprecating and self-aware – the dude knows he screwed up and at least he’s able to make fun of himself.

All The Way to Me: this song is like your favorite pair of worn in jeans. It feels so good. It’s like if Lot of Leavin’ Left to Do and Free & Easy had a baby. I love it. It just feels so… DIERKS. The production is like a nod to “old” Dierks, the lyrics are SO Dierks – really this is like a continuation of I Hold On and I just love everything about it. Super high on my list of album highlights for sure. (And I would do a lot to hear a bluegrass version of this. I bet that would be killer.)

Different For Girls: another great duet. I think the duets on this album are my favorites of Dierks’ career so far. I know there’s a lot of brouhaha over the lyrics and the over-generalization of male behavior, but Dierks himself even said he sucks at being a “dude” when it comes to heartache, so I’m not going to read too much into it. This song sounds great, and I think this is a moment on the album where Dierks is really saying “you know, I’m raising two daughters now, and I look at these things differently than I used to.” And I also like the idea that it’s the douchey bro from SOAB having an introspective moment, too. Love this and I hope it’s a huge hit for him.

Mardi Gras: I wasn’t too sure about this one when I listened to the album the first time, but wow, has it grown on me. It is so catchy, and again, I think Dierks kills the vocal on this one. I’ve had this song in my head a lot since Friday.

Light it Up: This is another great track. I really like the spiritual metaphors. The production is perhaps a bit louder than it needs to be here, but it’s still a really great song, and one I wouldn’t mind seeing as a single, but it’s a bit similar thematically to HOLY by FGL so they’ll probably steer clear.

Can’t Be Replaced: Not much to say here that hasn’t already been said by basically everyone ever, but this is a fantastic song. First of all, I could talk about those dobro solos all day long. They’re gorgeous. Everything about this song is just perfectly executed. Definitely one of the best songs of his career.

Singles:
1. Somewhere on a Beach
2. Different For Girls
3. Black
4. Freedom/I’ll Be the Moon/Pick Up
5. What the Hell Did I Say

I have tried and failed to rank the songs in any kind of order so I'll do a super generic one.

Obsessed:
All The Way To Me
Can't Be Replaced

Love:
Pick Up
I'll Be the Moon
Freedom
Different For Girls
Light It Up
Mardi Gras

Like:
Black
What the Hell Did I Say
Roses and A Time Machine

Meh:
Somewhere on a Beach
Why Do I Feel

Okay this is really long, I'm sorry. But, finally, I think this is a really solid album. I liked it upon first listen, but now that I've listened to it in different ways (in the car, out for a run, on the computer, while cooking) it's really gotten better with each listen. I find myself getting really into different songs on different days, and there is a lot on this album that I can relate to. I was actually surprised how much my husband likes it, too. As the Resident Pulse Dierks Fan ;), I was hugely nervous leading up to this release, especially with SOAB as the first single. But now I'm just really excited to see what this era has in store. It's satisfying to see his hard work paying off. Do I wish it were reversed and the success was for Riser instead? Yes. But this is still a great album - it's just different. In this case, I think it's working. Thumbs up.

[tim]

Unfortunately for myself this album just isn't connecting well. I really, really love the album name and cover art, but there's only two songs that I really like. I've already listened to this album multiple times over and for now have to say it isn't clicking with me. As a dog lover I can quite relate to "Can't Be Replaced" (I've had my pup gong on ten years now and can't imagine life without her) and "Different for Girls" is a pretty solid tune. Other than that I'm not really a fan of the rest of the album; I find "Mardi Gras" to be a completely annoying and distracting. That said, I think this album is one that will continue to take Dierks to more career heights and I'l keep rooting for him nonetheless.

[babybuffalo]

Jun 1, 2016 0:15:44 GMT -5 tim said:

Unfortunately for myself this album just isn't connecting well. I really, really love the album name and cover art, but there's only two song songs that I really like

Yes! I was so intrigued by the concept but as a whole the album doesn't work for me.

That being said I am obsessed with a few tracks...

Roses and a Time Machine - The sense of humor in this song fits Dierks perfectly. I don't think anyone else could pull it off. I'd love for it to be a single and get a kickass video but I don't think it would work on radio.

Light it Up - Actually accomplished what FGL was trying to do with H.O.L.Y.

I'll Be The Moon - Love that it's a single. Dierks has always done heartbreak well. Cheating was never so classy.

Can't Be Replaced - If you don't like this we can't be friends! The shoutout to Jake was the icing on the cake to a perfect song.

[carriekins]

HITS is reporting 89k, 102k SPS for Black's first week.

Billboard will likely be a little less, but either way it should end up being his career best first week, besting Long Trip Alone's 82k ten years ago.

[sabre14]

90k is a great number, wow.

[tryexp]

I love this album. I adore "I'll Be the Moon", "Can't Be Replaced", "Different For Girls", "Freedom","Light It Up" and "All The Way To Me". I like the rest (even Somewhere on a beach), so I hope they go 5 singles with this one.

[dm2081]

Finally got around to listening to the whole album and I must say, the material has really grown on me, especially "What The Hell Did I Say". The standout songs for me are "Somewhere On A Beach", "Black", "Different For Girls", "Can't Be Replaced" and "All The Way To Me". Here my singles predictions:

Predicted Singles:
1. Somewhere On A Beach
2. Different For Girls f/ Elle King
3. What The Hell Did I Say
4. Freedom
5. Black (Doubt they get to 5 singles this era as I expect his next few singles to take much longer than the lead single to peak)

What I would release as singles:
1. Somewhere On A Beach
2. Different For Girls f/ Elle King
3. What The Hell Did I Say
4. Black
5. All The Way To Me

[carriekins]

#1 Country, #2 Billboard 200.

88k pure album sales/101k SPS

Dierks' largest opening week, and third consecutive album to see a significant first week gain over the previous.

Billboard

[kim8]

Finally got a chance to listen to this. I'm really enjoying the album as a whole. I feel like the songs are a little deeper and not so much fluff or bro country type songs. I enjoyed Black the single a lot. I'm loving the current single and really enjoyed I'll Be the Moon too. Freedom is extremely fun. I hope that will be a single.

[phil1996]

Not feeling this one as a whole but I love Pick Up

[George Strait Junkie]

only like 2 songs on the album and they are

I'll Be the Moon (feat. Maren Morris)
Can't Be Replaced

this song is ok
Different for Girls (feat. Elle King)

rest of the album i don't care for

[sabre14]

Updated thread starter with Spotify link. :)

[ethanhunt]

I don't really like this album :(

Shame cause Riser and Home were two of my favorite albums in recent memory