Dear 8 lb. 6 oz. Infant Jesus, Let “The Mountain” Be The Return of the Old Dierks Bentley
People, you have no idea the physical and psychological toll it takes on a true country listener to have to slag through reams of today’s pop country “music” as one of the requisites of your gainful profession, where you sometimes wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat from having been pursued by a Sam Hunt song and for some reason you can only run at half speed like your legs are stuck in mud. Or you dream you’re back in grade school and everyone’s pointing and laughing because you’re completely naked aside from wearing a Luke Bryan 2015 concert T-shirt.
For years, one of the few respites when covering the mainstream of country was the appearance of Dierks Bentley. I’m not even saying it was always particularly good or great. But he simply didn’t make you feel like a drooling moron simply from having to listen. From his 2014 record Riser, to his bluegrass-infused passion project Up on the Ridge, Dierks Bentley was the reasonable bridge between the independent and the mainstream; the traditional and the contemporary. He was Dierks. Even his crazy side project Douglas Douglason and Hot Country Knights showed that unlike so many in the mainstream, he actually had a soul, and wasn’t afraid to show it.
Oh but then came his most recent album Black, and it was like experiencing a head trauma to have to listen. Dierks Bentley sold out so hard, it gave you whiplash simply by watching him. I mean cut out all of the subtle rootsy-ness of his music and the quality songwriting completely, and imagine an entire record of “Drunk On A Plane,” only transmogrified by modern computerized production. Even the attempt at social commentary with “Different For Girls” seemed confused and opportunistic.
And what were the results? Black sold 100,000+ fewer records than Riser. Black had two #1 radio hits, while Riser had three. Now granted, Bentley’s touring capacity probably increased in the Black era, but things might have been trending in that direction for Dierks anyway.
Screw money. The problem with money is you can always have more of it. We need Dierks being Dierks. Not because he’s some true country stalwart, but because he’s a pragmatist. He allows you to come up for a breath of fresh air when your co-worker is listening to the pop country station for eight straight hours. We want the Up on the Ridge Dierks. We want the Dierks that Cody Canada named his first born after. And I pray to Jesus that’s the Dierks we get on his just announced album The Mountain.
Yes I know. It all feels a little canned. After the disappointing Black era, here comes Dierks with a scruffy beard, climbing mountains, shredding guitar licks blaring in the background, with the marketing gurus doing their level best to convey a rugged, organic attitude and energy. It almost feels a little Justin Timberlake in what we got in the teaser video for his upcoming “earthy” record, Man of the Woods.
But with Dierks, there’s a history here, and a pattern. He often is forced to give his record label what they want, (a la “Drunk On A Plane”), and then uses the freedom he earns to flex his creative muscles, and let his bluegrass roots shine through. The Mountain could very well be Up on the Ridge 2.0.
Though we don’t have a proper release date yet or a full song to digest, the prospects for The Mountain at this point are very promising. Dierks wrote and recorded the record in Telluride, Colorado, which is the Rocky Mountain State’s bluegrass haven. He was inspired to make the record there when performing at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
“I played a show there. Sam [Bush] and Tim [O’Brien] and Jerry [Douglas] and the [Travelin’] McCourys all got up with me. Chris Thile got up with me. It was an awesome set,” Dierks tells NPR. “I said to the crowd, ‘The only thing missing is Del McCoury,’ and I had my Del McCoury shirt on. Then he walked out of the small backstage area. It was one of the best days of my life, in a setting that I’m very familiar with. I’ve been there many, many times. But there was something about this time. I started thinking about the album, and I’d been working on that movie [‘Only the Brave’, about Arizona firefighters] and my beard was growing out. I missed the West.”
Dierks even says that Marty Stuart’s latest project had some influence on him.
“I’ve had the idea for a western album, but I didn’t know what that even meant. Was it going to be a Marty Stuart-type thing? I love that album [‘Way Out West’]. Was it a sonic thing? A lyrical thing? A bunch of nature references? Was it Marty Robbins? So I was like, ‘Let’s go to Telluride.’ There’s something about it that just makes you reach for a guitar … We all went out there and got completely off the grid…out of our normal element and the grind that happens on Music Row and it was, from the very get-go, magic.”
Of course, we’ve been fooled by this type of rhetoric before. And make no mistake about it, all the talk of mountains and Telluride and organic guitar riffs coupled with the teaser video is just as much an element of marketing as anything. But this is Dierks. Dierks has only let us down because he’s lifted us up so many times before. We know what he’s capable of. We know how he can be like a breath of fresh Telluride air in the mainstream. Let’s just hope that The Mountain delivers. Please, Jesus, let The Mountain deliver.
January 10, 2018 @ 10:03 am
Gosh I hope Dierks is back to not being trash. That would be good news for 2018.
January 10, 2018 @ 10:11 am
Admittedly, I’m a big Dierks Bentley fan. I’m 24, and Dierks’ debut record was my first country record I really listened to, not just heard. With that being said, ‘Black’ sucked. Hard.
I’m encouraged by this. The music in the teaser video sounds legit. Here’s to hoping for the best!
January 10, 2018 @ 10:12 am
I’ve always liked Dierks early stuff and I hope this turns out to be an Up on the Ridge 2.0. I would be ok with that.
January 10, 2018 @ 10:18 am
Well, that’s an inspired title.
That Telluride story sounds promising. I’ve been a fan of Sam Bush and Tim O’Brien since the early ’90s. And those McCoury brothers sure can play. Could this be the time I actually plunk down some money on a Dierks album? I’m typically leery of picking up a “good” album from one of these mainstream guys because I don’t usually want to buy an album that I know has a few throwaway tracks.
January 10, 2018 @ 10:52 am
Don’t be surprised if there is one or two throwaway tracks here as bones for radio, and we shouldn’t be discouraged by a bad lead single. In fact it’s almost guaranteed with Dierks that the first song you hear will be the worst on the record.
January 10, 2018 @ 11:37 am
Try Up on the Ridge and you’ll see why we’re optimistic about this album.
January 10, 2018 @ 10:19 am
Worth giving it a shot but I never thought this guy was anything but a good looking mainstream dude with at least enough rudimentary music history knowledge to remotely care about music….at least a little. As a bluegrass fan I thought up on the ridge was worthy of exactly one thorough listen. Which is actually high praise for a mainstream artist, so I look forward to my one listen of this album.
January 10, 2018 @ 10:51 am
As a bluegrass album, “Up On The Ridge” wasn’t anything exceptional. But just like the “O Brother Where Art Thou” soundtrack, it opened many doors, not just for some of the artists involved, but for listeners as a good primer and introduction for folks into the world of bluegrass. Dierks Bentley is a bridge artist, and bridge artists can be really important.
January 10, 2018 @ 11:34 am
I hear ya. And hey, at least up on the ridge wasn’t total dogshit, so that is a win, no doubt. I guess i would argue that for something as specific as bluegrass, the bridge artist needs to be a little closer to the root. Thinking…. Alison Krauss. But yeah, if some kid listened to that record and went, what is a banjo? I guess that’s a win.
January 10, 2018 @ 7:32 pm
Trigger,
Usually I agree with everything you say 100%, but I’m going to disagree completely with what you said regarding “Up on The Ridge Wasn’t anything exceptional”. I feel like everyone always casts aside work from “mainstream” as nothing good simply because they’re mainstream. Up on the Ridge is a solid bluegrass/country album in my opinion. I was an avid bluegrass listener and I 100% embraced this album when it was given to me as a gift and I will defend it as not only just a “good album for someone in the mainstream” but a good album period. Every song on here has heart, and I love it. Now that being said, I do think Dierks Bentley overall should be viewed as a bridge artist. If every album that came out sounded like “Riser” then mainstream country would be in a much, much better place. I personally don’t hate Drunk on a Plane either, to me “Back porch” is the only abysmal song on that album. Black was awful, but that doesn’t in any way negate how good Up on the Ridge is.
January 10, 2018 @ 8:32 pm
I love the Up on the ridge album. It’s pretty hard for me to listen to Fiddlin Around and say it’s not very good. And that’s not the only solid song on the album. I don’t have a lot of background in bluegrass, so I’m sure that informs my opinion. But other than the U2 cover, which I find grating, I can listen to that whole album over and over and over. Or I could, until my feelings about Dierks got so tainted.
January 11, 2018 @ 8:03 am
It’s not exceptional if you scratch the name off front and just consider it for what it is. That said, there are some heavy weights on the album backing him up and it’s pretty good.
January 10, 2018 @ 11:51 am
While I’m not much of a fan of his music, I will credit Dierks for having much more than “rudimentary music history knowledge.” He was a regular at the Station Inn for years prior to getting a record deal.
January 10, 2018 @ 11:54 am
good knowledge. didn’t know that. Yeah, i still think he blows. But i guess he likes music, so that’s cool.
January 10, 2018 @ 5:45 pm
”Worth giving it a shot but I never thought this guy was anything but a good looking mainstream dude with at least enough rudimentary music history knowledge to remotely care about music….at least a little. As a bluegrass fan I thought up on the ridge was worthy of exactly one thorough listen. Which is actually high praise for a mainstream artist, so I look forward to my one listen of this album.”
my sentiments exactly , pat . And a great preview of things up top Trigger .
If I had to pick my favourite 5 mainstream country male vocalists , dierks would be around 14 or 15 . yup …..he had some real good material when he first came outa the chute ….but for me its all been downhill lately ( including the ‘bluegrass’ record ) . i suppose he may be the lesser of so many evils on the radio …but i’m not gonna settle for that . there’s still too much GREAT stuff …great material and great singers being ignored to give dierks a by these days .
saying all of that , I’ll be first in line to eat crow if the ” Mountain’ thing turns out to be special .
In the meantime , I won’t be holding my breath .
January 18, 2018 @ 10:49 am
Country Family Reunion did a bluegrass episode once and Dierks was there. I’ve got to give him credit because he sat there all day listening to the old timers like Bobby Osborne, Jesse McReynolds, Carl Jackson, Ronnie Reno, and Mac Wiseman. His playing and singing were mediocre, but he really seems to be a fan.
I just think we’d be better off if he stayed a fan rather than try to participate. The Mountain track didn’t give me anything to cause me to reconsider my view.
January 10, 2018 @ 10:25 am
Still sounds more like rock than country, but an improvement nonetheless.
January 10, 2018 @ 10:28 am
My favorite quotes:
“…You told me several years ago that you were figuring out how to balance party guy and family guy personas and how to make space for both raucous, arena-friendly material and artistically satisfying stuff. What’s your take on that now?
Dierks: “I think the more you can get out of your head and do what instinctually feels right, the more authentic it’s gonna be. I don’t think about any of that anymore. I just think about doing the work so I can be present for the reward when it’s time to walk on stage. I don’t care about demographics or ages. Hopefully it’s just good music. At this point in my career, I have nothing to lose. So it’s like, “Let’s make the best album we can make. Let’s take the most chances.” What’s the worst thing that could possibly happen?”
“It’s a combination of I’ve never cared less in my career, and at the same time, I’ve never cared more. I don’t care about the success of the album as much as I care about it just has to be right. And not having regrets. It’s important to me to be completely focused and not miss an idea.”
January 10, 2018 @ 10:54 am
He’s saying all the right things. But as I cautioned above, saying you don’t care anymore and are going back to your roots are elements of marketing as well. Doesn’t mean they’re not true, but the music still has to deliver. With Dierks, we know he can.
January 11, 2018 @ 7:00 am
Do you suppose this quote is his way of saying “I sold out so bad and now I regret it a little.” ?
January 11, 2018 @ 7:14 am
although, reading it in the full context of that interview, I actually think it’s more of an excuse and a denial that mainstream country is chasing the immature party crowd these days, instead of being for grown ups like it once was. So I’m not giving him credit for self awareness with that quote necessarily.
January 10, 2018 @ 10:30 am
Dierks sell out was a kick in the nuts. We know what he’s capable of. That’s worse than say Florida Georgia Line who don’t know any better. Dierks had his own sound, did some bluegrass, and always played some Hank and Haggard at his live shows. Sure he had some songs to make the label happy, but even those were comparatively good compared to his counterparts. I like what I heard in the sound clip. Hopefully it’s a good sign of things to come
January 10, 2018 @ 10:44 am
A beard and a walk in the woods doesn’t make his music any less shitty or any more authentic. No thanks.
January 10, 2018 @ 10:57 am
You’re right. But we haven’t heard anything but a snippet of his new music so it’s not fair to say if the music will be shit or not. Ultimately, Dierks has to deliver. The imagery is just window dressing.
January 10, 2018 @ 10:49 am
Am I the only one who thought it was going to be a cover of “Last Dance With Mary Jane” at first?
January 10, 2018 @ 10:50 am
Hope for the best, but he sure soured me with that last bunch of absolute crapola.
January 10, 2018 @ 11:06 am
We want the Dierks that Cody Canada named his first born after.
And the congregation roared, “AYYYY-MEN!”
I still think Dierks’ first couple of albums are really good.
January 10, 2018 @ 11:08 am
The last time an artist secluded himself to write new material, it turned out to be garbage. Here’s to hoping this isn’t another Dave Simonett failure.
January 11, 2018 @ 8:42 am
Ummm Furnace was a great album. Before it came out I had no intentions of listening to it because it couldn’t compare to TBT. After I heard the lead single I decided to check it out, and it became one of my favorite albums last year.
January 14, 2018 @ 11:34 am
I would hardly call “Furnace” a failure. I don’t think it was an outstanding album, but it had some very good songs on it. Would I prefer Trampled got back together and put out an album? Sure, but I have no problem with Simonett wanting to change up his sound and putting out “Furnace” under Dead Man Winter.
January 10, 2018 @ 11:20 am
On fb live, Dierks just said that he is hoping to combine the sounds of Up On The Ridge and Black with this album.
January 10, 2018 @ 5:40 pm
That does not make me hopeful. 🙁
How about combining up on the ridge with, I don’t know, something not HORRIBLE.
January 10, 2018 @ 11:27 am
So Dierks Bentley is changing the direction of his music again. Back to the old sound because Black was not the smash album? A little bit of bluegrass, a rocker or two, nash-pop for the soccer moms & a shitty lead-single for “country” radio? Oh…i forgot the beard.
In the meantime i listen to “Slide Off Your Satin Sheets” by Craig Gerdes & wait for his album (Smokin’, Drinkin’ & Gamblin’ – 02/16).
Or “Broke & Single” by Arna Georgia. Or Kassie Wilson with “Pawn On Your Chessboard”.
January 10, 2018 @ 2:25 pm
OlaR wait till you here the rest of craig gerdes new album its kicks ass from start to finish
January 10, 2018 @ 11:28 am
https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2018/01/10/576859564/dierks-bentley-heads-back-to-the-mountain
Love it!
January 10, 2018 @ 11:54 am
Dierks Bentley is the kind of Country Singer I think everyone should be.
I think he’s the gold standard to hold everyone to.
I saw him with Eddie Stubbs talking about Cowboy Copas, the man knows his stuff, understands Country Music, and he’s capable of going out without any gimmicks and doing acoustic work and he’s just got that knack to blend in and understand Del McCoury and the like.
Dierks Bentley fits in with those guys whereas Luke Bryan will never do so because he’s just… not a good fit, he’d embarass himself.
Dierks was my first true Country Music record and that stupid hey now here we go song made me curse him hard but when Up on the Ridge Came Out I let him back into my life. Riser was… a bit painful, but it was alright. never be as good as long trip alone though.
January 10, 2018 @ 4:18 pm
Yeah, I think Long Trip is my favorite with Riser right behind it. Ridge would be 2A being as it was a vanity thing. Where was it that you saw him with Eddie Stubbs?
January 10, 2018 @ 12:40 pm
There were actually a handful of songs on Black that I enjoyed. However, it was by far his worst album.
January 10, 2018 @ 1:03 pm
Looking forward to this. Going outside is good for people in general.
January 10, 2018 @ 1:19 pm
Opening reminds me of Neil Young’s Old Man.
January 10, 2018 @ 9:42 pm
Yeah, that opening riff was very Neil Young.
January 10, 2018 @ 1:39 pm
Remember the time I seen him live. He followed Cross Canadian Ragweed. More pitch issues than the Royals bullpen and most of the crowd left because all the energy just left the arena. Heard those same pitch issues everytime I’ve watched perform live. Then his big turn towards trash music. Pretty much nothing about him as an “artist” so far has left me caring whether he returns from the dark side.
January 10, 2018 @ 5:54 pm
yup…exactly . dierk’s is not a good singer whether he’s singing radio crap or what he calls bluegrass . i’m sure he’s a terrific guy and its obvious that he works hard at his career on all fronts . but hey …..if I want to be moved by a voice and a song I too many far better options to consider dierks one of them.
January 10, 2018 @ 4:00 pm
“Black” actually went number one on mediabase, giving him three number ones on the album, which I know you know already. You only include/leave out MB if it supports you argument. Hell, you would’ve thought William Michael Morgan had a number one on the Hot 100 with the way you celebrated his questionable number one on MB. You’re a clown.
January 10, 2018 @ 4:53 pm
My point was that “Black” did not result in any substantial breakout success for Dierks for the disappoint his core fan base felt. Even if you want to say “Riser” and “Black” were comparable, that point stands. And I also think that’s the reason he’s doing what he wants on this record. If you do what THEY want and sell 100,000 copies less, that helps give you the latitude to call your own shots.
January 10, 2018 @ 5:25 pm
I’m not defending the album. I thought it was horrific; didn’t have one redeeming song. I’m just saying it’s success is close to being equivalent with “Riser.” Furthermore, I wouldn’t bank on Dierks going back to his roots. I think the direction of “Black” was his choice because he was already established and should’ve already had artistic freedom. He wanted to be up there with Luke Bryan, and it came back to bite him in the ass.
January 10, 2018 @ 4:11 pm
I have always believed in Dierks. Black tripped me up a bit but I decided to forget the “this is not Country” logic and just thought of it as another vanity project like Ridge. I’m in the minority here but I actually liked Black, mos prob because I just love the guy. I think his worst album was Home. I liked only about the first 4 or 5 songs and then I just didn’t like it. I liked most of Black although not immediately. It took a while. I hope he does come back to earth and be himself.
All I can do is wait but I am excited that a new album is on its way.
January 10, 2018 @ 4:13 pm
PS, I just watched the video and I have to say I really like it. Fingers crossed.
January 10, 2018 @ 4:13 pm
Regarding 8lb 6 oz infant Jesus, all I can think of is “He was a man! He had a beard!”.
January 10, 2018 @ 4:41 pm
Brenda
Dierks is a great entertainer. He always puts his heart and soul in his concerts. I do anything to go to all his concerts. As for his songs I love all of them. When he is on that stage he is very energetic and he is from one side to the other side. He makes sure he is always including his fans at his concerts. I know he is one of the best.
January 10, 2018 @ 5:24 pm
My goodness, gang. This guy is terrible. On the relative scale of crappy, yeah this guy isn’t a 10 on the crap scale. But holy hell this dude’s stuff is awful. I will refrain from comments going forward. Not that I need affirmation but I was not expecting words of support for this turd.
January 10, 2018 @ 5:49 pm
Thank you… you just took the words right out of my mouth. I’m glad to see I’m not the only one to have some sense about this.
January 10, 2018 @ 6:46 pm
Pat,
If you think Dierks Bentley’s music is “terrible,” I wouldn’t necessarily argue with you. I would just go a bit further and say he’s had a terrible album or two (especially his last one), and some terrible songs on otherwise decent albums. But if all you’ve heard from him were his big singles, of course you would regard him as terrible. And you would be right. I panned his last record, and badly:
https://savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-dierks-bentleys-black/
But despite folks saying that I’m too negative, and focus on bad music too much of the time, I try to remain an optimist. I want not just Dierks, but all mainstream artists to surprise and impress us. I wouldn’t say I am praising Dierks, I would saying I am hopeful he will deliver what we know he is capable of. And this isn’t just about an artist’s name. Each song, each album has to be judged individually. Dierks Bentley is an excellent example of why this is important.
Perhaps this record will suck. And I think I’ve proven over the years I’ll rip into the albums of artists folks think I like. But we just don’t know until we hear it. And with so many positive signs for this, I’m going to remain optimistic, however cautiously so, until I have proof that it’s terrible, which can only be verified by the music itself.
January 10, 2018 @ 7:05 pm
yeah, i caught the hopeful vibe from you, and that’s great. Would be nice to see popular artists try to do good work. And good on the guy for including real actual talent on some of his recordings. That’s cool. I actually just totally think the guy isn’t very good. I mean, you take away those participating musicians off of that last bluegrass effort, and just have this dude strumming the ole guitar and singing…. yikes. But, hey, you’re right, if this guy wants to piece together another ensemble effort or take a bunch of great songs from young songwriters and give it his best go, what the hell. We’ll give it a whirl. it beats the regular flow of complete garbage.
January 10, 2018 @ 5:42 pm
I was a pretty big fan, so considering how betrayed I feel, he’s got a LONG way to go before I have any faith. I’m very skeptical to say the least.
January 10, 2018 @ 5:52 pm
Anybody who plays with the McCourys can’t be all bad. The videos of Dierks playing Telluride with the Travelin’ McCourys and Chris Thile and Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas are the sorts of things that make me happy. Dierks might not be as close to the root of bluegrass as I may like (to reference a comment above), but perhaps he can help bring some semblance of bluegrass back to country music. Here’s hoping Dierks has something good coming with “The Mountain.”
January 10, 2018 @ 6:01 pm
Well to be fair, if you stick Sam Bush, Chris Thile, or Jerry Douglas with a bucket of sand on stage, the performance would still come off pretty well. I’ve already commented again when i said i wouldn’t. I beg forgiveness. We shall agree to disagree.
January 10, 2018 @ 5:54 pm
That looks like a couple of quick shots of Australian/now Nashville guitarist Jed Hughes in there. I never thought Dierks was that good or that bad.
January 10, 2018 @ 6:25 pm
I wonder if The Mountain is an original song that he wrote or a cover of the Steve Earle song which was done with the Del McCoury band
January 10, 2018 @ 8:37 pm
The “best” of the worst. Yay. Neither words, nor emoticons can express how pumped I am.
January 11, 2018 @ 3:20 pm
I’m feeling it.
January 11, 2018 @ 12:11 am
Dierks is hands down in my top 5 favorite country artists of all time, always loved his twangy yet fun country sound. “Black” was a bigger sell out album than Chris Young’s “Im Comin Over”. I hope and pray Dierks goes back to his real country sound and knocks it off with the pop crap. I wanna hear some more Free And Easy, Lot Of Leavin, 5150. Anyone else take notice that the single “Black” plummeted after it hit #1? It fell on its face so hard that it only remained on the recurrent chart for one week after hitting #1…i have only heard it twice on radio since its fell off the charts and that was on a locally owned country station that plays a ton of songs that top 40 countrt stations dont. Never seen a single fall that hard aside of Zac Brown Band’s Beautiful Drug.
January 11, 2018 @ 5:41 am
For me, for some smazy reason, Dierks is at the top of the shit stack, poised to get popped off the shit list. Maybe this will do it. Not sure why I harbor less ill will towards him as I do others with similar track records, but there it is.
Since we can’t get a country music savior to walk across, we need all the ‘bridges’ over troubled waters we can get!
January 11, 2018 @ 12:29 pm
I didn’t like the video accompanying the article. If that’s indicative of what he is or what’s to follow he’ll not garner any support or praise from me….. that and a a buck fifty will get him a cup of coffee somewhere.
January 11, 2018 @ 3:43 pm
Haha yes. In the video he looks like an astronaut who has tumbled down after a long stay in space and doesn’t know where he landed. Think Kane in The 100.
January 11, 2018 @ 3:08 pm
Really how is this country. This is obvious rock music. It’s not really pop country because it’s neither one of those. It’s rock. So to me that gets a big no thanks. 6/10 for rock. 3/10 for pop and 2/10 on country. He’s not saving the genre at all. Just releasing more rock music into country.
January 11, 2018 @ 4:18 pm
I don’t think anyone is saying that Dierks Bentley is saving the genre. We’re just saying we hope Dierks Bentley’s new album is better than his last one, and there is indications that it might be. But I don’t anyone has enough information to grade anything at this point because we haven’t heard it. A 1-minute snippet of one song is not enough to start handing out grades regardless of the genre. We don’t even know if the clip of the song in the video will be on the record. We don’t even know what the name of the song is. Maybe the song will be awful. Maybe the whole record will be. But until we hear it, it’s not fair to make that conclusion.
January 11, 2018 @ 8:13 pm
Well, I liked his ‘Greatist Hits’ album. Thought ‘What Was I Thinking’ was fun. So shoot me…
January 13, 2018 @ 9:24 am
Just a bit too much like Petty’s Mary Jane’s Last Dance.
January 14, 2018 @ 11:38 am
We shall see. Personally, the whole “Country artist wants to get back to his roots” routine has become old, especially since it is pretty rare that it actually leads to good music! I hope Dierks gets back on track to what he once was, a strong mainstream Country artist that served as a pleasant alternative to the Luke Bryan’s of the world, but I also worry the drive to be a superstar means he is incapable of really going back to being the Dierks of old. The dude had a choice, carve out a Gary Allan-esque career of generally putting out good material (last few years notwithstanding), but never being a superstar or chasing the superstar ring and alienating his fans. Dude chose the latter and it’s gonna take a hell of an album to win people like me back.