Dierks Bentley: ‘Broken Branches’ – Album Review

Dierks Bentley’s new album, Broken Branches is out now, June 13th on all streaming platforms. Listen to the new album below.

With a career spanning more than two decades, Dierks Bentley has been one of country music’s most well-known and consistent voices. Now, the acclaimed singer-songwriter is back with Broken Branches, one of his best offerings to date.

On the 11 track collection, the Arizona native trusted the process, enlisting some of Nashville’s most well-known songwriters and musicians to build out the project. On the Capitol Records Nashville release, Bentley co-wrote four songs, focusing on acquiring the best songs possible from the likes of Ashley Gorley, Ross Copperman, Seth Ennis, Devin Dawson, Jordan Reynolds, and more

Executive produced by Mary Hilliard Harrington, Bentley crafted a project that tells the tales of country music. “The country music community has a lot of broken branches in it. That’s why we’re all here,” Bentley explains in a statement. “We want to do something a little bit different, and I think everyone sees themselves like that – certainly in country. This is the people’s music and it represents that spirit of individuality so well – it’s just about doing it our own way.”   

The album opens with “Cold Beer Can,” featuring Stephen Wilson, Jr. It’s classic Bentley, clever lyrics over a catchy melody with a hint of a message. “What I love about this song is that the title and idea seem like such familiar territory for country music, but when you actually dig into the lyrics of the song, it’s much more meaningful,” said Bentley.

“A cold beer can go further than a dollar // 12-pack peace pipe for the blue collar // Worth more than a silver when it changes hands // Money can’t buy what a cold beer can // Worth more than a silver when it changes hands // No, money can’t buy what a cold beer can”

“Jesus Loves Me” is a rock-tinted and smoky look at trading the bottle for the Bible, musing “Yeah Jesus loves me, but she don’t,” while “She Hates Me” is an almost Offspring-esque tongue-in-cheek lack-of-love song that shows Bentley at his best. He’s an antihero who isn’t going to be beat down by a woman who doesn’t quite like him.

“We were goofing around with this idea before diving into our next ‘serious’ song, really just trying to make each other laugh. It just fell out, and I didn’t think much more about it after that,” Bentley explained in a statement. “But then it really came to life in the studio, and then my kids were requesting it and then I was getting texts from friends who had heard it, so I started taking it more seriously! I love any opportunity to laugh at myself – especially my younger self, and ‘She Hates Me’ definitely provides that.”

“She hates me // My hair, my truck, my dog, my music makes her crazy // She done been there, done that, ain’t coming back, // no maybes Thought one day, // we’d be on some acres raising babies // She should be falling, only problem is she hates me”

As with any Bentley album, love is a permeating theme, notably on songs like “Something Worth Fixing,” “Standing in the Sun,” and “Never You,” which features vocals from Miranda Lambert. The Lambert duet is a sparse and twangy tale in the vein of country’s most quintessential duets, while “Sun” is a gorgeous building ballad comparing love to basking in the glow of someone you love.

“This is one of those songs that I never in a million years could have written on my own, but I’m so glad someone in this town did and gave me temporary custody of it for awhile,” said Bentley. “Love is such a classic theme in country music, but Kyle was able to write it in a way that is so personal to me…it’s the way I feel it. And, I love how sonically it builds to feel like a sunrise, tying back to the lyric of the song.”

“Well Well Whiskey” is an immediate standout, a Bluegrass-laden lyrically clever anthemic ode to whiskey. “When I first heard ‘Well Well Whiskey,’ it made me think of my Up On the Ridge album, which leaned heavily on the power of acoustic instruments. I heard a lot of the same opportunity for the guys in the studio to contribute ideas and collaborate together in the same spirit of that earlier project,” Bentley explains. “There is nothing more fun than turning the musicians loose on a track like this and seeing what they come up with. I definitely see this one making it into our live show this summer.”

 The album’s title track perfectly encapsulates the album, featuring vocals from country legend John Anderson and rising superstar Riley Green. It’s an earworm celebration of bromance and throwing one back. In a similar vein, “For as Long as I Can Remember” celebrates what a son takes from his father and the other men in his family.

“Off the Map” finds him escaping reality for somewhere simpler, while the album’s closing track, “Don’t Cry for Me” sends the album out on a poignant note. Bentley couldn’t be happier with the life he’s led, noting “Don’t cry for me when I’m gone, Heaven knows I’ve had one hell of a run.”

On Broken Branches, Dierks Bentley takes a look at all of the different broken branches that make up life and love, doing so in a way that’s equal parts tongue-in-cheek and poignant. It’s truly Bentley at his finest.

Broken Branches Tracklist:

1. Cold Beer Can (Jon Randall, Luke Dick, Stephen Wilson Jr. and Dierks Bentley)
2. Jesus Loves Me (Adam James, Ben Stennis and Allison Veltz Cruz)
3. She Hates Me (Ashley Gorley, Chase McGill, Ross Copperman, Jimmy Allen, Wesley Scantlin and Dierks Bentley)
4. Something Worth Fixing (Stephen Wilson Jr., Luke Dick and Dierks Bentley)
5. Standing In The Sun (Kyle Sturrock)
6. Well Well Whiskey (Seth Ennis, Devin Dawson and Jordan Reynolds)
7. Broken Branches (Zach Abend, Beau Bailey and Graham Barham)
8. Off The Map (Jeremy Bussey, Lauren McLamb and Adam Wood)
9. Near You ft. Miranda Lambert (Scooter Carusoe, Ross Copperman and Ben Williams)
10. For As Long As I Can Remember (Devin Dawson, Connie Harrington)
11. Don’t Cry For Me (Jim Beavers and Dierks Bentley)

Country Swag Picks:

1. Well Well Whiskey
2. Broken Branches
3. Never You
4. Standing in the Sun
5. Jesus Loves Me

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For more info on Dierks Bentley, including tour dates, visit his official website.