Dierks Bentley Black (CD)

(2016/Capitol) 13 tracks.
2016 release from the multi-platinum selling country singer/songwriter. Dierks Bentley has never had to follow trends; he challenges them and creates his own. On the heels of a career album earning critical acclaim, commercial success and an armful of Grammy, CMA and ACM nominations, Bentley continues one of the most interesting journeys in country music with his eighth studio album. Black is personal - after all, it’s named after his wife Cassidy s maiden name, but it's really a record about the human heart not any particular human. It explores breakups, hookups, mess-ups and everything inbetween, shining a light on the things that happen after the sun goes down. Produced by Ross Copperman and executive producer Arturo Buenahora Jr., the slow-smoked grit of Bentley s voice keeps the album rooted in country music, while it also appeals to audiences far beyond the boundaries with fresh sonic textures that flourish on the edge of arena rock. Black also makes room for more than a few female firebrands, as Bentley shares the microphone with vocalists Maren Morris, Elle King, Natalie Hemby, Hillary Lindsey and Jessi Alexander. Never before has a Bentley album contained so much input from the opposite sex.