Dierks Bentley - Gravel & Gold

Dierks Bentley treats his tenth album as something of a victory lap, celebrating the 20th anniversary of his 2003 debut by demonstrating all the different kinds of country music he can do. Gravel & Gold is anchored by Bentley's signature surging, arena-filling country, but he makes plenty of space for poignant ballads, bluegrass, and humour. Bentley knows how to deliver clever spins on country clichés, such as the weary travelogue of "Heartbreak Drinking Tour" or turning a tune about a truck into a love song. While Bentley doesn't shy away from the fact that he's serving up a familiar recipe - he opens the album with the winkingly self-aware "Same Ole Me," - familiarity doesn't always breed contempt. Bentley sounds relaxed and at ease throughout; that sense of ease, combined with the occasional barn burner, such as jocular bluegrass closer "High Note", is a recipe for a good time.

Heavyweight double vinyl produced by Capitol Records in 2023.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Same Ol' Me
2. Sun Sets in Colorado
3. Heartbreak Drinking Tour
4. Something Real
5. Still
6. Beer At My Funeral
7. Cowboy Boots (Feat. Ashley McBryde)
8. Gold
9. Walking Each Other Home
10. Roll On
11. All the Right Places
12. Ain't All Bad
13. Old Pickup
14. High Note (Feat. Billy Strings)