The past three years have been good to Dierks Bentley – two platinum albums, three No. 1 Billboard singles and an induction into Nashville institution the Grand Ole Opry in October 2005. Not bad, not bad at all.
It’s understandable why there was a lot of expectation leading up to the release of Long Trip Alone, and rightfully so.
Known for his breakout country hits “What Was I Thinking'” and “Come a Little Closer,” Bentley displays maturity and growth on this third album release not heard on previous albums, as demonstrated most powerfully on ballads “Every Mile a Memory” and “Hope for Me Yet.”
“Every Mile a Memory,” the album’s first single, has the country crooner singing about leaving the woman he loves but seeing her at every turn, while “Hope for Me Yet” pleads with a girl to save him by returning his love. Surprising topics for this album since Bentley is currently married to his high school sweetheart – the couple eloped to Mexico in December 2005.
It’s clear that Bentley, who co-wrote all of the album’s 11 tracks, has been greatly influenced by the cross-genre country music of the ’90s, citing George Strait, Alison Krauss and alternative-country group Cross Canadian Ragweed as three of his favorite artists. Influences from these artists are all over Long Trip Alone, from the crossover-ready “Free and Easy Down the Road I Go” to the bluegrass-pickin’ “Prodigal Son’s Prayer,” found in the use of the fiddle, steel guitar and drums.
Bentley’s songs cover a plethora of emotions including loss, heartbreak, freedom and hope. One of the strongest songs, “Can’t Live It Down,” has Bentley running from love. He is the poster child for the single man hitting the open road: “Gonna live for places I ain’t been / Make a lot more good remember-whens / Right up to the end.”
The standout track on Long Trip Alone is the outspoken anthem “The Heaven I’m Headed To,” a song that could alienate some of Bentley’s conservative Christian fans. Describing an all-inclusive view of heaven as a place where preachers, thieves and prostitutes intermingle, the song manages to get across a positive message without being too preachy – a balance often difficult to reach in today’s divisive political atmosphere.
While gospel music has always been inextricably linked with country, contemporary country is now infusing more religious anthology into the mix. “Heaven” achieves a somber tone similar to Brad Paisley’s “When I Get Where I’m Going,” featuring Dolly Parton.
The young artist shows his fun side with “Band of Brothers,” a fun, up-tempo, jam band-esque tune where the pedal steel guitar, fiddle and drums dance together in the background to complement playful lyrics.
Bentley also gets some help from breakout bluegrass band the Grascals on “Prodigal Son’s Prayer,” an old-school tune reminiscent of George Jones. The instrumentals provided by these extraordinary musicians (recently named entertainer of the year by the International Bluegrass Music Association) gently play behind Bentley as he sings about repentance and a place to find forgiveness.
Overall, Long Trip Alone is dripping in bluegrass sweetness and focuses more on the instrumentals rather than traditional country twang dominated by vocals. A deeper, richer, more mature voice is still singing about the same confusions of love, but in a different sense. Where before Bentley poked fun at being young and having the thrill of the chase, he now has “settled for a slowdown.”
At just 30 years old, Bentley has risen from a struggling singer trying to make it in Nashville to one of country music’s brightest stars. If Long Trip Alone is any indication, Bentley doesn’t have many more miles to go to achieve Grammy status.
