photo by Leslie Paczosa
Touted as one of country music’s most talented singer/songwriters, Dierks Bentley is planning to release one of his most personal and intimate albums to date, titled Riser. Bentley started working on the album shortly after the death of his father last year but the project also draws inspiration from the song “I’m A Riser,” a track about resilience and determination according to the singer.
“Life in general has a way of knocking you down,” Bentley says. “It’s different reasons for different folks – could be personal reasons, could be family reasons, your job, drugs, alcohol. That song really applies to anybody that’s lived. There have always been those moments when we have to get back up and get on our feet. They are defining moments…breakthrough moments.”
Some of the most prominent themes in the album are accepting change and coping with the expectations of the ever-changing music industry. In many ways, Bentley says the album was a rejuvenation and re-commitment to himself. To execute this goal, he even re-enlisted executive producer Arturo Buenahora Jr., who worked on his first two albums; and producer Ross Copperman, who co-wrote “Tip It On Back” for his current album Home.
“It’s not even really a studio,” Bentley says of Copperman’s set-up.
“It’s just kind of a corner of the house he’s taken over, so there was a kind of intimacy to the vocal process. It was important to get out of the studio and sing in different places, and to do it with other people in the room. That way, you have an audience and you get a sense of what’s working, what’s not working, when it’s feeling good, not feeling good. It brings a little more emotion and energy out of your voice.”
Bentley has been making waves on the country music scene since the age of 19, when he first visited Nashville with his father. Currently, the eleven time Grammy nominated artist is on the road with Miranda Lambert for the Locked and Reloaded Tour going on through October.
Check out the short trailer for the single below!