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Dierks Bentley
08/11/2003 5:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Mike Lipton
From the moment that Nashville newcomer Dierks Bentley kicks off his fast-talking "What Was I Thinking," the first single from his major label debut, it's clear that the Phoenix native is on to something. Speeding through lyrics like, "By the county line the cops were nippin' on our heels/pulled off the road and kicked it in four wheel/shut off the lights and tore through the corn field, what was I thinkin'?," Bentley has borrowed from some of the best of the current crop of country stars and added a sense of phrasing that seems to flow from him naturally. Backed by a cast of Nashville's ever-slick (but rarely-passionate) ringers, Bentley loads the disc up with country ballads with mixed results. "My Last Name" checks in as the corniest while "My Love Will Follow You" develops all the emotion of vintage Eagles. But "Wish It Would Break," a showcase for Bentley's baritone that's fleshed out with a twangy baritone guitar, and the moving "Whiskey Tears" (revamped from his indie debut) hit the mark with uncanny accuracy. Elsewhere, Bentley shows off his trad songwriting chops, giving it his old-school best on "I Bought The Shoes," a George Jones-styled tale of love lost, and "Bartenders, Etc." is a pokey country-rocker, right down to the lead licks and bad puns ("bartenders listen when you talk and barstools are there when you can't walk"). But by far, the most rewarding--and convincing - track is "Travelin' Train," a soulful, minor-keyed bluegrass tune on which Bentley enlists current bluegrass faves Del McCoury and band. It's a perfect fit--which can't help but make one wonder whether writing and singing mainstream country songs was simply the path of least resistance for Bentley to kick-start his career.
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