How Dierks Bentley Is Embracing Brokenness, Imperfection In The Best Way

Dierks Bentley revealed long-awaited details about his upcoming 11th studio record on Tuesday (April 15).

Bentley unveiled a sneak peek of a soon-to-release track from the project, Broken Branches, when he made his announcement. Bentley said “this album represents what country music is to me, a group of people and songs that come together in a way that’s imperfect, individual, and sometimes even a little messed up. They’re all a bunch of broken branches on one tree! My next track ‘Well, Well, Whiskey’ drops this Friday (April 18) in honor of the announce. Cheers! Can’t wait for y’all to hear it.

“The country music community has a lot of broken branches in it. That’s why we’re all here,” he added in a press release issued Tuesday morning. “We want to do something a little bit different, and I think everyone sees themselves like that – certainly in country. This is the people’s music and it represents that spirit of individuality so well – it’s just about doing it our own way.”

Broken Branches will include collaborations with John Anderson, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert and Stephen Wilson Jr. throughout the 11-track project. Bentley selected each song for his album after listening to the demos while driving around back roads near his home in Tennessee, per the press release. Bentley chose the tracks over a months-long process. He was drawn to songs “with deep meanings and distinctive quirks, centered on the imperfect perfections of community spirit.”

“I think that’s what’s special about country – we’re still making music in the studio with our buddies,” Bentley said. He teamed up with musicians Charlie Worsham, Jedd Hughes, Rob McNelley and Bryan Sutton, plus powerhouse songwriters, producers and others to bring the record to life. “We’re still getting together and talking about the songs and letting the musicians have a big say. It’s a good team - maybe a little messed up - but that’s the whole idea behind broken branches, so it just works.”

Next month, Bentley will kick off his headlining “Broken Branches Tour” with singer-songwriter Zach Top and Georgia duo The Band Loula. He previously said he’s “got a million ideas for the set list rolling around in my head. It’ll be fun to figure out how to make it all come to life with a new album and new production.” See the list of tour stops here.

Broken Branches will release on June 13. See the track list below.

1. Cold Beer Can

Written by Jon Randall, Luke Dick, Stephen Wilson Jr. and Dierks Bentley

 

2. Jesus Loves Me

Written by Adam James, Ben Stennis and Allison Veltz Cruz

 

3. She Hates Me

Written by Ashley Gorley, Chase McGill, Ross Copperman, Jimmy Allen, Wesley Scantlin and Dierks Bentley

 

4. Something Worth Fixing

Written by Stephen Wilson Jr., Luke Dick and Dierks Bentley

 

5. Standing In The Sun

Written by Kyle Sturrock

 

6. Well Well Whiskey

Written by Seth Ennis, Devin Dawson and Jordan Reynolds

 

7. Broken Branches

Written by Zach Abend, Beau Bailey and Graham Barham

 

8. Off The Map

Written by Jeremy Bussey, Lauren McLamb and Adam Wood

 

9. Near You (ft. Miranda Lambert)

Written by Scooter Carusoe, Ross Copperman and Ben Williams

 

10. For As Long As I Can Remember

Written by Devin Dawson, Connie Harrington

 

11. Don’t Cry For Me

Written by Jim Beavers and Dierks Bentley