Converting the Skeptics: A Curated Guide to Dierks Bentley

Dierks Bentley has always been an enigma - he can bust out the most country radio-friendly tune you have probably ever heard in your life (see: "Drunk on a Plane") but then he will show up at the CMA's flanked by Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes to bring in some bluegrass, not to mention release an entire album dedicated to his love of that genre that has now become near Nashville lore. What a lot of folks don't realize is that blending these two things - modern country, fast-pickin' bluegrass - in a digestible way has always been what Bentley is about, which, around the time of his official debut in 2003, was actually a pretty fascinating lane to be in (he'd even self-released an album in 2001, now a collectors item among fans, that was recorded in 1999 - i.e. when pop crossovers, not O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack was on the charts). If you know us, you know we can appreciate both the drunk anthems and traditional tunes, but Bentley actually has a very vast, very listenable catalogue of good country tunes for any kind of fan if you know where to look.

Let's start with 2005 :"Good Man Like Me," with The Del McCoury Band, from Modern Day Drifter. Love the harmonies on the chorus! Like any good country music steward, Bentley has always known how to pick 'em, when he wasn't having a hand in writing the tune himself.