Dierks Bentley

After more than 20 years on country’s family tree, Dierks Bentley’s branch has grown strong and solid – despite never being perfect. But with his 11th studio album Broken Branches (MCA), he comes to appreciate the knots and gnarl.

Whittling down his essential sound to its rooted and most resolute, ready to twist with wind or rise toward the shining light of age-old inspiration, it finds a proud broken branch celebrating the outliers of country life – and of country music. Eleven songs embrace unruly characters wherever they’re found, ultimately adding beauty to the whole.

“The country music community has a lot of broken branches in it. That’s why we’re all here,” the perennial hit maker explains. “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.”