So, yeah, I've said in a previous blog that I think that 2012 is going to be the year of Dierks Bentley and in listening to this album again in preparation for this review, I'm even more convinced that it's true. I think that Home might just be the best album that he's ever put out and it's nice to see so many positive things being said about it.
Some quick thoughts before I go a little deeper into it:
- I love albums that have a nice flow to them, when it feels like each song naturally leads into the next in a way that works and makes sense. I think Home has a very nice flow to it.
- One of my favorite things about this album is that it has so much life to it. I think there's a certain energy to it that's hard for me to describe.
- I really like how it was produced.
- One of the marks of a great album is one that you can listen to all the way through without skipping over songs and I think that this album is like that. I have songs I like more than others, of course, but I really don't see myself skipping over any of them.
- All the songs feel like they belong here; sometimes they'll be albums with one or more songs that just don't seem to fit with the rest, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. With this album, I can understand why each song is here which is great.
- I think this has a nice range to it, both in terms of tempo and emotion.
Now that's the album as a whole - now I want to focus on each song individually. The version I'm reviewing is the one from Target with the two bonus tracks on it. Here we go:
"Am I the Only One" - I really like this song and it just wouldn't be a Dierks album without at least one song like this. I'd consider this to be classic Dierks Bentley. It's sort of in the same vein as "Sideways" in a way. Same kind of song, but very different at the same time. This was the perfect song to kick off this album. Great feel to it and it also has a great video which, as you know, is a major plus for me.
"Gonna Die Young" - And speaking of songs with great feels to them , this is another one. This one seems made for his live show. This is one that'll get the crowd moving, I think.
"Tip It On Back" - I think that this song might just be the most laid back drinking song ever. Usually songs like this fall into two categories: there's the in your face, let's get drunk and party drinking songs and then there's the sad, bitter, gonna drink to forget the love I lost, emotional drinking songs. Now, I have nothing against those kinds of songs, there's been some fantastic ones in each type, but I love seeing fresh takes on things and that's what this is. It's not a party song, really, and it's not a sad one. This is more of a hanging out with your friends, chilling out and drinking kinda song. Nice and relaxed, easy and smooth with a nice groove to it. This song just makes you want a nice, cold one - and I'm saying that as a a person who really isn't much of a drinker. Great song.
"Home" - This might be the finest piece of songwriting on this album. I love the lyrics in this. They're so visual and emotionally stirring and poetic, I think. Just a beautifully written song that makes you think. There's an honesty to it that's just so country and so American. I feel like this song came out at exactly the right time in our history. There's so much division in the country now, at least that's how it feels to me, and this is a reminder that regardless of what we think and believe, this land is home to all of us.
"Diamonds Make Babies" - These kinds of songs tend to be hit or miss for me. I think that's because when you have an amusing idea like this, it's easy to go overboard with the humor and the song can end up being hokey in a bad way. It's all in the execution and this one was executed in a way that makes me like it. It's fun, but not ridiculous. And it has fantastic video potential.
"In My Head" - This song gets better every time I hear it. I think it's an interesting concept and I like that it has that nice groove to it that makes you want to move along, but the lyrics have a bit of a sadness to them. She's gone, but she's still in his head and apparently not going anywhere anytime soon. Good, solid song.
"Breathe You In" - I'm a little torn on this one, to be perfectly honest. There's things about this that I love, some great lines and the concept is a good one. I feel like the energy kind of dips here a bit. It sort of feels like a mid-album slump and there's a very slight creepiness to it. He's done songs sort of like this before and I think he's done in better. But that said, while I'd consider it to be one of the weaker songs on the album, I haven't had the urge to skip past it when I'm listening which counts for a lot. Still a nice song.
"The Woods" - My least favorite song on the album, I think largely because I'm very much over the whole 'what happens here, stay here' thing. I feel like it's been done to death. It's a shame that this song takes that turn because up until that point, I really liked this song. I like the instrumentation and I think the verses are pretty strong. I will say that this is probably one of the better done songs of this type. I think I would've liked it more if it'd come out a few years ago. But it does have a very nice feel to it that I really like. Not a bad song, by any means.
"When You Gonna Come Around" featuring Karen Fairchild from Little Big Town - I really like the concept of this song and I love how Dierks and Karen sound together. I think their voices compliment each other very nicely. There's a slight awkwardness to this, predominately right after Karen's first line. Her introduction in this song feels slightly out of place to me, but it clicks back into place pretty quickly. Great, relaxing feel to this one over all.
"5-1-5-0" - One of my favorite songs on this album by far. I love this one. Some songs are meant to be played live and this is one of them. It has a good energy on the album, but it just bursts to life in concert. This is one I can't resist singing along with when I listen to it. I think it's pretty infectious and I love his delivery here. Great song.
"Heart of a Lonely Girl" - I think this one is wonderfully written. I really love what the musicians are playing here and I think there's some great lyrics. An interesting song that again, has a very nice feel to it. Something that you may have noticed has been pretty consistent on this album.
"Thinking of You" - Okay, now if this one doesn't tug at your heart-strings, I'm not sure what will. This has to be the most sincere, heartfelt song on this album which is saying something since it's on an album with "Home". There's such an endearing sweetness to it that I find just beautiful. I really love the production on this one and the simplicity of it. This song has everything it needs musically, I feel. This song is such a gift I think; one that is unquestionably from the heart. The song stands beautifully by itself, but do yourself a favor and keep on listening after he stops singing. There'll be some music continuing and then some silence for a few seconds and then, the sound of a guitar and a couple of seconds later you'll hear Dierks' 3-year-old daughter, Evie, singing the chorus. Precious doesn't even begin to describe this. It chokes me up every single time, no fail. Beautiful, beautiful song.
That one is the last song is the regular CD. Now for the bonus tracks:
"Cold Cans" - The very beginning of this makes me think of Waylon Jennings and then the Dierks Bentley kicks in. I'd imagine that this one would be terrific in concert. I really, really like this one. This is one that I can see getting stuck in my head very easily, which is always a good sign.
"Line #7" - I find this song to be very interesting. It's about the auto industry in Detroit and the troubles there. This is a pretty simple song, musically speaking, but I think that if there'd been more to it it would've been overkill. I think the sound is perfect for the lyrics which I think are great. Very solid song and I'm pretty surprised that it didn't make the regular album, though I could say the same about "Cold Cans".
Overall, this album is a fantastic one to have in your collection. I highly recommend this one.
Favorite tracks:
"Am I The Only One"
"Home"
"Tip It On Back"
"5-1-5-0"
"Thinking of You"
Some quick thoughts before I go a little deeper into it:
- I love albums that have a nice flow to them, when it feels like each song naturally leads into the next in a way that works and makes sense. I think Home has a very nice flow to it.
- One of my favorite things about this album is that it has so much life to it. I think there's a certain energy to it that's hard for me to describe.
- I really like how it was produced.
- One of the marks of a great album is one that you can listen to all the way through without skipping over songs and I think that this album is like that. I have songs I like more than others, of course, but I really don't see myself skipping over any of them.
- All the songs feel like they belong here; sometimes they'll be albums with one or more songs that just don't seem to fit with the rest, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. With this album, I can understand why each song is here which is great.
- I think this has a nice range to it, both in terms of tempo and emotion.
Now that's the album as a whole - now I want to focus on each song individually. The version I'm reviewing is the one from Target with the two bonus tracks on it. Here we go:
"Am I the Only One" - I really like this song and it just wouldn't be a Dierks album without at least one song like this. I'd consider this to be classic Dierks Bentley. It's sort of in the same vein as "Sideways" in a way. Same kind of song, but very different at the same time. This was the perfect song to kick off this album. Great feel to it and it also has a great video which, as you know, is a major plus for me.
"Gonna Die Young" - And speaking of songs with great feels to them , this is another one. This one seems made for his live show. This is one that'll get the crowd moving, I think.
"Tip It On Back" - I think that this song might just be the most laid back drinking song ever. Usually songs like this fall into two categories: there's the in your face, let's get drunk and party drinking songs and then there's the sad, bitter, gonna drink to forget the love I lost, emotional drinking songs. Now, I have nothing against those kinds of songs, there's been some fantastic ones in each type, but I love seeing fresh takes on things and that's what this is. It's not a party song, really, and it's not a sad one. This is more of a hanging out with your friends, chilling out and drinking kinda song. Nice and relaxed, easy and smooth with a nice groove to it. This song just makes you want a nice, cold one - and I'm saying that as a a person who really isn't much of a drinker. Great song.
"Home" - This might be the finest piece of songwriting on this album. I love the lyrics in this. They're so visual and emotionally stirring and poetic, I think. Just a beautifully written song that makes you think. There's an honesty to it that's just so country and so American. I feel like this song came out at exactly the right time in our history. There's so much division in the country now, at least that's how it feels to me, and this is a reminder that regardless of what we think and believe, this land is home to all of us.
"Diamonds Make Babies" - These kinds of songs tend to be hit or miss for me. I think that's because when you have an amusing idea like this, it's easy to go overboard with the humor and the song can end up being hokey in a bad way. It's all in the execution and this one was executed in a way that makes me like it. It's fun, but not ridiculous. And it has fantastic video potential.
"In My Head" - This song gets better every time I hear it. I think it's an interesting concept and I like that it has that nice groove to it that makes you want to move along, but the lyrics have a bit of a sadness to them. She's gone, but she's still in his head and apparently not going anywhere anytime soon. Good, solid song.
"Breathe You In" - I'm a little torn on this one, to be perfectly honest. There's things about this that I love, some great lines and the concept is a good one. I feel like the energy kind of dips here a bit. It sort of feels like a mid-album slump and there's a very slight creepiness to it. He's done songs sort of like this before and I think he's done in better. But that said, while I'd consider it to be one of the weaker songs on the album, I haven't had the urge to skip past it when I'm listening which counts for a lot. Still a nice song.
"The Woods" - My least favorite song on the album, I think largely because I'm very much over the whole 'what happens here, stay here' thing. I feel like it's been done to death. It's a shame that this song takes that turn because up until that point, I really liked this song. I like the instrumentation and I think the verses are pretty strong. I will say that this is probably one of the better done songs of this type. I think I would've liked it more if it'd come out a few years ago. But it does have a very nice feel to it that I really like. Not a bad song, by any means.
"When You Gonna Come Around" featuring Karen Fairchild from Little Big Town - I really like the concept of this song and I love how Dierks and Karen sound together. I think their voices compliment each other very nicely. There's a slight awkwardness to this, predominately right after Karen's first line. Her introduction in this song feels slightly out of place to me, but it clicks back into place pretty quickly. Great, relaxing feel to this one over all.
"5-1-5-0" - One of my favorite songs on this album by far. I love this one. Some songs are meant to be played live and this is one of them. It has a good energy on the album, but it just bursts to life in concert. This is one I can't resist singing along with when I listen to it. I think it's pretty infectious and I love his delivery here. Great song.
"Heart of a Lonely Girl" - I think this one is wonderfully written. I really love what the musicians are playing here and I think there's some great lyrics. An interesting song that again, has a very nice feel to it. Something that you may have noticed has been pretty consistent on this album.
"Thinking of You" - Okay, now if this one doesn't tug at your heart-strings, I'm not sure what will. This has to be the most sincere, heartfelt song on this album which is saying something since it's on an album with "Home". There's such an endearing sweetness to it that I find just beautiful. I really love the production on this one and the simplicity of it. This song has everything it needs musically, I feel. This song is such a gift I think; one that is unquestionably from the heart. The song stands beautifully by itself, but do yourself a favor and keep on listening after he stops singing. There'll be some music continuing and then some silence for a few seconds and then, the sound of a guitar and a couple of seconds later you'll hear Dierks' 3-year-old daughter, Evie, singing the chorus. Precious doesn't even begin to describe this. It chokes me up every single time, no fail. Beautiful, beautiful song.
That one is the last song is the regular CD. Now for the bonus tracks:
"Cold Cans" - The very beginning of this makes me think of Waylon Jennings and then the Dierks Bentley kicks in. I'd imagine that this one would be terrific in concert. I really, really like this one. This is one that I can see getting stuck in my head very easily, which is always a good sign.
"Line #7" - I find this song to be very interesting. It's about the auto industry in Detroit and the troubles there. This is a pretty simple song, musically speaking, but I think that if there'd been more to it it would've been overkill. I think the sound is perfect for the lyrics which I think are great. Very solid song and I'm pretty surprised that it didn't make the regular album, though I could say the same about "Cold Cans".
Overall, this album is a fantastic one to have in your collection. I highly recommend this one.
Favorite tracks:
"Am I The Only One"
"Home"
"Tip It On Back"
"5-1-5-0"
"Thinking of You"
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