Dierks Bentley‘s Broken Branches album is out. The 11-track record, Bentley’s eleventh, took him two years to create. In an era where artists tend to keep churning out projects to appease their fans, the 49-year-old is glad he took his time to make Broken Branches what he wanted it to be.
“As far as the creative process of making the album, some of the things I look back on are just the fun of writing the songs,” Bentley shares. “And also the pounding your head against the wall part of writing the songs. But a couple of really great days in particular where I was with some of my really great friends in Nashville, guys like Luke Dick and John Randall and Chase McGill, but also with write-man, Stephen Wilson Jr., who I’d never written with before. And just the excitement of going into those writing appointments, trying to hope that we got something decent.”
Since the beginning of his career, Bentley has been inspired by talented musicians, inspiration he especially tapped into when creating Broken Branches.
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“And of course, being in the studio with musicians that I’ve worked with a bunch in the past,” Bentley says. “Honing in on that sound. And just, the whole process of making an album is so fun, if you really put the work in and put the time in. It’s just seeing it go from literally nothing, a pen and paper and a guitar to seeing that record come to life, and eventually get shrink-wrapped and a vinyl record be sitting in Walmart or somewhere like that. It’s just such a cool process to be part of. There are all the little pieces along the way that make it so much fun.”
Included on Broken Branches is Bentley’s current Top 30 single, “She Hates Me.” The song was written by Bentley, along with Ashley Gorley, Ross Copperman and Chase McGill, although Bentley never imagined it would be a hit at radio.
“We were goofing around with this idea before diving into our next ‘serious’ song, really just trying to make each other laugh. It just fell out, and I didn’t think much more about it after that,” Bentley recalls. “But then it really came to life in the studio, and then my kids were requesting it and then I was getting texts from friends who had heard it, so I started taking it more seriously! I love any opportunity to laugh at myself – especially my younger self, and ‘She Hates Me’ definitely provides that.”
Broken Branches ends with the poignant “Don’t Cry For Me,” a song Bentley wrote with Jim Beavers.
“Don’t Cry For Me; is probably my most personal song on the record,” Bentley says. “Talks a lot about sunsets in Arizona and being a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and having kids, and how it’s been a really great life. And I don’t want anyone crying for me when my time comes. Just raise up a cold one and share a few laughs. And I just wrote this one with my longtime friend and someone I write a lot of songs with, Jim Beavers. And he knows me real well. … I think it’s a great song to close the album out with.”
Bentley is currently headlining his Broken Branches Tour. Find the album, and all of his music and upcoming shows, at Dierks.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the CMA