Dierks Bentley

Dierks Bentley’s debut album is a textbook case of the good things that can happen to a talented singer/songwriter who comes to Nashville and holds fast to his dream. Arriving from Phoenix at age 19, Bentley played the downtown clubs and allied himself with bluegrass musicians and commercial songwriters who loved country’s tradition, but modernized the form with rhythmic energy and contemporary lyrics. The result is an impressive debut that melds the attitude of honky tonk with the instrumentation of bluegrass (the Del McCoury band and Bryan Sutton guest), and establishes Bentley as a New Artist to Watch. Already the irresistible "What Was I Thinkin’," a breakneck story song with a plot line straight out of The Dukes of Hazzard, has topped the charts as the first debut single to reach number one in two years. But Bentley’s appeal runs far beyond a catchy novelty song, and his choice of originals and covers (Buddy and Julie Miller’s "My Love Will Follow You") add up to one of the year’s most memorable albums--just one more factor in country’s burgeoning swing back to tradition. --Alanna Nash