Bentley’s Up On The Ridge Strikes A Chord

Eliza D.

Grade: B

            When I first heard Dierks Bentley had recorded a bluegrass album, part of me was a little hesitant to believe it.  I then remembered his history in bluegrass and requested to review the album.  For the first time, I downloaded an album review copy instead of getting a physical CD, the downside of this being no liner notes. 

            I started listening to the title track, Up on the Ridge, and thought, this isn’t really bluegrass…it’s country with bluegrass instruments added so radio will play the song.  Despite that, it’s a good song.  However, the melody does get a bit repetitive.  I love the steel guitar solo at the end.

Fallin’ For You sounds more like a bluegrass song, with tinges of dobro, fiddle, and banjo.

            Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) is my favorite song on the CD thus far.  Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers make a spectacular appearance on this track, which is hauntingly beautiful.  Thile lends a beautiful mandolin solo to the tune.  It’s a great story song—I have missed listening to story songs in country music lately.

            Rovin’ Gambler really surprised me with its true bluegrass sound.  This upbeat song about a woman who falls in love with a gambler is truly a toe-tapping tune.  The lyrics are excellent and the instrumental breaks are truly top notch.  I hope this makes it as a single—it would be great to hear bluegrass music on country radio again.

            Draw Me A Map has such a good hook, it’s hard to write about for fear of spoiling it for you.  “Draw me a map that leads me back to you/I don’t know where to go, please tell me what to do/Help me find the road you’re on/I just need directions home/Draw me a map that leads me back to you”.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear Alison Krauss singing background vocals—it added such weight to the song’s message.  I’m pretty sure she plays violin as well, though I can’t be sure.  I’ve emailed the label to see if I can get liner notes.

            Bad Angel seems like another song radio will play, as Miranda Lambert and Jamey Johnson lend their voices to the song.  The song speaks of temptations that should be avoided in life in order to see “salvation street”—drugs, alcohol, and gambling—these three topics are divided into three verses which Bentley, Lambert, and Johnson sing, respectively.  It’s a solid country/bluegrass song that should play well on radio.

            You’re Dead To Me is a great heartbreak bluegrass song, which every bluegrass album needs—and it has excellent lyrics.  You need to buy this CD just for this song—it’s truly fantastic.

            Pride (In the Name of Love) is not truly bluegrass…but I love the song for its soaring melody and instrumental breaks and soul reaching harmony.  I would love to know who is singing harmony vocals—hopefully I’ll be getting liner notes soon.

            Down In The Mine is probably the most haunting and heartbreaking song on the entire CD.  Harmony vocals are excellent, though I can’t tell who’s singing them. This is yet another awesome story song and I hope it makes it to radio.

            If you are a fan of bluegrass music, you should definitely get this CD.  If you’re a fan of country music, you should get this CD because you’ll become a bluegrass music fan after listening to it.  It’s a great CD, and I sincerely hope this is not the last bluegrass CD Bentley records—he truly is a talent at this type of music.