Music Therapy Is Good For The Soul...

WARNING: This blog contains lots of links. They are in orange. You should check them out.

I know it's been a week or two, but I've had a lot going on. Lent, Shamrockfest and the mysterious 5-day fever of '11 have kept me in bed, but I'm back finally, just in time for the BIG 29 birthday this week. Yikes. Anyway, I've been wanting to write this review for several weeks, but I just haven't been able to get it done. If you've been following my Facebook/Tweets, you know I've been on a Dierks Bentley kick for a few weeks. Usually I'm a listener of rock music, and I prefer to leave music reviews to Brandee Nichols and her Philly Mostly Vegan blog, but I couldn't let this one go without comment. This is due mostly to my discovery of this AWESOME (not-so-new, 2010) album by Dierks. (I suspect he is getting ready to release a new album in the very near future, as he just today released a song that is not on any existing album or his website.)    

When I was a wee lass, dad and I used to go to this bluegrass bar in Chesapeake. At least, I suspect it was a bar. I don't remember us drinking anything but A&W Cream Soda, probably because I was so short...and seven. Anyway, it seems like my dad's favorite song of all time is "Fox On The Run," but I have no idea why he thinks it's a bluegrass song, except that a couple of well-known bluegrass bands covered it. The earliest version I can find is by Manfred Mann in 1968. To hear the Zac Brown Band version, click here. It's pretty epic, and even features a dog yip. But back to the story...so dad and I used to go to a bluegrass bar and occasionally Doc would take me square dancing. My mom also sang in a church quintet, and we sang hymns with the actual music on the pages of the hymnals when I was growing up, so I learned the value of singing parts and fell in love with high harmonies. (I know having the words up on the jumbotron for contemporary worship is fun, but knowing which way the music is going in the future keeps control freaks like me happy.)  Add a good dose of Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, The Eagles, and Ray Stevens, and I couldn't escape the pull of bluegrass as an adult. Now we have great groups like Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum, the aforementioned Zac Brown Band, Sara Evans, and long-time bluegrass superstar Alison Krauss bringing a hint of bluegrass into mainstream country. Even Steve Martin, the great comedian from old-school SNL has a new bluegrass album out...he plays a mean banjo, and apparently that was how he started his show biz career.

I've been a fan of Dierks Bentley since his first song "What Was I Thinkin'" was released in 2003. I follow country music off and on, as rock music is really my favorite genre, but occasionally I go back and catch up on my favorite country artists. I found his song "Up On The Ridge" on YouTube and immediately downloaded the album. I read one review that asked something to the effect of, "Who releases a bluegrass album at the height of their career? Dierks Bentley." If you only buy his chart-topping songs, I can possibly understand the incredulity expressed by some reviewers. If you buy entire albums like I do, you probably won't be surprised. Some of my favorite songs are the unreleased bluegrass tracks hidden at the end of each album: "Train Travelin'" from his self-titled album, "Good Man Like Me" from Modern Day Drifter, "Prodigal Son's Prayer" from Long Trip Alone, and "Last Call" from Feel That Fire.

Up On The Ridge is a 12-song album that I quite honestly played for a week straight. My favorite songs are "Rovin' Gambler, " which starts by checking the readiness of "Critter,""Gabbers," "Arkansas," (all guys from the band Punch Brothers) and "Tenacious Dierks"; "Down In The Mine," a sad shout-out to the miners of Harlan County, West Virginia (the county made famous by the show Justified starring Timothy Olyphant); and an AMAZING cover of U2's "Pride (In The Name of Love)" [Live/Album]. Side note: the mandolin player in the live video looks kinda like Jude Law.

Anyway, I said all of that to say this: If you like bluegrass, or Deirks Bentley, or good music, you should check out this album. I love it. And if you want to go to a DB concert this year, hit me up. All of my concert-going-Dierks-Bently-fan peeps' schedules conflict with his concert dates.