I've become a pretty big Dierks Bentley fan recently, so when I heard his latest single "Feel That Fire" I was looking forward to his new CD of the same name. I even pre-ordered it on Amazon so I didn't have to go out somewhere to buy a copy. Time for another CD review.
1. Life On The Run
This song starts out with the sound of an engine revving, which gives you a pretty good idea of where the song is heading. It's a fairly hard-rocking song about a man who is living life on the run from something he says he didn't do. In general I like fast rocking songs but this one never really settles into something I enjoy.
2. Sideways
Another rocking song about hitting on a girl in a loud club. She's wearing a little white tank top, a nod to his first single, but that's about the only comfortable thing about this song. Very syncopated rhythm that doesn't work very well for me.
3. Feel That Fire
The lead single from the CD, and the success of this song led to it becoming the name of the CD. I really like this song, it talks about all of the quirky attributes his girl has and how he'll do anything she wants to keep the fire burning between them.
4. I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes
He's coming home from a long day at work, he just wants to be with her. Make her close her eyes, say his name like only she can, make everything else goes away. I didn't like this song the first couple of times I heard it, but it's growing on me.
5. Here She Comes
I'm sure this song is a lot of fun live, but it doesn't work as well when you're alone in your car. She's a wild one, so as soon as she shows up the party really starts. Here she comes, here we go.
6. I Can't Forget Her
Dierks uses a Mexican flavor song in this song that talks about a lost love. She's met a cowboy and moved on with her life, but he can't seem to move on. There's a senorita who wants to get to know him better, but his lost love keeps getting in the way.
7. Beautiful World
He does this song as a duet with Patty Griffin, which is a strike against it for me. I bought a Dierks Bentley CD, so hearing a different voice isn't a positive for me. Duets are okay when the song really calls for it, like a love song, but this isn't one of those songs. Add to that that I don't really like female singers and it's all lost on me. This song is about how there may be bad things happening that are shown on the news, but overall it's a beautiful world.
8. Little Heartwrecker
Back to the rocking song, talking about the way that this woman is just out to have her way and then move on. The guys all know how she is, but they can't resist her charms. Another song that's probably better live than just hearing it in the car.
9. You Hold Me Together
A love song to his woman, saying that with everything that's happened in his life he should be a wreck, but her love holds him together.
10. Better Believer
Probably my favorite song on the CD after "Feel That Fire", he can't believe all the good things that he has in his life. He's concerned that he's allowed God to become an afterthought in his life, and that maybe his life should belong to a better believer.
11. Pray
A love letter to a past love, apologizing for the end of their relationship. He's sorry it ended the way that it did, but he prays that she finds the right guy to make her happy.
12. Last Call
The requisite bluegrass song on this CD, "Last Call" is another duet with Ronnie McCoury this time. It's about closing time at their favorite bar, Ronnie's trying to talk him out of his smoking and drinking ways, but Dierks isn't having any of it. He's happy to get drunk every night to try and get her memory out of his head, unfortunately it isn't working, so he'll try again tomorrow night.
I'm having a hard time with this CD. With "Long Trip Alone", his last CD, I liked almost every song instantly, the first time I heard it, and could sing along with them right away. This CD is challenging me to like it, which is a new experience. I disliked almost all of it the first time I heard it, and even the second time I heard it. The third time through a couple of songs started to make a little more sense. I still don't think it's one that I'll listen to a lot, but there are a few songs that might make it onto compilation CDs. I am curious what his next single will be. Will it be one of the loud, rocking songs? Or one of the slower songs that are closer to what he's done in the past? Only time will tell.
If I had to guess his next single, I'd say it's either "Sideways", "Beautiful World", or "Better Believer."
