Each week, I’m highlighting some of my favorite new songs!
Some are new singles, others are album cuts, but they’re all guaranteed to be stuck in your head all day long!
This week, I’m celebrating the CMA’s with the latest barn burner from Dierks Bentley and Brothers Osborne. Burning Man is up for Musical Event of the Year and it’s easy to see why.
As much as I’d love to see this straight up 90’s country jam take home the crown, I’d be remiss if I didn’t resign myself to the fact that Meant To Be already has that sucker locked up tight.
HOWEVER, Dierks and bros John and TJ have been on the road together this summer for Dierks’ Mountain High Tour and it seems that they’ve been chummy for a while. Dierks has said that they all play in a 90’s country cover band – the Hot Country Knights – from time to time, too.
(Note to self: Get invited to that party.)
He’s also admitted that he’s had this little diddy in his back pocket for a while now and has always known he’s wanted to cut it with Brothers Osborne and that performing it each night with the bros is the highlight of the show for him . I’m glad for that. I think the addition of John and TJ is what makes the track stand out even more. It could almost lean a little too hard into cliche and repeated chorus but bringing TJ in on the second verse really does set it apart. Also, let’s not forget that killer guitar shredding by John. ( A security guard at Dierks’ Seven Peaks Music Festival was overheard saying that he’s “one of the most underrated guitar players out there” ).
With this song – and album in particular – Dierks has continued his evolution of becoming a Capital A Artist of the highest caliber.
You can usually tell how seriously an artist wants to be taken by how aggressive their facial hair becomes. He grew a luscious beard for The Mountain Era and is now an artiste of which to not be trifled.
He’s opened a brand new bar in Nashville (like every other male country star these days), developed his own line of clothing, developed a new, earthier sound, launched a successful tour across the US, and, you know, CURATED HIS VERY OWN MUSIC FESTIVAL.
ARTIST.
I think that sometimes Dierks gets overlooked in favor of some of the bigger boys in the biz but here’s the deal: he’s been quietly working on branding himself as someone who isn’t afraid to strip it back to his roots. Like, remember when he released an entire bluegrass album? Do you see Jason and Blake holing themselves up in the Colorado mountains to perfect their sound? Not so much.
That’s not to say that they’re not great performers because they ARE!
But I also think you can tell who finds time to develop and evolve as an artist and those whose energies are focused elsewhere.
Overall, Burning Man is a song about realizing that none of us are perfect and learning to overcome those things that get in a our way. Dierks said that he “ felt an immediate connection to the lyrics ” because of how relatable that feeling can be.
