After more than two decades in the spotlight, Dierks Bentley returns with ‘Broken Branches,' his 11th studio album, releasing today (June 13) via Capitol Records Nashville. A project shaped by reflection, community and a deep appreciation for the imperfect, the album finds Bentley whittling his sound down to something more elemental — a blend of rootsy introspection and rugged individuality.
Rather than polish away the flaws, ‘Broken Branches' leans into them, celebrating the knots and gnarls of country life and the misfits who live it. It’s a record that honors the outliers — in music, in small towns, in families — and recognizes their rough edges as essential to the beauty of the whole.
Driven by a spirit of collaboration, Bentley approached this album with a sense of humility and curiosity. He spent months listening to anonymous demos on the backroads of Tennessee, letting the songs guide him rather than chasing radio-ready hits. The result is a carefully curated mix of eleven tracks, most of which Bentley didn’t write himself — a rare move for a veteran artist but one that signals his trust in Nashville’s songwriting community. With production by Jon Randall and Ross Copperman, and contributions from longtime collaborators like Charlie Worsham and Bryan Sutton, ‘Broken Branches' is less about perfection and more about heart. Bentley puts it best: “It’s a good team — maybe a little messed up — but that’s the whole idea behind broken branches, so it just works.”
With ‘Broken Branches,' Bentley leans fully into themes of imperfection, resilience, and the rough-hewn beauty of everyday life. It's a thoughtful, rootsy project that balances soul-searching ballads and Saturday night anthems, all while staying true to the spirit of country music’s broken-hearted outliers. Each track reflects Bentley’s grounded perspective—built not on flash or trend-chasing, but on storytelling that values character over polish.
The album kicks off with ‘Cold Beer Can,' one of only a few Bentley co-writes, featuring alt-country firebrand Stephen Wilson Jr. This opening track delivers a deceptively simple homage to the humble beer can, but there’s much more bubbling under the surface. With lines like “Nothing gets you running like a cold beer can,” Bentley and Wilson Jr. celebrate beer not just as refreshment, but as a ritual of connection and repair. The track is low-key but layered, hearkening back to the introspective depth of Bentley’s ‘Black' album. It's an apt scene-setter for an album that embraces flaws, scars and community.
From there, Bentley heads into darker territory with ‘Jesus Loves Me,' a powerful track that opens with a gritty, grunge-tinged guitar riff. “Tonight I’m dusting off the bible,” he sings, suggesting a spiritual redirection in the wake of heartbreak. The chorus hits like a gut punch—“Jesus loves me but she don’t”—and the song builds with each verse into a full-blown arena anthem, reminiscent of Bentley’s best work on ‘Riser' and ‘I Hold On'. It’s followed by ‘She Hates Me,' the record’s most humorous track, completing a trilogy of fun-loving anti-love songs alongside ‘Drunk on a Plane' and ‘Somewhere on a Beach.' With lines like “Thought one day we’d be on some acres, making babies,” Bentley is the butt of the joke this time, self-aware enough to recognise he’s all red flags.
In ‘Something Worth Fixing,' Bentley reunites with Stephen Wilson Jr. and Luke Dick for one of the album’s emotional anchors. “Life’s full of potholes and Band-Aids and stitches,” he notes, crafting a metaphor for how we try to patch up our lives and relationships. The steady acoustic foundation and understated melodies reflect Bentley’s knack for subtle, profound songwriting. “I’m always working on something worth fixing,” he sings, capturing the essence of the album’s title in one simple, perfect line. That sense of persistent hope and human messiness is at the core of ‘Broken Branches.'
The middle of the album houses two standout tracks in ‘Standing in the Sun' and ‘Well Well Whiskey.' The former is a slow-burning love song, where Bentley quietly proclaims, “Loving you is standing in the sun,” letting the warmth of love be his salvation. “Well Well Whiskey” flips the mood entirely, kicking up the tempo with bluegrass flair and banjo drive. “It’s Friday night and it’s looking like we might as well, well whiskey,” Bentley sings, leaning into temptation with charm and resignation. It's a rollicking centre piece, already a crowd favourite on his current tour.
The title track ‘Broken Branches' arrives late but hits hard, co-written by Club Country provocateur Graham Barham and featuring Riley Green and country legend John Anderson. “A bunch of broken branches off the family tree,” they sing, embracing southern roots, personal flaws and generational baggage with pride. It’s a southern rocker that barrels along with heart and grit, making it an anthem not just for Bentley’s fanbase, but for anyone trying to make peace with where they come from. That theme continues in ‘For As Long As I Can Remember,' a reflective tribute to Bentley’s father and brother that urges us to honour our roots and stay loyal, even when we don’t see eye to eye.
The album ends on a poignant yet uplifting note with ‘Don’t Cry For Me,' a banjo-laced farewell that finds Bentley looking back on life with peace. He did the same closing down ‘The Mountain' album with ‘How I'm Going Out' but here the tone is slightly more uptempo and celebratory. “Sing me away with a song,” he asks, not with sadness, but gratitude. It’s a fitting end to an album built on reflection and resilience. “Remember the good times we had,” he says, and by the end of ‘Broken Branches,' it’s impossible not to.
This is a classic Dierks Bentley album—full of meaning, humour, humanity and heart. Whether he's urging you to laugh, cry, or raise a glass, Bentley reminds us that even the most broken branches can still hold up the tree.
Tracklist: 1. Cold Beer Can 2. Jesus Loves Me 3. She Hates Me 4. Something Worth Fixing 5. Standing in the Sun 6. Well Well Whiskey 7. Broken Branches 8. Off the Map 9. Never You 10. For As Along As I Can Remember 11. Don't Cry For Me Release Date: June 13th Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville Buy ‘Broken Branches' right here.
This article contains an affiliate link. Purchases through this link may result in us earning a commission.
