Dierks Bentley is a rarity: He won the Nashville game by simply refusing to play it.
In this light, he is perhaps the most singular Music City singers working right now.
This will only become more apparent as he drops his eighth full-lengthBlack a project EW can exclusively announce.
As for the title?
It both encompasses the projects overall vibe and is hyper-personal to the singer.
Black is much deeper, to me.
Its certainly the sexiest color.
[And] this record has a sexiness, in a well-worn leather-jacket kind of way.
Its not glossy sexytheres a realness to it.
The kicker is that my wifes last name is Black.
(By the way, Bentley laughs every time he says the wordsexy.
Theres also a realness to that.)
It asks why you play tricks on yourself, why you push people away.
I really gravitated toward it.
It makes me stick my chest out a little bit.
Its like, I know what youve been through, but you dont know what its like over here.
[Marriage] isnt always commercialized as being cool, but it really is.
The singer has made a career out of sharp left turns, and he does so again here.
he asks, explaining his penchant for sonic detours.
Ive tried to carve out a niche in country where people allow that from me.
Hes aware that this approach wouldnt work for many of his genre mates.
[Fans] dont allow that from a lot of their favorite artists, he admits.
Thankfully, Bentley, Inc. has never trumped Bentley The Artist.
I ask myself all the time, Why keep doing this?
Blackis due for an early 2016 release via Capitol Records Nashville.
The sets first single has not yet been announced.
