Dierks Bentley News

After disappointing sales for his last album, country singer Dierks Bentley is hoping to recapture some heat with his February 3 release "Feel That Fire."

The Capitol Records Nashville album offers "fun, uptempo party kind of songs and really well-crafted, quality statements about life," according to label president/CEO Mike Dungan.

By contrast his 2006 album, "Long Trip Alone" was a little too serious for fans.

"It was deep and it was personal," Dungan says. "The critics praised it loudly, and he picked up four Grammy nominations, but perhaps it didn't smack with commercial appeal the way previous albums had."

Indeed, "Long Trip Alone" sold 672,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, less than half of his 2005 set, "Modern Day Drifter."

"I just try to make sure I'm never stuck in a rut," Bentley says. "I have a bunch of U2 CDs, and each one has its own little place; it's not just pump out another record and say, 'All right, let's get back to the bus.'"

Bentley took off large blocks of time to write and record "Fire." He teamed with acclaimed songwriter Patti Griffin on "Beautiful World" and with country veteran Rodney Crowell on the tender "Pray."

"Just stepping into Rodney Crowell's house, I felt like I should have done the criss-cross across my chest a couple times, because that's sacred ground," Bentley says.

Bentley shows his bluegrass roots with "Last Call," a duet with Ronnie McCoury, the son of legendary bluegrass star Del McCoury.

Since hitting the scene in 2003, Bentley has amassed an impressive track record at country radio. Of his 11 singles, 10 have made it into the top 10 on the Hot Country Songs chart and five -- "What Was I Thinkin'," "Come a Little Closer," "Settle for a Slowdown," "Every Mile a Memory" and "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go)" -- have hit No. 1.

Dungan believes there's a "cool factor" surrounding Bentley.

"He grew up heavily influenced by country music and can debate you for days about the virtues of traditional country music and he knows every song in every catalog out there, but he was also heavily influenced by the music of his time," Dungan says.

"You can hear Waylon Jennings, you can hear Vern Gosdin, you can hear Dale Watson, and you can hear U2 in Dierks Bentley, and that's why he stands out. He's gone from being a frat kid -- a guy who makes music from the heart of a frat boy for other frat boys -- to an adult. He's really grown up."

In addition to lining up such promotional partners as iTunes, Yahoo Music, AT&T Blue Room and AOL Sessions for "Feel That Fire," Bentley is entering arenas that offer bold opportunities for country. Xbox will make him the only country artist it has focused on for a major-platform promotion; in turn, CMT will do a promotion around "Rock Band 2," which includes "Free and Easy (Down the Road I Go.)"

On the off-kilter side of things, there will be a Cracker Jack tie-in with country radio -- the title track contains the lyric, "She wants the toy in the Cracker Jack" -- in which stations will give away boxes with customized Bentley prizes inside.

Bentley will hit the road in January for two months' worth of dates in Canada and the United States along with fellow Grand Ole Opry member Brad Paisley. In May, he'll head to Australia with Brooks & Dunn.

As much as Bentley enjoys international touring -- he's hit clubs and festivals in England, Ireland, Germany, Norway, France and Japan -- he's modest about his chances of becoming an international star.

"I don't ever expect to conquer Europe and be a household name over there, but that's not why I'm doing it," he says. "Everything I do does not just revolve around reaching some goal or selling some records or winning some award. It revolves around making the most out of every day and the opportunities that come your way."

Reuters/Billboard