Dierks Bentley
treats
Gravel & Gold
as something of a victory lap, celebrating the 20th anniversary of his 2003 debut album by demonstrating all the different kinds of country music he can do.
is anchored with the kind of surging, arena-filling country that is his signature, but
Bentley
finds plenty of space for poignant ballads, bluegrass, and jokes where part of the pleasure is that you see the punchline coming.
knows how to deliver clever spins on country cliches, such as the weary travelogue of "Heartbreak Drinking Tour" or when turning a tune about a truck into a love song.
doesn't shy away from the fact that he's serving up a familiar recipe: he opens the album with "Same Ole Me," an acknowledgment that there are effectively no surprises on
. Familiarity doesn't always breed contempt, though. Throughout the record,
sounds relaxed and cozy in his comfort zone, and that sense of ease, when combined with the occasional barn burner, such as the jocular bluegrass closer "High Note" -- a bluegrass jam complete with cameos by
Billy Strings
,
Charlie Worsham
Sam Bush
, and
Jerry Douglas
-- is a recipe for a good time. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine