Up On The Ridge [Orange Vinyl]

by Dierks Bentley

Overview

Dierks Bentley drifted into predictability on his fourth album Feel That Fire, so his detour into progressive bluegrass on 2010's Up on the Ridge is a bit of shock. Ditching much of the polish and precision that encumbered Feel That Fire, Bentley strips back to acoustics and brings in a host of guests, notably the Punch Brothers, who play on a quarter of the album, Miranda Lambert, Kris Kristofferson, and Del McCoury, whose keening voice soars on a cover of U2's "Pride (In the Name of Love)." The very presence of a U2 song suggests that this is not a traditional bluegrass album, either in its content -- Bentley balances a sharp version of "Rovin' Gambler" with a terrific rearrangement of Bob Dylan's "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)" -- or in its approach, as he sometimes puts picking in the backseat, letting the instruments strum sweetly as he croons. These cuts may not have the snap of classic bluegrass, but they do give Up on the Ridge a sense of country crossover, illustrating that Bentley is shrewd enough to walk the line between commercial and artistic concerns, but the best testament to his skill arrives on numbers like the loping, bluesy "Bad Angel" (the Lambert duet), the sprightly "You're Dead to Me," and flinty, funny "Bottle to the Bottom" (with Kristofferson), songs that draw from tradition with a modern sensibility, illustrating Bentley's skillful synthesis of past and present. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	11/23/2023
Label:	Capitol Nashville
UPC:	0602455939012

Tracks

1. Up On The Ridge
2. Fallin' For You
3. Senor (Tales Of Yankee Power)
4. Rovin' Gambler
5. Draw Me A Map
6. Bad Angel
7. Fiddlin' Around
8. You're Dead To Me
9. Pride (In The Name Of Love)
10. Love Grows Wild
11. Bottle To The Bottom
12. Down In The Mine

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dierks Bentley   Primary Artist
Jamey Johnson   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Kris Kristofferson   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Miranda Lambert   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Punch Brothers   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Rob Ickes   Dobro,Weissenborn
Rob McCoury   Banjo
Sam Bush   Fiddle,Mandolin,Vocal Harmony
Glen Worff   Bass
Jason Carter   Fiddle
Larry Atamanuik   Drums,Percussion
Gabe Witcher   Fiddle,Vocal Harmony
Vince Gill   Vocal Harmony
Del McCoury   Featured Artist
Jon Randall Stewart   Vocal Harmony,Bass (Electric),Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric)
John Gardner   Drums,Percussion
Ronnie McCoury   Mandola,Mandolin
Randy Kohrs   Weissenborn
Mike Bub   Bass,Bass (Acoustic)
Tim O'Brien   Mandolin,Vocal Harmony
Noam Pikelny   Banjo
Alison Krauss   Vocal Harmony
Sonya Isaacs   Vocal Harmony
Chris Thile   Mandolin,Vocal Harmony,Featured Artist
Scott Vestal   Banjo
Stuart Duncan   Cello,Fiddle,Octave Fiddle
Bryan Sutton   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Resonator)
Chris Eldridge   Guitar (Acoustic)
Guthrie Trapp   Guitar (Electric)
Paul Kowert   Bass
Chris Stapleton   Vocal Harmony

Technical Credits

John Randall   Composer
David Evans   Composer
Shawn Camp   Composer
Traditional   Composer
Paul Kennerley   Composer
Bob Dylan   Composer,Lyricist
Larry Mullen, Jr.   Composer
Jeff Austin   Composer
Doug Sax   Mastering
John Scott Sherrill   Composer
Julie Miller   Composer
Jon Randall   Composer
Jon Randall Stewart   Composer,Producer
Verlon Thompson   Composer
Danny Clinch   Photography
Angelo Petraglia   Composer
Dave Evans   Composer
Tim O'Brien   Composer
Buddy Miller   Composer
Sangwook "Sunny" Nam   Mastering Associate
Kris Kristofferson   Composer
Gary Paczosa   Mixing,Engineer
Dierks Bentley   Composer
Adam Clayton   Composer
Paul Hewson   Composer
Joanna Carter   Art Direction
Paul Kennedy   Composer
Brandon Bell   Engineer,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Jeri Heiden   Design
John Heiden   Design
Suzi Ragsdale   Composer
Ben Liscio   Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Michelle Hall   Art Producer
Scott Johnson   Production Assistant