Dierks Bentley, a winner of various country music awards, is one of the current country artists that is not afraid to push the limits on changing traditional country music sound. He is known to bring a more modern sound with the addition of loud drums and electric guitars to some of his songs. In his latest studio album “Home,” Bentley stays true to his own traditions, along with staying country at heart.

“Home” is Bentley’s eighth studio album and had already showed promise before the album was released. The first single off the album “Am I the Only One,” which hit number one on the Billboard Country Singles chart. “Home” mixes various styles of what is quickly becoming the new country sound. With songs like “Gonna Die Young,” Bentley adds rock elements to the tune with fast- paced electric guitars. This same element can be found in “Tip it on Back,” but in a more mellow tone. The rest of the album stays true to the traditional country sound with a slow pace, acoustic or banjo setting.

With any country album there are various stories being told with each song. For this album Bentley stuck true to the title and put together a twelve-track compilation consisting of themes that hit close to home. From losing the girl you loved, to loving the girl you have now, to taking life in and just trying to have a little fun.

“Tip it on Back,” “Home” and “Thinking of You” stand out as the most meaningful songs on the album. With “Tip it on Back,” Bentley brings forth the idea of taking life in and enjoying the moment. “Home” takes on the theme of loving the home you grew up in, meaning your own personal home as well as the country you grew up in and all the benefits that come with each. “Thinking of You” is one of the many love songs on the album that deals with simply missing the one you love most. What makes each of these songs standout in the album is not the full story that each are about, but the instrumentals that go into each one. They each have a slow pace where all of the instruments complement each other in a positive way to give each song a powerful sound. With “Thinking of You,” the primary instrument heard is an acoustic guitar. It really proves a song to be great when it can standout amongst the rest while being the simplest instrumental piece.

Staying true to his character, Bentley is keeping up with his tradition of having a couple novelty songs on his albums. For this album those songs would be “Am I the Only One,” where all he wants to do is go out and have a little fun, while no one else is up for it and “Diamonds Make Babies,” where the title means exactly what the song is about. Once you buy the girl the first diamond, at some point the babies arrive in return.

Bentley has proven to be a rising star ever since he arrived on the country scene in 2001. Country music has gone through changes over the years and he has shown to be a popular voice amongst the current country music world. “Home” proves to show the amount of talent Bentley possesses. Although his direction has not changed much from his first album, he has shown that his formula for country music is working.