After more than 20 years on country music’s family tree, Dierks Bentley’s own branch has grown strong and solid, and with his 13th studio album Broken Branches, released June 13 (Capitol Records Nashville), he comes to appreciate the knots and gnarl more than ever. Whittling down his essential sound to its rooted and most resolute, it finds a proud broken branch celebrating the outliers of country life – and of country music. The eleven songs embrace unruly characters wherever they’re found, ultimately adding beauty to the whole.

In preparation for recording his new album, Dierks spent months listening to songs, often driving around the backroads of his Tennessee home, spinning raw demos with no names attached to the songs. Then he chose a mix of tracks with deep meanings and distinctive quirks, centered on the imperfect perfections of community spirit. Executive Produced by Mary Hilliard Harrington, each song grew from acoustic-guitar foundation in whatever direction felt right, and Dierks calls that a testament to producers Jon Randall and Ross Copperman, plus musicians like Charlie Worsham, Jedd Hughes, Rob McNelley and Bryan Sutton. Co-writing just four tracks himself and securing seven from outside writers (many for the first time), he dug deeper than ever before into Nashville’s thriving songwriting community.

“Broken Branches” became the anchor track on the album, as a grounded (but good-timing) anthem with a mood-boosting jukebox stomp in honor of nature’s black sheep, featuring multiple generations, the living legend John Anderson and rising hit maker Riley Green. Others like “Cold Beer Can” shows a different way of looking at a frosty 12-oz. and the heartwarming banjo-led “Never You (feat. Miranda Lambert)” tribute the essential companion in each life. Bentley returns to his bluegrass beginnings with the feverish “Well Well Whiskey,” tracks like the propulsive acoustic jam “Something Worth Fixing” celebrate life as a work in progress, the grungy alt-country of “Jesus Loves Me” explores a heartbroken “gospel truth” and “Off the Map” looks to quietly escape a relentless reality – whether on the beach, or a barstool. Meanwhile, the blazing heart of “Standing in the Sun" burns with the simple, life-giving power of true romance, while “For as Long as I Can Remember” tributes the Sequoia-like shelter a father provides and “Don’t Cry for Me” brings this project full-circle.

While supplies last all vinyl & CD copies of Broken Branches are signed by Dierks Bentley! Orders are limited to one per format, per customer / household.

*Preorders for store pickup will be held for three months after release date. Please pick up your Broken Branches album no later than September 11th.