Little Rebellion Music

Songwriters: Dierks Bentley, Dan Wilson and Brett Beavers

Dierks Bentley has been placed in a bind by corporate country radio. When he releases ultra-accessible fodder pretty indistinguishable from a hundred other songs (see: ‘Am I the Only One?’) he achieves great chart success; well-written pieces of musical art  get overlooked (see: ‘Draw Me a Map’). The trade-off between commercial success and artistry is a much-discussed topic here and it is a shame many artists are forced to sacrifice even a little of the latter to achieve some of the former. That said, his chart successes sustain his career and allow him to also release songs like this.

In short, Bentley’s new single, ‘Home,’ is exceptional. The fact that this makes me apprehensive about its chart chances is an indictment of country radio. ‘Home’ is a song about home country pride without the ostentatious flagwaving (hello, Rodney Atkins) or the use of over-the-top language (Darryl Worley and Toby Keith as co-defendants). This is not a song proclaiming a place to be the greatest country there ever was. It accepts its flaws and quirks but proudly embraces this and proclaims it to be ‘home’ nonetheless: It’s been a long hard ride/Got a ways to go/This is still the place/That we all call home

This great piece of writing uses repetition (West, on a plane bound west//Scars, she’s got her scars) to good effect. Very little structure, most lines do not rhyme and lengths vary, creates a lyric which feels like the thoughts in a daydream. With poetic phrases full of allusion, he treats the listener as intelligent enough to make the connections.

Underscored with a roomy arrangement relying mostly on guitar, and Bentley’s understated, almost soothing, vocals, the song really connects you to the writers’ thoughts and feelings. You see the land rolling by outside the plane window in your mind’s eye.

‘Home’ is just about perfect and hopefully this will not escape the attention of radio PDs everywhere.

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Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.

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