Guest Post By: Brendan
My interest in bluegrass being whetted by Doyle Lawson, I finally got around to listening to Dierks Bentley’s only Bluegrass outing. Up on the Ridge is the album from which “Senor” (featured on the Bob Dylan tribute album, Chimes of Freedom) was taken. The album’s title track was another pleasant surprise, with a guest appearance by Allison Krauss and The Sidemen. There’s an amazing cover of U2′s “(Pride) In The Name of Love” which benefits from the presence of bluegrass legend Del McCoury and The Punch Brothers, who also guest on several other tracks. Other guests on the album include The Steeldrivers‘s Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Vince Gill and Kris Kristofferson. The final song, “Down in the Mine,” is a sublime Appalachian anthem co-written by Bentley, capping off a remarkable achievement. You can hear samples from the album here.
