Dierks Bentley, ‘Say You Do’ – ToC Critic’s Pick [Listen]

Dierks Bentley is toying with our emotions like the girl he sings to in 'Say You Do.' The four singles from ‘Riser’ make the Incredible Hulk look emotionally stable. This latest ballad is the most painful, which of course is a good thing.

Matt Ramsey, Shane McAnally and Trevor Rosen have written a gem. “Baby take your hands, take your lies / And lay ‘em on me,” Bentley sings to end the second verse. That may be the best lyric of 2014.

For being happily married, Bentley plays the part of desperate well. Any man willing to reveal his scars will find something in each verse — a night, a girl, a story you quietly love regretting.

“Well, don’t worry about the damage done / Just let those words roll off your tongue / Even if you’re lyin’,” he sings to begin ‘Say You Do.’ “If you really don’t mean it, I don’t care / If you need a little buzz to get you there / Then, baby, I’m buyin’.”

That’s honesty. That’s country music. And more and more, that’s becoming Dierks Bentley. With the ‘Riser’ album, the singer has raised the bar to a height he may not be able to reach again. But falling just short on future albums will still sound pretty wonderful, especially if he keeps batting at our emotions like a kitten bats yarn.

Why Fans Will Love It: Bentley proves again he can do heartbreak as well as anyone in country music. 'Say You Do' is amongst his all-time greatest ballads.

Key Lyrics: "Mess me up, get in my head / Steal my T-shirt, wreck my bed / All night long like you used to / Even if you don’t, couldn’t you / Say you do"

Did You Know?: It was love at first sight. That's how Bentley describes 'Say You Do,' adding that knew the song would be a single, but, "We just had to find the right time for it" (quote via the Tennessean).

Listen to Dierks Bentley, ‘Say You Do’

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