Dierks Bentley Embraces the Imperfect on Upcoming Album Broken Branches, Due June 13

John Anderson, Miranda Lambert, Riley Green, and Stephen Wilson Jr. join Bentley in celebrating life’s black sheep.

Courtesy Of Dierks Bentley Facebook

Dierks Bentley is no stranger to standing out in a crowd—and with his 11th studio album Broken Branches arriving June 13 via Capitol Records Nashville, he’s leaning into what makes him, and the country community, beautifully flawed.

According to the press release, Broken Branches is Bentley’s tribute to the outliers—the “broken branches” that make up country’s ever-evolving, proudly knotty family tree. The album's concept is rooted (pun intended) in Bentley’s belief that imperfections are what give country music its heart, soul, and strength. “The country music community has a lot of broken branches in it. That’s why we’re all here,” Bentley explains. “We want to do something a little bit different... this is the people’s music and it represents that spirit of individuality so well – it’s just about doing it our own way.”

And he certainly does it his way on Broken Branches, an 11-track collection that celebrates the unpolished, the overlooked, and the misunderstood—with plenty of banjo, backroad wisdom, and good old-fashioned beer metaphors.

Bentley reportedly spent months riding around Tennessee’s backroads with raw demos on loop, letting the music—not the names—do the talking. The result? A record that’s as textured and untamed as the landscape he drove through. According to the press release, the album was executive produced by Mary Hilliard Harrington, with trusted sonic architects Jon Randall and Ross Copperman helping shape a raw, acoustic-driven sound that shifts and sways in whatever direction felt natural.

And while Bentley only co-wrote four of the tracks, his fingerprints are all over Broken Branches. The rest of the songs come from some of Nashville’s most inventive songwriters—many of whom Bentley collaborated with for the first time—making this project a love letter to the city’s songwriting underbelly.

“I think that’s what’s special about country – we’re still making music in the studio with our buddies,” Bentley says in the release. “It’s a good team—maybe a little messed up—but that’s the whole idea behind Broken Branches, so it just works.”

The title track “Broken Branches” serves as the heart of the album, pairing Bentley with both country icon John Anderson and rising star Riley Green in a foot-stomping tribute to life’s loveable misfits. Miranda Lambert lends her unmistakable twang to the heartstring-tugging “Near You,” a banjo-laced ode to life’s truest companion. Meanwhile, Bentley dips back into his bluegrass roots with the high-octane “Well Well Whiskey,” and channels some gritty alt-country on the emotionally raw “Jesus Loves Me.”

Other highlights include the cleverly crafted “Cold Beer Can,” which (in true country fashion) finds deeper meaning in a frosty 12-oz., and the propulsive “Something Worth Fixing,” an acoustic jam that celebrates life as a messy work in progress. Tracks like “Off the Map” and “Standing in the Sun” offer escapes—from the world and into love—while “For as Long as I Can Remember” is a heartfelt homage to the grounding presence of a father. The album closes with “Don’t Cry for Me,” bringing Bentley’s introspective journey full-circle.

BROKEN BRANCHES Track List:

1. Cold Beer Can

Written by Jon Randall, Luke Dick, Stephen Wilson Jr. and Dierks Bentley

2. Jesus Loves Me

Written by Adam James, Ben Stennis and Allison Veltz Cruz

3. She Hates Me

Written by Ashley Gorley, Chase McGill, Ross Copperman, Jimmy Allen, Wesley Scantlin and Dierks Bentley

4. Something Worth Fixing

Written by Stephen Wilson Jr., Luke Dick and Dierks Bentley

5. Standing In The Sun

Written by Kyle Sturrock

6. Well Well Whiskey

Written by Seth Ennis, Devin Dawson and Jordan Reynolds

7. Broken Branches

Written by Zach Abend, Beau Bailey and Graham Barham

8. Off The Map

Written by Jeremy Bussey, Lauren McLamb and Adam Wood

9. Near You (ft. Miranda Lambert)

Written by Scooter Carusoe, Ross Copperman and Ben Williams

10. For As Long As I Can Remember

Written by Devin Dawson, Connie Harrington

11. Don’t Cry For Me

Written by Jim Beavers and Dierks Bentley

Whether he’s pairing up with country royalty or spotlighting Nashville’s next big voices, Dierks Bentley is delivering an album that’s as unfiltered and unexpected as the genre itself. Broken Branches is available for pre-order now, and if the early details are any indication, this project might just be Bentley’s most honest—and most essential—yet.