Riser
by Dierks Bentley
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
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  1. Country Weekly
    Feb 25, 2014
    100
    The collection really soars when it blends the personal and the spiritual.
  2. Boston Globe
    Feb 25, 2014
    80
    Those elements [musicianship, emotional integrity, and hard work] again make themselves known on his stirring seventh album, Riser.
  3. American Songwriter
    Mar 19, 2014
    70
    There are moments of levity on Riser, like the fratboy-ish “Pretty Girls” and “Drunk on a Plane,” but those songs betray what works so well everywhere else on the record.
  5. AllMusic
    Feb 25, 2014
    70
    It's a sturdy, often absorbing record from a singer who is determined to be in it for the long haul.
  6. Entertainment Weekly
    Feb 26, 2014
    67
    With his honeyed voice and weirdly anthropological eye--he seems to study "Pretty Girls" holding "tall boys" and "Back Porch" partying from afar--Bentley is Brawny Man bland. [28 Feb 2014, p.71]
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  7. PopMatters
    Mar 31, 2014
    60
    Riser comes close to being it, but I would still like an EP that sketches a narrative as adroitly as those six songs put together do.
  8. The New York Times
    Feb 25, 2014
    50
    He’s deliberate in his choice of songwriters, including Shane McAnally and Josh Kear, who provide some of the better songs on this hit-or-miss album.
  9. Rolling Stone
    Feb 25, 2014
    50
    Bentley can't quite get away from his inner bro.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 2 out of 8
  1. bucks99
    May 5, 2016
    9
    The album is my favorite by Dierks Bentley and one of my favorite albums of recent memory. Standouts are Riser, I Hold On, and Here on Earth.The album is my favorite by Dierks Bentley and one of my favorite albums of recent memory. Standouts are Riser, I Hold On, and Here on Earth. There is a lot of inspiration in these songs. Bourbon in Kentucky and Drunk On A Plane are also very catchy.… Full Review »
  2. Bleat0124
    Mar 12, 2014
    3
    I keep two songs on the album. "Pretty girl drinking tall boys" sounds a little cheesy, but in actuality, one cannot help but smile at such aI keep two songs on the album. "Pretty girl drinking tall boys" sounds a little cheesy, but in actuality, one cannot help but smile at such a site. The title track is uplifting, and will be a on my top ten country songs list at the end of the year I'm sure. The rest of the album sucks. The artist know is Ashley Clark Musgraves have change the game.… Full Review »
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