Every No. 1 Single of the 2000s: Dierks Bentley, “What Was I Thinkin’”

“What Was I Thinkin’”

Dierks Bentley

Written by Brett Beavers, Dierks Bentley, and Deric Ruttan

Radio & Records

#1 (1 week)

September 19, 2003

Billboard

#1 (1 week)

September 26, 2003

The lyrics may be a little more than an adolescent fantasy, and that certainly the target audience for this record, but it still has significance because it is the launching pad of one of the most important artists of his generation.

That’s what makes it so cool to look back and listen to today. For me, at least.

I hear the crisp country instrumentation with light bluegrass elements and I can hear how he’s already expressing his musical identity right out of the gate. Like Joe Diffie and Garth Brooks before him, his voice is so expressive that even an uptempo romp that’s nearly spoken word, he can still communicate a rich range of emotions through his understanding of rhythm.

He’s going to do so much better than this with time, but he was pretty damn good right out of the gate.

“What Was I Thinkin’” gets a B+.

Every No. 1 Single of the 2000s

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