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For this week’s CAW, I chose newcomer Bucky Covington. I’m not a big American Idol fan myself, but I remember seeing his audition tape as he sang “Simple Man” from Lynyrd Skynyrd and thinking “God I hope this tv show doesn’t eat that boy up and spit him out!”. He’s not pretty, he’s not full of forced politeness, and he’s not today’s typical prissy and preened radio star. Bucky gritted his teeth and toughed it out in America’s biggest dog and pony show, making it all the way to #8 before being voted out in favor of Taylor Hicks (who is now all but disappeared off the map entirely). Meanwhile Bucky Covington has got a record deal with Lyric Street, and a 2008 concert tour with Dierks Bentley. It’s no wonder why he’s singin’ “It’s Good to Be Us“! Stay tuned throughout the week for more hot facts about Bucky Covington!

Bucky Covington 2008 Concert Tour                                Dierks Bentley 2008 Concert Tour 

It’s Good To Be Us - Bucky Covington

A milestone in Dierks Bentley’s career, “Long Trip Alone” raced to the top of the CMT and Billboard charts. In an interview with Dial-Globe he said the song started off about his wife but then became about all the people in your life. By the end, he said, it became more of a prayer. Either way, the song seems to show a more mature and serious side of Dierks that had not come out until that point in his career although he didn’t seem intent on coming across that way.

“I think it just kind of happened that way. I think in my mind there is always a push ahead with the live show and push ahead to take it somewhere new. I’m not content just to put out an album that sounds like the record before. I was trying to move forward in that direction and I think with this record some stuff came out, you know, in songwriting. I’ve been on the road for the last four years straight. So when you sit on the front seat of a bus that long, you really think about a lot of heavy things at times. And a song like “Long Trip Alone” is more of a prayer than a song to me. Some stuff came out that is kind of bigger sounding and with bigger messages. We’ve kept it in line with some songs that are definitely honky-tonk, beer joint stompers. But there’s definitely some big songs on this record.”

Take a listen and tell me what you think of Dierks Bentley’s Long Trip Alone.

For Dierks Bentley 2008 concert tour dates, artist biographies and event details, please visit our partner site Country Music On Tour