"I named the album Riser because the lyrics in that song perfectly articulate who I want to be, who I try to be," Bentley said. "There's a lot of really intense material on this record, but there's also a lighter side that is equally important in telling the story of the last two years of my life."

"It's been a real learning experience for me," he said. That "intense" time in Bentley's life included the death of his father, but also the birth late last year of his son Knox. And as he explained in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the album went through some changes during this time. "The record I had originally made, my dad was alive at the time and my wife and I had two kids. Life was stabilized," Bentley said. "And then all of a sudden my dad passed away. Then my wife got pregnant and my son was coming, which was just a whole mix of emotions for me."

The album kicks off with his duet with Kacey Musgraves, "Bourbon In Kentucky," which was released last summer. It also includes "I Hold On," Bentley's current single. The video for that song premiered last year on Radio.com.