he first thing that strikes you about Dierks Bentley is how likeable he seems. In interviews, on television, in videos, he comes across as Mr. Affable, a seriously good guy who’d be a great companion whether you’re drinking, fishing, or just need an ear and a shoulder. With his tousled hair and impish grin, he’s also got a bit of simple sizzle, looking for all the world like the guy at the auto body shop who all the girls from the office take their cars to for oil changes, sighing over him over lunches of iced tea and shrimp salad.

Those qualities lend themselves to Bentley’s music, too, and whether he’s singing about liking his beer “Domestic, Light and Cold,” asking a lady to “Come A Little Closer,” or declaring that he’s got a “Lot of Leavin’ Left to Do,” they’re all over his sophomore album, Modern Day Drifter. The songs here sound like they’re from Bentley’s personal experience, not written by a Nashville assembly line for maximum commercial impact. You can honest-to-God hear his wry grin coming through on tracks like “So So Long” (where the steel guitar nicely echoes his notes on the chorus) and first single “Lot of Leavin’ Left to Do,” wherein Bentley warns “you won’t fall for me if you know what’s good for you,” adding “before you go and turn me on, make sure that you can turn me loose,” because, well, did you hear the title?

That song’s coda also plays up something there’s a lot more of on this album than his debut: bluegrass. Just as he did on his first album, Bentley duets with the Del McCoury Band on a track (the fine “Good Man Like Me”), and there are bluegrass touches sprinkled all over Modern Day Drifter; no one’s going to confuse this with a Kenny Chesney record. Bentley’s one of a number of new male country artists these days (including Joe Nichols and Buddy Jewell) harkening back to a more traditional sound in their music while still staying contemporary. Fiddles, dobros, and crying steel guitars abound, doing a superb job of complementing Bentley’s strong, deep voice and good lyrics.

“Cab of My Truck,” in which Bentley catalogues what’s there and how it’s everything he needs, cries out for a video. “Come A Little Closer” is reminiscent of those classic Conway Twitty singles of the ‘70s, all sexy come-on guaranteed to work, at least from this man, this time. The album’s title track, meanwhile, is destined to become a modern classic of the genre (and perhaps beyond), even if it’s never a single from Bentley—wait and see how many folks cover it over the next decade or so. Dierks Bentley is the kind of country singer who country singers themselves love, while being accessible enough for general acclaim (and commercial success). I suspect he may be the next guy to follow Keith Urban as country’s next new male superstar, and Modern Day Drifter will have plenty to do with it if it happens. But if it doesn’t, Bentley’ll be okay; you know that he’ll just keep doin’ what he does so increasingly well. And there’s nothin’ wrong with that.