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For a guy who is generally being seen as being one big hit album away from becoming a top tier, arena-headlining country artist, Dierks Bentley didn't exactly play it safe with his recently released CD, "Feel That Fire."

Yes, he did take steps to make "Feel That Fire" a bit lighter and more rocking than his previous CD, "Long Trip Alone," which was more introspective and fell well short of the sales he enjoyed with his second CD, the 2005 release "Modern Day Drifter."

But Bentley also took some chances with the CD by changing up the recording process that had worked well for him in the past and challenging himself in how he went about writing songs.

Whether the new CD will put Bentley on a level with artists such as Toby Keith, Keith Urban or Brad Paisley (with whom Bentley plays the Comcast Center on June 12) remains to be seen. But "Feel That Fire" is already showing promise of being a difference-making record for Bentley.

The title song went number one on Billboard magazine's Hot Country Singles chart earlier this year, and the second single, "Sideways," has climbed to number five on the latest chart, giving it a shot to match the popularity of the song "Feel That Fire." Bentley is excited about the initial response.

"I really couldn't be more pleased with the way things have turned out with this album," Bentley said in a late-May phone interview. "We released the record and the first song went number one. 'Sideways' is a top five hit right now. The crowds are reacting to that. I think the third single, 'I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes,' I think it's going to be a really big song for us."

Bentley certainly treated "Feel That Fire" as an important album, spending two and a half years of the project. His motivations weren't all commercial.

Hoping to grow artistically and inject some fresh energy into the project, Bentley wrote with some new collaborators (including Rodney Crowell). And instead of sticking to a single studio, he used four different facilities. Instead of bringing in the same musicians that had played on the previous albums, Bentley recruited a variety of other players, including members of his road band.

"We all got out of our comfort zones," he said. "We really got used to working with a set group of musicians, and now all of a sudden we're working with different musicians, in different studios and just kind of reinventing the wheel. So yeah, I think it definitely, in a good way, keeps what we do fresh and new and exciting and interesting.

"You never want to forget how amazing it is to get a chance to make a record," Bentley said. "It should never be something you just do. It should be an event. That's what I think I was trying to do more with this record."

Still, Bentley allowed commercial considerations to flavor - at least a little - the final version of "Feel That Fire."

Having completed what he thought was the final version of the CD, Bentley had several friends and associates listen to the album. That group of people included his label president, Mike Dungan.

"I really trust Mike Dungan from Capitol Records a lot," Bentley said. "It's great to have someone who is really just on the business side listen to it and hear their perspective.

"We were listening to it, and he's like, 'You know what, you're missing one (fun and uptempo) song like that,'" Bentley recalled. "I went 'Yeah, I think you're right. I want to make sure the scales tip in the fun direction.' So I went back and I wrote about eight or nine songs, and the two that really stuck out were 'Sideways' and 'Here She Comes.' I think they really helped do what I wanted, which was tip the scales in that fun (direction)." Now Bentley is taking the fun on tour as the direct support act on Brad Paisley's summer amphitheater tour. This will give Bentley a chance to reach out to new fans.

Of course, being an opening act means settling for a shorter show - about 45 minutes in length. For an artist like Bentley, who has had 10 top five country hits (six of which went to number one), that makes creating a set list challenging. But Bentley feels his sets, which will vary a bit over the course of the tour, get the job done.

"We try to pack a really loaded punch. There's not one second that's wasted in that show," he said.

"Whatever we decide upon, it's locked in and it's tight and there's no extra (time). We're going from one song to the next. No one's dilly-dallying around. Let's get as many songs out there as we can. Let's organize the set list in a way that it takes people on a little bit of a ride, but it leaves them high and excited and sets them up for Brad to come out there and knock them down."