The BackgroundBlake Shelton, who has garnered more attention in recent months from his publicized relationship with Miranda Lambert than from his music, returns with ‘Hillbilly Bone,’ a six-track mini-album that is his latest long-overdue collection of music. Throughout his near-decade long stint with Warner Brothers Nashville, Shelton has enjoyed renowned success for such singles including “Austin,” “The Baby,” “Some Beach,” and “She Wouldn’t Be Gone.” With his outlandish southern-pride influenced demeanor and attitude, Blake has developed a reputation for his humor-based catchy sing-along tunes, while also surprising fans at times with his more sensitive, slowed down appreciation of the genre as well. With every release, Shelton continues to add to his diversified collection of music, adding influences and elements to his repertoire that are setting him apart from his country male artist counterparts.
The Review
Shelton thrives at the upbeat, twang-rock influenced tunes on this album, as he has in the past. The aggressive vocals alongside the clean yet edgy riffs set the stage for some chart-topping singles. The pride-driven southern anthem “Kiss My Country Ass” is a prime example of a song that will be sure to have country music fans, who have never been “south of Queens,” singing along to every word. “Hillbilly Bone” is evened out by a pair of slowed-down, traditionally-acoustic sounding tunes that fall just short of making this a truly exceptional collection of music. Both “You’ll Always Be Beautiful” and “Delilah” are second-rate attempts at diversifying the album, and the overall predictability and lack of authenticity results in boredom midway through the songs. The catchy laugh-and-sing-along lyrics of “Almost Alright” and “Can’t Afford To Love You” return this album to top form, allowing for Blake’s undeniable sense of humor to shine through once again. This abbreviated set, even despite a couple momentary lulls, puts Blake Shelton back on the top of the male vocalist charts, which is right where he belongs.
Sounds Like
Blake Shelton A Year After ‘Startin’ Fires’
Track Highlights (Suggested iPod Adds)
Hillbilly Bone
Kiss My Country Ass
Can’t Afford To Love You
The Verdict
Three Stars Out Of Five
Review by Chad Carlson. Chad is the Editor of SteelTownRock.com, Pittsburgh’s New Music Authority. To contact Chad, reach out to him at chad.carlson(at)steeltownrock.com
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