Music review: Blake Shelton – ‘If I’m Honest’
With 鈥淚f I鈥檓 Honest,鈥� Blake Shelton delivers a deeply personal set of tracks that details all the highs and lows of the past year.
The country superstar wears his heart on his sleeve as he navigates his way through his first new album since his divorce from Miranda Lambert. Breakup songs such as 鈥淏et You Still Think About Me鈥� and 鈥淓very Time I Hear That Song鈥� serve as a vivid reminder of his past romance with Lambert while 鈥淪he鈥檚 Got a Way with Words鈥� is a saucy cut that finds Shelton confessing, 鈥淪he put the her in hurt/She put the why in try/She put the S.O.B. in sober/She put the hang in hangover.鈥�
While the 39-year-old Oklahoma native tries to make a clean break from the past, a number of arrangements speak solely to his new relationship with Gwen Stefani. On 鈥淎 Guy with a Girl,鈥� Shelton boasts, 鈥淚鈥檓 just the guy with the girl everybody wants to know鈥� and on 鈥淐ame Here to Forget,鈥� he goes back to the beginning of the star-studded romance by singing, 鈥淕irl you鈥檙e getting over him/And I鈥檓 getting over her/The eyes have it baby/Ain鈥檛 gotta say a word.鈥� The highlight of the new material comes with Shelton鈥檚 duet with Stefani on 鈥淕o Ahead and Break My Heart.鈥� Penned by the new couple, the emotional ballad proves that Stefani can transition from her pop roots to contemporary country without any eyebrows being raised.
In addition to delivering engaging tales of the heart, Shelton manages to slip in a rambunctious opening track that lifts a reference to a classic N.W.A. track. 鈥淪traight Outta Cold Beer鈥� is a party anthem that replaces Compton with a little down-home Southern appeal. Clever arrangements like 鈥淕reen鈥� and 鈥淒oing It to Country Songs鈥� contain the classic Shelton sense of humor that his fans have come to know and love.
On the album closer, Shelton slows things down to reveal his spiritual side. 鈥淪avior鈥檚 Shadow鈥� passionately puts all things in proper perspective as Shelton sings, 鈥淭hough the devil tried to break me/My sweet Jesus won鈥檛 forsake me/When I鈥檓 in my Savior鈥檚 shadow/Where I鈥檓 supposed to be.鈥� As Shelton continues to let go of the past to focus intently on a bright future, it鈥檚 clear that he鈥檚 certainly traveling on the right path.
Clint Rhodes is the 缅北禁地 music reviewer. He can be reached at crhodes@heraldstandard .com.