Startin' Fires (Warner, 2008)
Blake Shelton
Reviewed by C. Eric Banister
With songs like Good At Startin' Fires, She Wouldn't Be Gone, I'll Just Hold On and This Is Gonna Take All Night slide closer to the pop-country of near-forgotten 1980s stars like Eddie Rabbitt and Conway Twitty, mixing in a subtle amount of R&B. Shelton does a good job of melding his personal style with this influence.
Green and Country Strong are predictable country-themed throwaways, while Home Sweet Home, Here I Am and the "Pure BS" holdover I Don't Care fit the current country radio mold. Shelton does perhaps his best singing on the two most country-sounding songs on the album, 100 Miles and Never Lovin' You.
One of the most anticipated tracks is the closer Bare Skin Rug, written and sung with girlfriend Miranda Lambert. The blend of their voices makes you wish they held out for a stronger song in which to collaborate.
Shelton is able to pull together the pop-country of country radio and more traditional sounding songs and showcase his personality and growing talent in both making this a step forward.
CDs by Blake Shelton













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