Review: If I’m Honest by Blake Shelton

A lot has happened in the past year for Blake Shelton, relationship-wise. The country crooner ended his high-profile marriage with Miranda Lambert in July 2015 and entered into an equally high-profile relationship with fellow The Voice judge Gwen Stefani (who filed for divorce with Gavin Rossdale in August 2015) later in November.

Shelton’s 10th studio album If I’m Honest offers listeners a glimpse of what may have gone on in his love life during those months.

Songs like She’s Got A Way With Words, Everytime I Hear That Song and Bet You Still Think Of Me serve as an outlet for Shelton to express the hurt and vulnerabilities caused by the break up.

With the pain still fresh, Shelton sings about moving on and discovering new love. Lead single Came Here To Forget paints a picture of two people in a bar bonding over something they have in common – their failed relationships.

“Misery loves company, that’s why it’s you and me,” he sings, perhaps giving us a clue as to how Shelton and Stefani’s romance blossomed, a notion that’s also reflected in Every Goodbye.

The two even team up in Go Ahead And Break My Heart, which is actually one of the best moments on the album. Stefani’s edgier vocals brings a breath of fresh air to the catchy country ballad.

Elsewhere, Shelton does stray away from the topic of relationship a bit, whether it’s talking about being eco-conscious in Green, or finding an unexpected friendship in Friends (which is also featured in the Angry Birds soundtrack).

Musically, If I’m Honest is made up of mostly ballads and mid-tempo tunes, to go with the album’s more sentimental and reflective tone.


 

Blake Shelton

If I’m Honest

(Warner Music)

blake shelton

Blake Shelton at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards in May 2016. Photo: AFP

 

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