It’s been a big last couple of years for country singer and entertainer Blake Shelton. He and ex-wife Miranda Lambert announced their divorce about a year ago. Shelton started dating Gwen Stefani, his coaching colleague from TV’s “The Voice,” later that year, and then, earlier this summer, the singer released “If I’m Honest,” his 10th studio album.
The opening track, “Straight Outta Cold Beer,” is of the new country genre that uses some rock guitars and theoretically hip-hop inflected phrasing to extol the virtues of bonfires, work boots and the ability to pull heavy stuff out of the mud using chains and a tractor. “Doing It To Country Songs,” which features the Oak Ridge Boys, is a classic comic country double entendre tune: They’re just talking about working, shooting pool, dancing and stuff! (Get your mind out of the gutter!) It’s not all laughs and cold brews though —many of Shelton’s new songs are about broken relationships, forgetting and getting even.
On TV, Shelton has a likable sense of humor and a quick wit when ribbing his fellow coaches, but sometimes it seems like the genre demands of contemporary country require that he flattens his personality a little. Shelton’s music sometimes seems less interesting than he is.
Blake Shelton performs at the XL Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Hartford, Friday, Sept. 30, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35.75 to $85.75. Information: 860-249-6333 or xlcenter.org.
