Blake Shelton photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.
Nov. 18, 2008 — Blake Shelton’s latest album, Startin’ Fires, arrives in stores Tuesday, buoyed by the lead single, "She Wouldn’t Be Gone," as well as an album-ending duet with girlfriend Miranda Lambert on "Bare Skin Rug."
The project has plenty of country references: "Bare Skin Rug" was recorded at a campfire with the sounds of crickets and crackling flames heard in the background; the opening "Green" puts current environmental issues in a rural been-there-done-that context; and "Country Strong" laughs off gym memberships in favor of farm chores as an honest way to build muscle.
Two of the album’s songs are written by 1990s hitmaker Rhett Akins, while the title track, "Good At Startin’ Fires," was penned by "Streets Of Heaven" singer Sherrie Austin.
"We laughed when we first heard this song," Blake says of "Startin’ Fires," "because we knew they’d say it was about Miranda. In fact, when the studio engineer got done mixing it, [Miranda] said, ‘We can make a YouTube video that superimposes you on the "Kerosene" video and my CMA performance, putting out the fires.’ It actually reminded me of a 2008 version of ‘Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On,’ the old Mel McDaniel song. I just thought it was a throwback to the music I grew up on."
Blake’s "She Wouldn’t Be Gone" video is currently ranked at No. 2 on GAC’s Top 20 Country Countdown.
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