Product Description:
Personnel include: Blake Shelton (vocals, acoustic guitar); Brent Rowan (electric guitar, bass guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Jonathan Yudkin (fiddle); Terry McMillan (whistle, harmonica, Jew's harp); Gordon Mote (piano); Tim Lauer (Hammond b-3 organ); Alison Prestwood (bass guitar); Shannon Forest (drums); Curtis Young, Blue Miller, Carl Jackson (background vocals).
Blake Shelton's third album showcases a young country singer/songwriter with a penchant for storytelling and a willingness to mix poignancy and humor. On the opening track, "Some Beach," Shelton engages in a lighthearted romp highlighting the Jimmy Buffett influence that seemed to become more and more prevalent among country artists in the early 2000s. A tropical lilt is also present in the self-effacing "On a Good Day," which goes so far as to flirt with a reggae groove.
While Shelton delves into deeper emotions on "When Somebody Knows You That Well" and the grandly unfolding "The Bartender," perhaps the most striking moment on BARN & GRILL is the closing song, "I Drink." Penned by cult-favorite alt-country songwriter Mary Gauthier, it deftly traces a drinking problem back to a troubled childhood and an alcoholic father, with no sentimentalism whatsoever, using punchy, sardonic songcraft to deliver a powerful message that could very easily have come off heavy-handed. It's a fine way to end an album, and a hopeful sign of what could be around the corner on Shelton's fourth.
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