Pure BS

About

With his fourth album, 2007’s <i>Pure BS</i>, Blake Shelton found himself at a crossroad. After the RIAA Platinum-certified success of 2004’s <i>Blake Shelton’s Barn and Grill</i>, the Oklahoma native was on enough of a tear to take some risks and get more ambitious and expansive with his sound. But his life was in turmoil—he was putting together <i>Pure BS</i> while divorcing his first wife. These transformational experiences made Shelton reckless <i>and</i> reflective, and he outfitted the record with both roadhouse rockers and thoughtful ballad. The production on <i>Pure BS</i> is notably glossier than on previous Shelton offering. It’s the first record he released not produced solely by country veteran Bobby Braddock; both Paul Worley and Brent Rowan also produced, and there’s a shift from Shelton’s previously unadorned vocals into poppier sonic territory. Generally, that translates to arena-ready tracks—on both the boisterous and quiet sides—like the riffy “This Can’t Be Good” and breakup song “Don’t Make Me,” on which Shelton lets his voice soar. He’ll always have a hard time staying out of the honky-tonk, but while “The More I Drink” might sound like a drinking song, it subverts those tropes to get to truths about addiction. But, largely, pop rule, as on the heartbreaking piano ballad “Back There Again” or the grooving “She Can’t Get That.” .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

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