Based on a True Story...

The further Blake Shelton’s career ascends into the country-superstar stratosphere, the more hell-bent he seems on maintaining a connection with his core audience. Maybe that’s why at this point in his tale—a story already filled with gold and platinum discs and chart-topping singles—he's focusing so fiercely on the down-home, hard-partying, country-pride element in his material. That aesthetic is front and center in the singles “Boys ‘Round Here” and “Sure Be Cool If You Did.” Both tunes come factory-loaded with an onslaught of undeniable hooks, and "Boys" features guest shots by Shelton’s wife, Miranda Lambert, and her group The Pistol Annies. Shelton also shares the hip-swaying romantic tune “My Eyes” with Gwen Sebastian (a contestant from TV’s <i>The Voice</i>, on which Shelton’s been a judge).