Arizona Republic (May 8th 2002)

Not the ‘Same Old Song’ for Country Newcomer Blake Shelton

He has scored a No. 1 hit with his debut single Austin, but Nashville newcomer Blake Shelton isn't optimistic that one of his most fiery songs will ever be heard on country radio. Same Old Song shoots with both barrels at the "vanilla" love tunes that have permeated country airwaves in recent years.

"These days when I turn on the radio, it's just not the same thrill," the 25-year-old Oklahoman sings over haunting, Southern rock-flavored instrumentation. "I wanna hear a song about passion, I wanna hear a song about sin," he adds in the chorus.

Calling from his Nashville home, Shelton explains, "I was getting sick of hearing about how great life is all the time. What about those of us who are struggling?"

Showing a traditional streak that surfaces in his music -- a sound with roots in the hard-edged, blue-collar musings of artists such as Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash and George Jones -- Shelton suggests that "people want to hear about somebody drinking and being depressed ... or just life in general."

Shelton, who performs in Phoenix on Sunday, tackles some of life's darker themes on his self-titled debut album. He sings about parents with a seriously ill child in Problems at Home; a man jailed for killing his wife in Ol' Red, his catchy new single; and a guy whose girlfriend got tired of waiting, in All Over Me, a recent top-20 single.

Veteran producer and songwriter Bobby Braddock (D-I-V-O-R-C-E) persuaded Shelton to release a softer song, Austin, as his debut.

But Austin, which describes a man hoping for his lover's return, passes an important test for Shelton: "The guy in that song could have easily been me."