Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (Feb. 23rd 2005)

Life’s not a ‘beach’ for country singer Blake Shelton

At 28, Blake Shelton has had three hit records and a No. 1 song off of each, to boot. His latest album, "Blake Shelton's Bar & Grill," sailed with the changes-in-latitude smash, "Some Beach."

We chatted with the singer, who's on tour now opening for Rascal Flatts, via phone while he was holed up on a tour bus in Duluth, Minn.

Q: So what's cookin' at Blake Shelton's Bar & Grill?

A: I raise quail -- I'm a big hunter, too -- so I'm cooking a lot of quail. It goes good with beer. We grill it after we inject it with one of those Cajun injectors.

Q: "Some Beach" drew a lot of Buffett comparisons -- not as much as Kenny Chesney, of course. But what's your take on that?

A: I know why people say that. I just don't know if they know why they're saying it. It's entertaining to me that people think Jimmy Buffett has a copyright on the ocean. I mean, I love him and all, but when I listen to "Some Beach" I hear more of a Bellamy Brothers influence, or as far as the feel of the track, Don Williams. I actually mention Margaritaville in the song, so that's a no- brainer, too.

Q: So where's your favorite beach?

A: Man, here's the truth: I'm not really a beach guy, at all. But I am a guy that cusses a lot when somebody runs me off the road, so there's probably more of the anger-management side of me in that song than there is me wanting to be sitting on the beach somewhere.

Q: What's the best and worst thing about playing with Rascal Flatts?

A: The best thing is, I'm getting in front of their huge audiences that just love 'em and adore 'em. The downside is it's an audience just sitting out there waiting for Rascal Flatts. There's no doubt why they're there.

Q: For someone who started as a songwriter, it's surprising that you only wrote two tracks on "Bar & Grill."

A: Well, I love to write songs and that'll always be a part of what I do. But I've learned just by watching other artists come and go, man, it's so stupid to try to write every song on your album if it means that the album is gonna suck. And I've seen that so many times. You have an artist that's had their whole life to write that first record and then a year to write their next one, and it's full of crappy, weak songs. I just want to make the strongest album, every time, that I can, because I don't want this to go away. There's so many good songs out there that if I get a couple on an album, hell yeah, you know?