McClatchy-Tribune Business News (June 28th 2007)

Shelton sings his best ever on ‘Pure BS’

Just like many in America, Blake Shelton is quick to say he's the first one interested in the latest thing going on in the life of just-released-from-jail heiress Paris Hilton.

But that's not to say he didn't have some issues with his own life being splattered in the news like so much like tabloid fodder, including his 2006 divorce from his wife of three years and his follow-up relationship with fellow country singer Miranda Lambert.

"I think at first it bothered me," said Shelton, who'll play Friday at the Carrington Pavilion, sharing songs from his latest album, "Pure BS," which Shelton was working on during his divorce. The country singer says the work in many ways reflects his own personal journey, although it was one he might rather have seen remain private than become as exposed as a nerve to his fans.

But still, he's made peace with his Polaroid-flash celebrity exposure, and he sees it as a learning experience, a moment to observe himself in a different light.

"I think it all depends on how you handle yourself," he said. "There's a right way and there's a wrong way, and I try to learn from it, and more importantly, write and record songs that have been an outlet and a release for me."

The resulting work is "Pure BS," the Oklahoma-born musician's fourth album, a collection of songs ranging from playful -- "The More I Drink," reminiscent of 2004's clever "Some Beach" -- to powerful, such as the album's first single, "Don't Make Me."

And while it's extremely personal, Shelton said the album has been a chance for him to test himself and push his vocal skills to their limits.

Shelton points to "She Don't Love Me" as among his best works to date, especially vocally.

"I've come a long way as a singer, and it's the best I've ever sang," said Shelton, who also tested his writing skills on the album, including with the somewhat political anthem "The Last Country Song."

But despite its references to fading farmland and a country tavern that's coming down to make room for new development, "The Last Country Song" is more representative of the changing face of country music and its move from the traditional roots in which Shelton is steeped rather than a statement against the loss of the American landscape.

"It's more of a song about how music is changing and how it ain't gonna stop," said Shelton, who says he "honors the past" through the song, which features his longtime idols George Jones and John Anderson, and makes mention of classics from both.

"I don't want to get into all the political stuff," he added. "In fact, that turns me off of an artist. I don't think people really care (about what celebrities think politically). As adults we can make up our own minds."

Instead, Shelton writes songs that are compelling to him -- and some that aren't, as a tape of songs he'd written years ago that resurfaced recently showed, since it included some he didn't even remember writing.

"I'll just sit down, and I'll be pokin' around on my guitar," Shelton said. "I'll mix me a drink, and the next thing I know, there's a song.

"If it's good, it stays on my mind, it sticks with me," he added. "If not, I don't care."

Shelton recently moved back to Oklahoma after more than a decade in Nashville, and said he feels more at home there than he ever did in Music City, despite his success.

Although his busy tour schedule keeps him from spending as much time there as he'd like -- "It sucks. It really does," Shelton said, laughing -- when he does find his way back to his home state, he makes sure he's free from responsibilities for a while.

"When I do get back, nobody can find me," he said. "I live out in the middle of nowhere, and so people realize if they need to know something, they better ask me now, because otherwise they won't get me."

Blake Shelton will perform Friday at the Carrington Pavilion as part of the Harvest Jubilee summer concert series. Heartland will open the show.