The Tennessean (Aug. 3rd 2010)

For Blake Shelton, life on the road takes toll

Blake Shelton, who plans to release his second Six Pak CD, It's All About Tonight, one week from today, couldn't be more grateful for his recent chart success. The title track from his new six-song release is a Top 10 hit, and his last single, "Hillbilly Bone," was a No. 1 song.

While he's grateful for his ongoing success, it has been a difficult adjustment. Shelton can sum it up in one word: homesick.

"I'm not doing too well with it, to be honest," Shelton said of all the time he is spending away from home. "You get to that point, I guess, when you're me. For whatever reason, however this has worked out, I'm just now getting to where things are going really good for me.

"I've been doing this for a long time now, and I've been really lucky. My career hasn't been bad, but it hasn't ever got to that next level. Now that it feels like it's going there, I'm 10 years into this thing and I'm tired.

"I'm 34 years old now, and going at it this hard out on the road, I'm getting to the age where it's like, 'Man, I sure would like to be home right now with a glass of iced tea kicked back on the porch just once in a while.'"

But Shelton's not really complaining.

"I'm smart enough to know that this is my shot, and you've got to make the most of it," he said. "That's what I'm doing. You dance to the music that you play."