TODAY (Oct. 1st 2014)
Blake Shelton pulls double duty as a coach on NBC’s hit show, The Voice and one of the biggest names in country music
TAMRON HALL: Blake Shelton pulls double duty as a coach on NBC's hit show, The Voice and one of the biggest names in country music. He is out with his eleventh studio album, Bringing Back the Sunshine. And we recently caught up with Blake. And I started by asking him what that title means to him.
(Begin VT)
BLAKE SHELTON: There's a track on the record called Bringing Back the Sunshine, and-- but to me I wanted to name the-- the album-- first of all, I hate naming albums.
TAMRON HALL: Why?
BLAKE SHELTON: I don't know. That's just-- who cares what the name of it is?
TAMRON HALL: That's a look into your soul.
BLAKE SHELTON: I want it to be like Blake Shelton number two, like Shelton number three, part four. All of that. But anyway.
TAMRON HALL: Oh, my gosh.
BLAKE SHELTON: Bringing Back the Sunshine. To me, that kind of means, you know, bringing back some of the more traditional sounding stuff and-- and as much as you can in-- in country music these days and still try to-- try to blend in out there.
TAMRON HALL: Is there a pressure to keep the traditional sound and, I guess, funk it up, especially since you are hanging out with the kids at the The Voice, Gwen Stefani and Pharrell joining the bunch? Is there pressure?
BLAKE SHELTON: No. I don't think so. I put pressure on myself, you know. I never want to get too far away, you know, from-- from what-- what country is. You know what I mean? And keep-- keep some of that. And Neon Light I think is a perfect example of-- of kind of blend in what's going on today with-- with more traditional sounds.
TAMRON HALL: I love the song so much. I know every single lyric.
BLAKE SHELTON: Do you really?
TAMRON HALL: I love it (singing) In the Neon Lights.
BLAKE SHELTON: Will you sing it with us? I mean, will you just sing the harmony part with us?
TAMRON HALL: No, I will not do that to your band. But it is fantastic. You said you fell in love with the song each and every time you heard it?
BLAKE SHELTON: Yeah. It's-- I mean, it was one of those things where it just-- it just beat the crap out of me. You know what I mean? No matter-- no matter what I did, I walked around singing that song, just like you're talking about it.
TAMRON HALL: It's haunting. It sticks with you.
BLAKE SHELTON: It's just-- it's an earworm for sure.
TAMRON HALL: Yeah. Well, it's a good earworm. I like being stuck with it. Congratulations on everything--
BLAKE SHELTON: Thank you.
TAMRON HALL: All right. Neon Lights. Take it away, Blake.
BLAKE SHELTON: Let's do it.
TAMRON HALL: Let's do it.
(Blake Shelton performing inside the studio)
TAMRON HALL: Blake Shelton. And once again, the album is Bringing Back the Sunshine. Of course, you can see Blake on The Voice Monday and Tuesday night right here on NBC. Got to go out and get that one back in a moment. This is TODAY on NBC.