The Tennessean (June 9th 2013)
Shelton celebrates 'double No. 1'
Blake Shelton took to the stage at LP Field for the CMA Music Festival nightly concert on Friday, along with Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, Little Big Town, Randy Travis and Kip Moore. But earlier that afternoon, he shared a smaller stage inside the stadium's club level with a different all-star group: the songwriters and other figures behind his two latest No. 1 hits.
The "Double No. 1 Party" hosted by Shelton's label, Warner Music Nashville, celebrated his seventh- and eighth-consecutive chart-toppers "Over" and "Sure Be Cool If You Did," and was larger and more lively than your average No. 1 celebration. Warner Music Nashville president John Esposito shared a text message he received from Shelton after learning that his latest album "Based on a True Story..." returned to the No. 1 spot on the country album charts this week.
"This came in yesterday: 'Wow,' with five exclamation points. 'No. 1 album after ten weeks on the charts? Good work my men, I can't believe this. Let's all get naked together and do a shot. Wait, let's just do the shots."
After joining Taylor Swift at Thursday night's LP Field concert, Keith Urban made his second surprise appearance of the week at Shelton's party, stepping on stage to share a few kind words for rising songwriter Jimmy Robbins, who was celebrating his first No. 1 with "Sure Be Cool."
Shelton expressed his gratitude to the songsmiths behind both hits. He thanked "Over" writers Paul Jenkins and David Elliott Johnson for their patience after the song was twice removed from tracklists of his two 2010 "Six Pak" EPs before finally landing on 2011's "Red River Blue," and said he and wife Miranda Lambert always look forward to getting new demos from Big Loud Shirt, whose Rodney Clawson and Chris Tompkins also co-penned "Sure Be Cool."
"Keith (Urban) can tell you this: You almost feel guilty sometimes," Shelton said. "Like tonight, I'm going to be out there on that stage in front of all of those people and soaking up all of the glory, and I have the easiest part of all of this. It's all of these people on this stage, and half the people in this audience that really make this happen, and I love all of y'all for it. Thank you."