The Boot (July 6th 2011)

Blake Shelton, ‘God Gave Me You’

Blake Shelton's brand-new single, 'God Gave Me You,' shows a softer side of the newly-married country superstar. The tune, originally written and recorded by Christian rocker Dave Barnes, could almost be considered a belated wedding gift to Blake's new bride, Miranda Lambert.

"'God Gave Me You' is an important song for me for this record," Blake tells The Boot of the second song released from his upcoming album, 'Red River Blue.' "I had flown into Dallas, Texas and got into my truck and was driving back to Oklahoma ... It's no secret, Miranda and I have had our ups and downs over the years and this was definitely at a low point at our relationship. But I heard that song come on the radio -- for whatever reason I was flipping through stations and landed on a contemporary Christian station, and that song came on and I almost had to pull the truck over. It was one of those moments for me where I felt like I was hearing that song at that moment for a reason.

"I actually got on iTunes and downloaded the song as I was driving home," the singer continues. "I probably listened to it 20 times before I got home that day, and I called [my producer] Scott Hendricks and said, 'Man, I found a song I want to cut.' There was never a question, I never looked back after that. I knew it was going to be a pivotal song for the album."

'Red River Blue' is due in stores July 12. Its first single, 'Honey Bee,' is the fastest-rising song of the Oklahoma native's career, jetting to No. 1 on the country charts and staying there for four consecutive weeks (and counting!).