TODAY (Nov. 21st 2008)

Blake Shelton discusses his new CD, "Startin' Fires," and performs "She Wouldn't Be Gone"

KOTB: All right. So if you are in the mood for a little music, you have come to the right place.

GIFFORD: Yeah. Let me give him a little rub while we do this.

Mr. BLAKE SHELTON ("Startin' Fires"): Oh, man, please.

GIFFORD: We hope so, because multi-platinum country star Blake Shelton is here and he's about to perform his hit single off his fifth studio album called "Startin' Fires"!

Mr. SHELTON: Too relaxed now, I can't sing.

GIFFORD: Yes, you can.

KOTB: Well, Blake, you know--you know what the--there are so many great things about Blake--we're in the dark, I guess it doesn't matter.

Mr. SHELTON: This is--man, it's romantic in here!

KOTB: That's what--they cue the music.

Mr. SHELTON: All righty. Put the lights back down, hurry!

KOTB: Now, I don't know if you guys know this, but he's gotten a lot of accolades, most recently one of People magazine's sexiest men alive.

GIFFORD: Yes.

KOTB: How did that feel?

GIFFORD: So tell us what you were doing down in Times Square. I heard you were going around holding up the magazine.

Mr. SHELTON: Oh, I wanted to try--I wanted to try out my new superpowers bestowed upon me by People magazine, and girls still ignored me.

KOTB: Yeah.

Mr. SHELTON: I mean...

GIFFORD: You were holding it up, I hear, and he's going `Do you think I'm sexy?'

Mr. SHELTON: Yeah.

GIFFORD: And people going, `Who are you?' Right?

Mr. SHELTON: Yeah. Exactly. Which is what they do across the country anyway.

KOTB: No.

Mr. SHELTON: I think somebody took a really good picture of me at some point and sent it to them.

GIFFORD: No, you're being...

KOTB: Blake, you're one of our favorite guests, I mean, you sing so beautifully. What makes this unique, this song?

Mr. SHELTON: You guys dance beautifully, too, by the way, I was watching that.

KOTB: Thank you.

Mr. SHELTON: I don't--I don't--you know what, this whole album is a little bit different for me just because it's kind of--it's kind of an autobiographical album for me. And I've never really gone there. I mean, there's a lot of songs about drinking beer and growing corn and the important things in life. You know what I'm talking about.

KOTB: Uh-huh.

GIFFORD: But also about being emotionally naked, too, I understand.

Mr. SHELTON: Say that again.

GIFFORD: I mean, some are songs are very personal and emotionally naked.

Mr. SHELTON: Wow, that's...

KOTB: I think we're going to let you sing it this time.

Mr. SHELTON: You must have looked at the inside cover, didn't you? OK.

GIFFORD: I'm sorry, I smell like crab meat and biscuits.

KOTB: Blake. The song he's going to sing right now for us is "She Wouldn't Be Gone."

Mr. SHELTON: OK.

KOTB: Take it away, Blake.

GIFFORD: Yeah.

(Blake Shelton sings "She Wouldn't Be Gone")

GIFFORD: Yeah!

KOTB: Blake Shelton, you're awesome.

Mr. SHELTON: Thank you.

KOTB: Thank you.

Mr. SHELTON: Y'all are awesome.

KOTB: Thank you.

GIFFORD: Is that from personal experience, sweetheart?

Mr. SHELTON: I love you.

KOTB: Thank you, thank you.

Mr. SHELTON: I love you. Yes, but you're making it better now.

GIFFORD: Good to see you. OK, good.

KOTB: And we will be back with more of TODAY on NBC. Thank you, Blake.

Mr. SHELTON: Thank you all.

GIFFORD: Yeah, that's...