Blake: Announcement of Hell Right
It’s been announced that Blake’s next single called Hell Right, featuring Trace Adkins, will be released on Friday 16th August, impacting the following Monday.
Blake Shelton Announces New Single, “Hell Right,” Featuring Trace Adkins
Blake Shelton will try to score the 27th No. 1 single of his career with the release of “Hell Right” on Aug. 16.
The new tune, which features vocals from Trace Adkins, was penned by David Garcia, Brett Tyler and Michael Hardy, who is one of the co-writers behinds Blake’s most recent No. 1 hit, “God’s Country.”
“The first time I ever heard ‘Hell Right,’ [producer] Scott Hendricks sent it over to me—and we had pretty much decided that we were finished recording for a while, and I wasn’t even thinking about it,” says Blake. “But he said that Hardy had written a song and he wanted me to hear it, so with the success of ‘God’s Country’ and just knowing how talented that guy is, I thought, ‘Man, I better at least listen to it even though I don’t see myself going in and recording.’ About three-quarters of the way through the song, I decided, ‘Oh, my god, I’m not done recording. I’ve gotta go cut this song. It’s just so much fun and just so infectious. It seems like something that would be great to have out this summer, like, let’s do this thing, let’s get it out now.’ It’s one of the reasons that I’ve been so excited about not releasing an album because it’s awesome to be able to react to great songs and just get em out there to the fans.”
Blake invited longtime friends Trace Adkins to add his baritone vocals to the tune, much like he did for 2009 No. 1 hit, “Hillbilly Bone.”
“I decided it would be great to have Trace Adkins on this [song] just because he’s got that low, deep, big voice and he’s so great at the ad-lib stuff,” says Blake. “He just brings a certain quality to any recording that nobody else can touch. The guy’s got so much personality in his voice and the way he sings, and I still think that he’s one of the most underrated country artists out there, so I called him and asked if he would be on the record with me and he said something that was close to ‘hell right,’ but it was a different cuss word.”
“Hell Right” will be released at 12 a.m. on Aug. 16.
Blake Shelton reveals 'Hell Right,' his new hard-partying duet with Trace Adkins
Cousins.
That’s how Blake Shelton likens his new single “Hell Right” to his recent multi-week No. 1 smash “God’s Country.” The songs are different. “God’s Country” brings a weighty lyric that extols a spiritual connection to the Lord and land. Shelton describes “Hell Right,” which features his friend and fellow country singer Trace Adkins, as “silly and goofy.”
“It’s rooted from the same place that ‘God’s Country’ is and I love that about it,” Shelton said. “It’s not coming from chasing any sound. It’s what feels right to me right now. I think ‘Hell Right’ is going to take what we started with ‘God’s Country’ and take it to the next level.”
“God’s Country” is Shelton’s 26th No. 1 song – and one of the biggest hits of his career. Penned by Michael Hardy, Jordan Schmidt and Devin Dawson, “God’s Country" sat atop Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for seven weeks and reached an airplay audience of more than 630 million people.
Hardy also co-wrote “Hell Right,” this time alongside David Garcia and Brett Tyler. The song about two guys and two girls making weekend plans has spoken word verses in the style of Shelton’s hit “Boys 'Round Here.” Shelton and Adkins take turns with the lines building into an anthemic chorus that seems tailored to whip an arena – or stadium – of fans into a frenzy.
“You can go about it two ways,” Shelton said. “You can raise hell, or you can raise hell right. To me, that means you can set off a bottle rocket, or you can have a fireworks show. There’s always a next level of things.”
The song’s release comes near the 10th anniversary of Shelton and Adkins’ first hit “Hillbilly Bone.” But, Shelton wasn’t thinking about that when he asked Adkins to jump on the song.
“I wanted him on this record because I knew there was a story to this song, but there was also a personality to the story that he could help amplify and take it to the next level,” Shelton explained. “Trace is not only one of my best friends in the world that I would do anything for, he’s also one of my favorite artists in the world and one of the most unique sounding singers that has come through Nashville in the last 30 years. He brings a personality to his recordings that can’t be copied."
“God’s Country” and “Hell Right” are from Shelton's forthcoming project, but he isn’t sure – or isn’t saying – what it is or when fans can expect it. He’s enjoying the flexibility that comes with not recording to hit a deadline.
“At this point in my life and my career, I’m just making records I want to make with no apologies, with no rhyme or reason, and I’ve been making them with the people I want to make them with,” he said. “I’m just doing what I want to do. I’m not chasing anything. I’m still singing to the people who are somewhere between Los Angeles and New York City, and hopefully, the people in those metropolises can relate to my music, too.”
BLAKE SHELTON SAYS "IF YOU'RE GONNA RAISE HELL..." RAISE IT "HELL RIGHT" IN BRAND NEW SINGLE
Country music superstar Blake Shelton has crossed the wide expanses of God’s country to find a Friday night somewhere in America where the drinks are flowing, the party is raging and all there is to say is “Hell Right.” His brand new single, featuring the legendary Trace Adkins, will be available this Friday and will impact radio beginning Monday, August 19. Penned by David Garcia, Brett Tyler and Michael Hardy, the latter of whom was responsible for Shelton’s most recent chart-topping single, “Hell Right” comes steeped in the rugged heart of “God’s Country” but tinted with the swagger of his biggest hits like “Hillbilly Bone” and “Boys ‘Round Here.”
“The thing that I love about what I’m doing right now, as far as recording and releasing music goes, is that I’m able to have an immediate reaction to something – and ‘Hell Right’ is an example of that,” Shelton said. “We had several songs cut that we had been excited about and still are, but when I heard ‘Hell Right’ I called my producer Scott and said, ‘I don’t want to rock the boat here, I just feel like we need to go in and cut this and see how it works out.’ After living with it about three or four days, I just had an idea that Trace Adkins would be perfect to have on this record with me. I’ve been saying for the last few months, I’m just recording songs that I want to make with no apologies, with no rhyme or reason, and I’ve been making them with the people I want to make them with. I’m just making records that I’m excited about.”
Said Shelton’s award-winning producer Scott Hendricks, “What excites me about this song, other than the fact that it’s a bona fide hit record, is that it’s so infectious you can’t get it out of your mind. It’s one of those rare finds that could literally change the vernacular of how people talk. I can’t think of a song that caused a whole generation to say something differently. This song has the chance to do it. I think people will be saying, ‘Hell Right.’”