BLAKE SHELTON > Startin’ Fires

John Deere tractors, blue-collar jobs and good-hearted women are the stuff typical country albums are built around, and the latest offering from WB artist Blake Shelton is no exception. Full of cleverly crafted, albeit sometimes predictable, mid-tempo numbers, Startin’ Fires glorifies a life full of “bare feet,” “fishing” and “backwoods”-all rendered with nostalgia in his tune “Home Sweet Home.”Label: WARNER BROTHERS
[Rating: 3 STARS]

John Deere tractors, blue-collar jobs and good-hearted women are the stuff typical country albums are built around, and the latest offering from WB artist Blake Shelton is no exception. Full of cleverly crafted, albeit sometimes predictable, mid-tempo numbers, Startin’ Fires glorifies a life full of “bare feet,” “fishing” and “backwoods”-all rendered with nostalgia in his tune “Home Sweet Home.” The sonics on this disc are a bit slicker than previous efforts, with tracks like “She Wouldn’t Be Gone” and “I’ll Just Hold On” employing a throwback era, countrypolitan sound (think Kenny Rogers in the ‘70s). Shelton’s thick twang is better suited to the straight-up country of “Never Lovin’ You” and the catchy “Country Strong.”