Content
The album's second single is a cover of "God Gave Me You", which was written and originally recorded by Contemporary Christian music artist Dave Barnes. [8] [9] Shelton explained that he first heard the song during "a low point" in his relationship with Miranda Lambert and said, "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." [10] [11]
Shelton duets with Lambert on the album's title track. The song was originally recorded by Ray Stephenson, who co-wrote it with Buddy Owens. [12] Shelton has said that his decision to cover the song was inspired by a time three years before the album's release when he and Lambert briefly broke up. [13]
Shelton duets with Martina McBride on "I'm Sorry", which had first been pitched to Shelton for one of his earlier albums, but Shelton was initially unsure if he was the right vocalist to record it. Calling it "a hard song to sing", he explained, "Once we got in there and cut it, I realized I can be comfortable with this." [14]
Shelton wanted Red River Blue's third single to be "one of the rowdier songs on the album" and considered "Get Some" [15] before "Drink On It" was chosen. [16] "Drink On It" was the last song Shelton recorded for the album. [16]
The album's fourth single, "Over", was written by Paul Jenkins and David Elliott Johnson, who originally planned on recording the song themselves for a rock band they were going to start together. They wrote the song at least a decade before Shelton recorded it. [17]
Reception
Commercial
The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at number one with 116,000 sold in the US in its debut week. [18] It is Blake Shelton's highest charting album and his first album to reach number one on this chart. [19] As of March 2015, the album has sold 1,240,000 copies in the US. [20] In 2016, it was certified double-platinum with sales of 2,000,000 units. [21]
Critical
Red River Blue received a mixed to positive response from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 62, based on 9 reviews. [22]
The positive reviews came in from About.com, American Songwriter Entertainment Weekly , Nashville Country Club, Roughstock, Taste of Country, Urban Country News and the USA Today . Critic Scott Sexton of About.com rated the album a four out of five stars, and called this effort "Blake Shelton being at the top of his game". [23] Critic Allen Morrison of American Songwriter rated the album a three and a half out of five stars, and evoked how "Red River Blue should do nothing to slow his momentum." [9] Critic Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly graded the album a B, and exclaimed "Aww!" [25] Emily Wetta music critic for Nashville Country Club wrote that "While most of the songs have a word or phrase that is continually repeated, it still won't stop you from listening to the album on repeat. With heart warming love songs and the occasional feel good song, Red River Blue has great balance. Full of honest and raw emotion, Blake wins the hearts of all women and with songs like 'Get Some' wins the male audience." [26] Roughstock critic Matt Bjorke rated the album a four out of five stars, and called the album "...a collection of songs that may be the most satisfying album of Blake Shelton's career." [4] Music-critic Billy Dukes of Taste of Country rated the album as being perfect, and said "‘Red River Blue’ is Shelton hitting a homerun [sic] in a clutch situation as the eyes of the country music world are bearing down on him." [30] Liv Carter music critic for Urban Country News wrote "Red River Blue shows Shelton has reached the point in his career where he does exactly what he wants. Well put-together, greatly executed and (mostly) well-written...Red River Blue is a confident, contemporary country album which will cement Blake Shelton's country superstar status." [31] Music critic Brian Mansfield from USA Today wrote that "Longtime fans can hear Red River Blue's roguishly charming performances and feel confident that the Country Music Association's male vocalist of the year will find his biggest success." [32]
However, the album had some mixed reviews come in from AllMusic, The A.V. Club , PopMatters, Rolling Stone and Slant Magazine. Critic Thom Jurek of AllMusic rated the album a three out of five stars, and called the album "uncharacteristically tender." [8] The A.V. Club critic Steven Hyden gave the album a C grade, and commented that "He's in the creamy, mushy middle, which is exactly where he aims on Red River Blue." [24] Critic Dave Heaton of PopMatters gave the album a five out of ten stars, and noted that "Red River Blue's songs generally feel both cynical and overly familiar". [27] Rolling Stone music critic Will Hermes rated the album a two and a half out of five stars, and wrote that "Red River Blue is unlikely to offend anyone...[and it] shows similarly versatile market savvy." [28] Likewise, critic Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine gave it the same rating, and criticized the album because it "...proves that he's a capable singer who chooses to sing some lackluster songs." [29]
Blake Tollison Shelton is an American country music singer and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin" from his first album, Blake Shelton. "Austin" spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The now Platinum-certified debut album also produced two more top 20 entries.
Miranda Leigh Lambert is an American country singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place on the television program Nashville Star, a singing competition which aired on the USA Network. Outside her solo career, she is a member of the Pistol Annies, a group she formed in 2011 alongside Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. Lambert has been honored by the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards. Lambert has been honored with more Academy of Country Music Awards than any artist in history and was named by the Chicago Tribune as the "greatest country music artist of all time" in 2019.
Startin' Fires is the fifth studio album by American country music singer Blake Shelton. The album was released on November 18, 2008 via Warner Bros. Nashville. Its lead-off single, "She Wouldn't Be Gone", became Shelton's fifth number one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of February 7, 2009. "I'll Just Hold On" was released as the album's second single. For Starting Fires, Shelton co-wrote two tracks.
Revolution is the third studio album by American country music singer Miranda Lambert. It was released on September 29, 2009, via Columbia Records Nashville. The album includes the singles "Dead Flowers", "White Liar", "The House That Built Me", "Only Prettier", and "Heart Like Mine", all of which charted on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
"The House That Built Me" is a song written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin, and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. Blake Shelton was originally set to record the song, but when Lambert heard it, she emotionally reacted to the lyrics, and immediately wanted to record it for herself. It was released in March 2010 as the third single from her third studio album, Revolution. It is the fastest-rising single of her career, reaching the Top 20 in its eighth week. For the chart week of June 12, 2010, the song became Lambert's first number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and held its place at the top for four consecutive weeks. It is also Lambert's first single of her career that she did not have a hand in writing. Additionally, it was her second single to receive a platinum certification from the RIAA on January 31, 2011.
All About Tonight is the second extended play, and eighth studio release by American country music artist Blake Shelton. It was released on August 10, 2010, via Warner Music Group Nashville, under its Reprise label. The first single, "All About Tonight", was released to radio in April 2010 and has become his seventh Number One hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The album's second single, "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking", was released to radio in September 2010.
Pistol Annies are an American country music group composed of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley. The trio gave its debut performance on April 4, 2011, on the CBS special Academy of Country Music's Girls' Night Out: Superstar Women of Country. The trio have released four studio albums for Sony Music Nashville.
"Honey Bee" is a song written by Rhett Akins and Ben Hayslip and recorded by American country music artist Blake Shelton. It was released in April 2011 as the first single from Shelton's 2011 album Red River Blue. The song reached number one on the US Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in July 2011. On November 30, the song received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Solo Performance, but it lost to Taylor Swift's "Mean".
"God Gave Me You" is a song written and originally recorded by American contemporary Christian music singer Dave Barnes. It was released in January 2010 as the lead single from the album, What We Want, What We Get.
Four the Record is the fourth studio album by American country music singer and songwriter Miranda Lambert. It was released on November 1, 2011, by RCA Records Nashville. This was her first studio album to be released from that label after a corporate reconstructing at Sony Music Nashville.
Hell on Heels is the first studio album by American country girl group Pistol Annies. The group consists of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe, and Angaleena Presley. They released their single, "Hell on Heels," in May 2011 and released their debut album on August 23, 2011. Pistol Annies debuted at Number 1 on Billboard’s Country Album Chart with their introductory album, Hell On Heels. With more than 44,000 albums sold in the first week, with little to no promotion, the group landed at Number 5 on the Billboard 200 Chart. As of June 5, 2013, the album has sold 488,000 copies in the United States.
"Over You" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released in January 2012 as the second single from Lambert's album Four the Record.
Cheers, It's Christmas is the first Christmas album and seventh studio album by American country music artist Blake Shelton. It was released on October 2, 2012, through Warner Bros. Nashville. Shelton co-wrote three tracks for the album.
Racheal Lynn Woodward, better known as RaeLynn, is an American singer and songwriter who was a contestant on The Voice in season two (2012). She was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Based on a True Story... is the eighth studio album by American country music artist Blake Shelton. It was released on March 26, 2013, through Warner Bros. Records, and debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200. In a career best for Shelton at the time, nearly 200,000 copies of the album were sold in its first week. Based on a True Story... became the ninth best-selling album of 2013 in the US, earning Shelton a Platinum certification by the RIAA on September 30, 2013. In 2016, Based on a True Story… was certified double-platinum by the RIAA.
"Boys 'Round Here" is a song written by Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, and Craig Wiseman and recorded by American country music artist Blake Shelton. The song is credited to "Blake Shelton with Pistol Annies and Friends", as it features myriad vocal collaborators including the Pistol Annies, along with country singer RaeLynn, all three co-writers, and Scott Hendricks, who also produced the track.
"We Were Us" is a song written by Nicolle Galyon, Jimmy Robbins, and Jon Nite and recorded by New Zealand-born Australian country music singer Keith Urban as a duet with American country music singer Miranda Lambert. It was released in September 2013 as the second international single and third overall from Urban's 2013 album Fuse.
"Doin' What She Likes" is a song recorded by American country music artist Blake Shelton. It was released in January 2014 as the fourth single from his seventh studio album, Based on a True Story.... The song was written by Wade Kirby and Phil O'Donnell.
Bringing Back the Sunshine is the ninth studio album by American country music singer Blake Shelton. The album was released on September 30, 2014, by Warner Bros. Nashville. The album was produced by Shelton's longtime producer Scott Hendricks. "Neon Light," the album's lead-off single, was released on August 18, 2014. The album's second single, "Lonely Tonight", received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
The Weight of These Wings is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Miranda Lambert. It was released on November 18, 2016, via RCA Records Nashville. The album consists of two discs, with Disc 1 titled The Nerve, and Disc 2 titled The Heart. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and No. 3 on the all-genre US Billboard 200 chart, and has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In addition to winning Album of the Year at the 2017 ACM Awards, it is considered by several music publications as one of the best albums of the year. In 2020, the album was ranked at 480 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.
