Rating: 7.5/10

Blake Shelton’s output prior to his stint on The Voice represents some of the best modern mainstream country music in the genre. In recent years, that output has gone steadily downhill until he hit a new low with Texoma Shore. Some will point to that last album as a turning point for Blake, as an organic return to his roots that finally saw him trying to move back toward tradition and substance–and it’s certainly true that there were more country sounds on that record than what you’d find on many mainstream projects these days. But Texoma Shore also represented a lyrical low for Shelton, and for this listener, it became the first Blake Shelton album not to have at least one or two great moments; even if those great moments had become harder to find lately, there were still always a few on any Shelton release, but Texoma Shore could not boast this saving grace.

So now we have the first taste of an upcoming album in the form of “God’s Country,” and this really does seem to be Blake Shelton returning, at least in part, to his roots. Staunch traditionalists will probably find a lot to hate about this song, with its electronic drums and hand-claps, or with the lyrics about small-town life that have become so clichéd in recent years, but this is a solid mainstream country single and a welcome move in the right direction for Shelton.

It’s true that the lyrics remain the weak point of the song, for songs glorifying the country way of life are so plentiful in the mainstream right now. But the concept is certainly not a bad one in and of itself, and Blake Shelton sings this with an impassioned, heartfelt delivery that makes this different from so many similar songs. You believe what he’s singing; this is not a pandering list of country qualifiers but rather real pride being expressed by someone who has lived this way of life. It doesn’t feel mocking or patronizing, even if the lyrics themselves don’t offer anything truly original.

The production is the thing that really sells this, though. Yes, we have electronic drums, and real ones would have gone a long way toward getting more traditional fans to listen to this, but the rhythm and the dark, heavy production really set the tone for this well. It’s not bright and happy like a lot of mainstream material; rather, the song is built around minor chords and a moody atmosphere. It also reaches the very limits of Blake’s vocal range in the chorus, not stretching him too thin but sustaining an intensity that matches the mood. In fact, the aforementioned hand-claps and beats are probably the only thing that makes this track sound mainstream at all, and these will be the things that keep contemporary country fans interested.

Nothing earth-shattering lyrically, but a great vocal performance and interesting, dark production make this song stand out. A good balance between the traditional and modern, and a promising sign for Shelton’s upcoming album.

Written by: Devin Dawson, Hardy, Jordan schmidt