CD REVIEW: (More) Pure BS
By: Will Manly
5/9/2008
Pure BS: The Deluxe Edition
By Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton, as it turned out, was born with initials just unfortunate enough that he could use them for a marketing tool. (Barack Obama's were about as unfortunate, but politics and music sales are not the same game.)
Blake Shelton also, it turned out, was born with a distinctly strong voice and a flair for singing a rough-edged song.
Unfortunately, Blake Shelton, so it seems, also was born with a distinct inability to sing outside the box he's been in since he erupted into stardom with "Austin."
Perhaps that's unfair to say. It's entirely possible that Shelton doesn't want to sing the same type of song over and over and over, and his recording studio has more sway in his song selection than he does. And perhaps the recording studio has seen something that works, so they don't want to sway from it.
If such is the case, Mr. Shelton's own talents will, eventually, break free from those bonds and said recording company will look the fool for it.
If such is not the case, then Mr. Shelton is doomed to joining the ranks of the singing stars who had their moment — and it was a good moment, for which they should be proud — but then after a few years faded to oblivion for lack of demand of the same thing over and over.
Pure BS: The Deluxe Edition is a fine album. If its your kind of music, you'll like it. If you love Blake Shelton, you'll love it.
But we've heard this kind of thing before, and nothing therein stands tall by itself.
