If I'm Honest

If I'm Honest
Studio album by Blake Shelton
Released May 20, 2016 (2016-05-20)
Recorded 2016
Genre Country
Label Warner Bros. Nashville
Producer Scott Hendricks
Blake Shelton chronology
Reloaded: 20 No. 1 Hits
(2015)		 If I'm Honest
(2016)
Singles from If I'm Honest
  1. "Came Here to Forget"
    Released: March 8, 2016
  2. "Savior's Shadow"
    Released: April 8, 2016
  3. "She's Got a Way with Words"
    Released: June 6, 2016
  4. "A Guy with a Girl"
    Released: September 26, 2016

If I'm Honest is the tenth studio album by American country music singer Blake Shelton. The album was released on May 20, 2016, by Warner Bros. Nashville. The album was produced by Shelton's longtime producer Scott Hendricks and features collaborations with Gwen Stefani and The Oak Ridge Boys.[1]

Background

According to Shelton the album is very personal and addresses his high and lows of 2015.[1]

One of the album's tracks, "Green", was previously featured on Shelton's fifth studio album, Startin' Fires in 2008.

The album's tenth track "Friends", appears in the movie and corresponding soundtrack album for the 2016 film The Angry Birds Movie.

Singles

"Came Here to Forget" is the lead single from the album and was released on March 8, 2016. It debuted at number one on the Country Digital Chart and has sold 136,000 copies as of March 2016.[2][3]

"Savior's Shadow" was released as the second single from the album on April 8, 2016.[4] It impacted Christian radio on April 11, 2016 in addition to the country format.[5]

"She's Got a Way with Words" was serviced to country radio on June 6, 2016 as the third overall single and second promoted country single.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic58/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Consequence of SoundC[9]
Entertainment WeeklyC[10]
Knoxville News Sentinel[11]
NewsdayB+[12]
Rolling Stone[13]

This album has a 58 Metascore from Metacritic utilizing five reviews, meaning it has been given mostly mixed reviews by critics.[7] The reviewer from AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine writes, "If I'm Honest is at its core a balladeer's record, and Shelton pulls off these romance tunes with a sly, masculine grace that complements the album's sleek modern surfaces."[8] Jim Farber, reviewing the album for Entertainment Weekly, states, "What's more: the album’s breezy Nashville-pop tunes never strike below the surface. Small wonder the toss-off songs seem more credible."[10] Giving the review at Rolling Stone, Keith Harris describes, "Shelton's warmly confident delivery makes those romantic twists and turns sound both lived in but universal".[13]

Glenn Gamboa, writing the review for Newsday, says, "But the bulk of 'If I’m Honest' is a mix of letting old relationships go and starting new ones."[12] Signaling in a review at Los Angeles Times, Mikael Wood suggests in the home of country music, "the default setting is polished professionalism; rawness actually takes time. And here Shelton seldom pushes beyond that finesse to reach something less smooth."[14] Erik Ernst, indicating in a review from Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, opines, "this disc's balance of modern verve, emotional introspection and country inflection is where Shelton is supposed to be."[15] Doing the review at Consequence of Sound, Janine Schaults responds, "Country pop star's post-breakup album flounders under too many glitzy, cheesy pop flourishes."[9] Chuck Campbell, the reviewer from Knoxville News Sentinel, responds, "Blake Shelton sounds more like a savvy marketer than any kind of artist".[11]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at No. 3 on Billboard 200, selling 153,000 copies (170,000 album equivalent units) in its first week.[16] It also debuted at No. 1 the Top Country Albums chart. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on August 23. 2016,[17] and it has sold 482,500 copies in the US as of November 2016.[18]

Track listing

Standard edition[1]
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Straight Outta Cold Beer"  
 2:45
2. "She's Got a Way with Words"  
 3:11
3. "Bet You Still Think About Me"  
 3:55
4. "Every Time I Hear That Song"  
 3:35
5. "Came Here to Forget"  
 3:40
6. "Every Goodbye"  
 3:10
7. "It Ain't Easy"  
 3:31
8. "A Guy with a Girl"  
 3:10
9. "Go Ahead and Break My Heart" (featuring Gwen Stefani)
 4:25
10. "Friends" (from The Angry Birds Movie)
 3:03
11. "One Night Girl"  
 3:41
12. "Doing It to Country Songs" (featuring The Oak Ridge Boys)
 3:02
13. "Green"  
  • George Teren
  • Wiseman
 3:11
14. "You Can't Make This Up"  
 3:30
15. "Savior's Shadow"  
 2:42
Total length:
 50:31

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the standard edition of If I'm Honest.[19]

Charts and certifications

Album

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[20] 13
Australian Country Albums (ARIA)[21] 2
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[22] 3
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[23] 21
US Billboard 200[24] 3
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[25] 1

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United States (RIAA)[17] Gold 482,500[26]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

List of release dates, showing region, formats, label, editions, catalog number and reference
Region Date Format(s) Label Edition(s) Catalog number Ref
United States May 20, 2016
Warner Bros. Nashville Standard [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Reuter, Annie (April 19, 2016). "Blake Shelton Reveals Album Cover, Gwen Stefani Song on 'If I'm Honest'". Taste of Country. Taste of Country Network.
  2. ↑ Asker, Jim (March 15, 2016). "Cole Swindell & Carrie Underwood Take Over Country Songs Charts". Billboard. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  3. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (March 27, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Country Singles Chart: March 29, 2016". Roughstock. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  4. ↑ "iTunes Store (US) - Music - Blake Shelton - Savior's Shadow - Single". iTunes Store (US). April 8, 2016. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ Roland, Tom (May 11, 2016). "Blake Shelton Steps Out of His Own Past With 'Savior's Shadow'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  6. ↑ "Billboard Country Update" (PDF). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. May 31, 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  7. 1 2 Metacritic (May 20, 2016). "Critic Reviews for I'f I'm Honest from Blake Shelton". CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (May 20, 2016). "I'f I'm Honest – Blake Shelton | Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Schaults, Janine (May 24, 2016). "Blake Shelton – If I'm Being Honest | Album Reviews". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Farber, Jim (May 20, 2016). "Blake Shelton's If I'm Honest: EW Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  11. 1 2 Campbell, Chuck (May 24, 2016). "Music review: Truth is elusive on Blake Shelton's 'Honest'". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Gamboa, Glenn (May 18, 2016). "'If I'm Honest' review: Blake Shelton opens up about his past, present love life". Newsday. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  13. 1 2 Harris, Keith (May 20, 2016). "Blake Shelton's New Album: If I'm Honest". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  14. ↑ Wood, Mikael (May 20, 2016). "Review: Blake Shelton could use more truth on the too-polished 'If I'm Honest'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  15. ↑ Ernst, Erik (May 20, 2016). "Album Reviews: Bob Dylan, Ariana Grande, Eric Clapton, Blake Shelton". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  16. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (May 29, 2016). "Drake's 'Views' Still No. 1 on Billboard 200, Ariana Grande and Blake Shelton Debut at Nos. 2 & 3". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  17. 1 2 "American album certifications – Blake Shelton – If I'm Honest". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
  18. ↑ Bjorke, Matt (November 6, 2016). "Top 10 Country Albums Sales Chart: November 7, 2016". Roughstock.
  19. ↑ If I'm Honest (international deluxe edition liner notes). Blake Shelton. Warner Bros. Nashville. 2016.
  20. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Blake Shelton – If I'm Honest". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  21. ↑ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Country Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. May 16, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Blake Shelton – Chart history" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Blake Shelton. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Blake Shelton – If I'm Honest". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Blake Shelton – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Blake Shelton. Retrieved May 29, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Blake Shelton – Chart history" Billboard Top Country Albums for Blake Shelton. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA".
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/24/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.