May 14--Romantic intrigue is all the rage in music these days. Beyonce's "Lemonade" explores her marital tribulations with Jay Z. Gwen Stefani's "This Is What the Truth Feels Like" was inspired by her breakup with Gavin Rossdale.
Now comes Blake Shelton and his new album, "If I'm Honest," covering a turbulent year in which he split up with Miranda Lambert and kindled a new romance with Stefani.
Almost takes you back to Fleetwood Mac and those "Rumours" days, doesn't it?
Shelton showcased several songs from the new record at an album release party at the iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank last week. Between songs, the 450 or so people in attendance learned a little about the album's back story.
"I figure since everyone else is cashing in on my life, I might as well get some of that too," Shelton said.
As for the title: "I just want to tell the truth about what happened," he said, referring to those matters of the heart. Shelton said that he actually wanted to use "truth" in the title but that Stefani had beaten him to the punch.
Shelton mixed up a selection of new songs including "Sangria" and the gospel-tinged "Savior's Shadow" with older hits like "Honey Bee" and "Boys 'Round Here." The shadow of Miranda Lambert was present for that one; she was one of the "Pistol Annies" singing backup vocals on the original recording.
But out with the old, in with the new. Near the end of the hourlong performance, Stefani joined Shelton on stage for their new duet on the album "Go Ahead and Break My Heart." (Earlier Monday, they performed the song on "The Voice," where their romance began as fellow coaches).
"Gwen and I wrote a song together, and it's the only song we've written together, sadly," Shelton said by way of introduction. He then turned to Stefani. "I only started this song just to try to impress you," he said.
"It worked," she replied.
Their performance drew what seemed like the biggest applause of the night, but you can judge for yourself. The performance will be broadcast Wednesday, May 18, on iHeartMedia Country radio stations and iHeartRadio.com.
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