Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton have recorded a duet that will appear on Lambert’s upcoming album, Four the Record, due Nov. 1. “Better in the Long Run” was written by Ashley Monroe (of the Pistol Annies), Charles Kelley (of Lady Antebellum) and Gordie Sampson (“Jesus, Take the Wheel”). Lambert wrote or co-wrote six of the 14 tracks on the album. Other guests include Brandi Carlile, who wrote and provided background vocals for “Same Old You.” Carlile also sang at Lambert and Shelton’s wedding. Lambert’s current single, “Baggage Claim,” features Josh Kelley on background vocals and Steve Winwood on Hammond B-3 organ. A limited edition deluxe version of Four the Record, also due on Nov. 1, will offer a bonus song and a DVD featuring Lambert’s stories behind each song

Source: CMT.com

Hi everybody!

I’ve added captures of Blake from Larry’s 2008 Christmas Special, hopefully I will add the video clip from it soon!

Gallery Link:
• LARRY THE CABLE GUY: STAR-STUDDED CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA : SCREEN CAPTURES

Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert were married in May, in what could be described as country music’s own royal wedding. We’ve all seen the gorgeous pictures from the ceremony in magazines and online, but now Mr. and Mrs. Shelton are sharing one of the more intimate moments from the festivities. It’s a video the bride made for her groom, which is now a part of the video for a song Blake cut in tribute to Miranda, ‘God Gave Me You.’

“There was this wedding video that leaked out on the internet,” he explains. “One of us did it, I’m sure, by just not knowing how to use a computer! [laughs] So I was watching the wedding video one day and it opened with Miranda talking to me. That was the first time I saw it. I just thought what she’s saying to me is so cool. And the reason I cut that song was because of her and the ups and downs of our relationships that we always had, but always end up back together. [She] said everything that was the reason I recorded that song.

“Trey Fanjoy, the director, thought it would be a great idea to take that and let it be my chapter in the video,” Blake continues, “and then show all these other things, like the guy in the car wreck and the nurse who comes to save him, and the kid in school who didn’t fit in and had the girl who wanted to be his friend. There are all different scenarios for ‘God Gave Me You.’ So that is, hands down, the most personal video.”

Source: The Boot

Link to Video: http://youtu.be/nCf2PoTuh4Q

Gallery Link:
• RED RIVER BLUE (2011) : GOD GAVE ME YOU : SCREEN CAPTURES

• PUBLIC APPEARANCES FROM 2011 : BLAKE SHELTON PERFORMS NBC’S “TODAY”
• PUBLIC APPEARANCES FROM 2011 : KID ROCK “BORN FREE” PLATINUM PARTY
• PUBLIC APPEARANCES FROM 2011 : CELEBRITIES VISIT “LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN” – JULY 12, 2011
• PUBLIC APPEARANCES FROM 2011 : ASCAP #1 PARTY FOR “HONEY BEE”

Blake Shelton has some big dancing shoes to fill … and he takes on that challenge with a lot of country soul. The music superstar has recorded his own version of Kenny Loggins’ iconic hit, ‘Footloose,’ which will appear on the upcoming movie remake’s soundtrack. The Boot has the exclusive premiere of the song below.

“It’s like a lot of stuff from that era — it was rock at the time, but is pretty much what we hear on country radio today. So I knew that we didn’t have to stray that far away from the original,” Blake tells The Boot. “When I open my mouth, what comes out is country. It was going to sound country no matter what, but I didn’t want it to be too different. There are two ways to bring back a song: one is to try to make it your own, and in this instance, you have to remove yourself from it and step into the role of what’s best for the movie and that particular scene. There’s really only one way to approach it when you think of it that way: a fun, uptempo, catchy version just like Kenny Loggins did.”

Blake admits he wasn’t the producers’ original first choice to cut a new version of ‘Footloose.’ He was approached to record another song on the soundtrack, right around the same time he was putting the finishing touches on his own new album, ‘Red River Blue,’ along with taping live episodes of ‘The Voice.’ Given his whirlwind schedule, the singer was at first hesitant, but then said he’d do it if he could score the title track.

“[The producers] had envisioned a female cutting ['Footloose'] this time around,” Blake explains. “So they threw out ideas for some other songs for me, but I finally just campaigned enough and whined about it enough that they said, ‘Why don’t you cut it, and just let them hear your version?’ So I cut it, gave it to them and they wanted to go with mine. I really lucked out.”

Accompanying Blake on the ‘Footloose’ soundtrack are several of his country colleagues, including Zac Brown, Jana Kramer, Whitney Duncan, Gretchen Wilson, Big & Rich, Hunter Hayes and Lissie, among others. Blake believes the artist selection was wise, considering both the song choices and movie plot.

“It’s music that was rock back then but is country now. That’s where those songs would fit in today in the music industry — they sound like the country format,” insists the Oklahoma native. “I think they did the right thing by finding the artists who fit that movie, too — and not just country artists, Cee Lo is on there, too. To do those songs justice, you have to find the right artist for the movie. That’s probably why they went with a lot of country artists. The movie is based in a small town full of country people.”

The movie, a remake of the 1984 cult classic, is about a big city teen who moves to a small town that has outlawed dancing and loud music. It is scheduled to hit theaters nationwide October 14.

Hollywood newcomer Kenny Wormald plays the lead role originated by Kevin Bacon. We put Blake on the spot to see if he knows his own ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon’ — the popular game that guarantees any celebrity is connected to the popular actor by six or less associations.

“I have no idea,” he answers us with a laugh, “but I’m sure it’s not hard … ”

OK, we’ll help him out: Blake recorded ‘Hillbilly Bone’ with Trace Adkins, who was in ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ with Matthew McConaughey, who starred in ‘EDtv’ alongside Woody Harrelson, who co-starred with Kiefer Sutherland in ‘The Cowboy Way,’ and Kiefer joined Kevin Bacon in the 1990 big-screen thriller, ‘Flatliners.’

But Blake has us beat … and feeling a little stupid, as he responds, “Or you could just say I’m on the new Footloose soundtrack … [laughs]“

You can listen to the song at The Boot.

Source: The Boot.

After a decade toiling away at the microphone without much recognition, Jason Aldean and Blake Shelton are breaking through in a big way.

Two of country’s leading men nabbed their first Country Music Association Awards entertainer of the year nominations Tuesday, upsetting recent trends and leading a popular pack with five nominations apiece. They join previous entertainer winners Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban in the CMA’s most prestigious category. Paisley and Swift also are up for five awards.

“To be honest, I secretly hoped that I’d get this nomination one day, but I never thought I actually would,” Shelton said in a statement. “After 10 years of watching my friends receive this incredible honor, I got pretty used to being a cheerleader for them, ya know?”

He began receiving more nominations last year, winning two awards at the 2010 CMAs. But his move into television as a coach on NBC’s “The Voice,” an invitation to join the Grand Ole Opry and the success of his single “Honey Bee” — not to mention his marriage to Miranda Lambert — has helped bring him to the forefront of country music.

Like Shelton, Aldean has been slowly gaining awards show attention the last few years after hitting the trifecta of arena tours, platinum albums and radio airplay. But his previous nominations pale compared to the ones he earned Tuesday morning. Along with entertainer of the year, he took nominations in three coveted categories — album of the year for “My Kinda Party,” single of the year for “Don’t You Wanna Stay,” featuring Kelly Clarkson, and male vocalist of the year.

“That’s kind of the cool thing about this whole deal for us,” Aldean said in a phone interview. “A lot of this stuff is first-time stuff for us. I think the general consensus whenever we get nominations, especially the big ones, is that’s pretty special. Not only for me but my whole camp, for everyone involved. We’re all kind of experiencing this stuff for the first time, so I think everybody’s genuinely excited and sometimes surprised. It’s a good feeling to know when you’ve been working all this time and people are taking notice.”

The Band Perry and Jake Owen made the initial announcement of five categories Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.” Jerrod Niemann and two-time nominee Thompson Square announced the remainder of the nominees later at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

Zac Brown Band and The Band Perry were next with four nominations apiece. Kenny Chesney was nominated for three awards, including male vocalist of the year, but country music’s top touring draw was left out of an entertainer of the year category he won four straight times before essentially taking a year off.

Swift, who won entertainer of the year in 2009, is also up for female vocalist of the year with Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Sara Evans and Lambert, who won the honor last year on her 27th birthday.

Lambert’s husband, Shelton, will defend his male vocalist of the year award this year against Paisley, Urban, Aldean and Chesney.

The Band Perry will compete with Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Zac Brown Band and Little Big Town in the vocal group category. And the sibling trio is nominated with Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Thompson Square and Chris Young in the new artist of the year category.

Coveted album of the year nominations went to Shelton for “All About Tonight,” Aldean for “My Kinda Party,” Swift’s “Speak Now,” Paisley’s “This is Country Music” and “You Get What You Give” by Zac Brown Band.

Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the award show for a fourth time live Nov. 9 from Nashville on ABC.

“I definitely think over the last couple of years you’ve seen some artists get in there that aren’t the typical ones you’re used to seeing in there,” Aldean said. “That kind of tends to happen every few years. It seems like over the last couple of years you’re starting to see some of that. But it’s still a little surprising.”