Hillbilly Bone

Hillbilly Bone

by Blake SheltonBlake Shelton

Overview

Hillbilly Bone feels like a stopgap between albums for Blake Shelton, but it's not. This "Six Pak" is a budget-priced, six-track EP featuring a smash single as the title track. Pal Trace Adkins helps out on both the cut and in the video. The format is Warner Bros' attempt to deal with growing customer dissatisfaction with the traditional full-length format; they will release a second part later in 2010. As for the music, it's a formula contemporary country chartmaker: highly compressed dual lead guitars, layered acoustic guitars, good-time honky tonk lyrics, and big rocking drums. It's a good-natured dig at city folks, and you can't help but like Shelton, no matter how many cliché's he spews. A radio skit outro is the actual intro to "Kiss My Country Ass," a pure "redneck-and-proud" anthem worthy of Hank Williams, Jr. at his most ornery. Were it not for the title, it would no doubt score as a single as well. Things get a bit slower and softer with four different kinds of "love" songs that follow. The first, "You'll Always Be Beautiful," is about the real thing; it's among the more sensitive ballads on Shelton's records. "Can't Afford to Love You" is a humorous take on trying to find the right person in the wrong place. "Delilah" is a classic contemporary country betrayal number. The set's final cut, "Almost Alright," is a midtempo recovering-from-love narrative with a catchy chorus, an unusual use of steel drums, and a more complex rhythm pattern -- the idea for which was likely borrowed from Jimmy Buffett. Hillbilly Bone is a sure thing for Shelton's fans, and a risky experiment in marketing for his label.

Product Details

Release Date: 03/02/2010
Label: Reprise / Wea
UPC: 0093624970163
catalogNumber: 522642

Tracks

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Blake Shelton   Primary Artist
Eric Darken   Percussion
Connie Ellisor   Violin
Paul Franklin   Pedal Steel Guitar
Brent Mason   Electric Guitar
Greg Morrow   Percussion,Drums
Gordon Mote   Piano,Hammond B3
Jimmie Lee Sloas   Bass
Craig Wiseman   Electric Guitar,Drum Loop
Aubrey Haynie   Fiddle
Ron Sorbo   Steel Drums
Carole Neuen-Rabinowitz   Cello
Bryan Sutton   Acoustic Guitar,Banjo,Mandolin
Troy Lancaster   Electric Guitar
Perry Coleman   Background Vocals
Tom Bukovac   Electric Guitar
Carole Rabinowitz   Cello
Pam Sixfin   Violin
Charlie Judge   Synthesizer Strings
Jennifer Zuffinetti   Background Vocals
Bersy Lamb   Viola

Technical Credits

Scott Hendricks   Producer,overdub engineer
Craig Wiseman   Composer
Rhett Akins   Composer
Jimmy Yeary   Composer
Blake Shelton   Composer
Holly Chapman   grooming
Narvel Blackstock   Management
Jerrod Niemann   Composer
Brandon Blackstock   Management
Lee Brice   Composer
Luke Laird   Composer
Ben Hayslip   Composer
Dallas Davidson   Composer
Clint Lagerberg   Composer
Mark Roeder   Booking
Jon Stone   Composer

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