Monthly Archives: February 2015

by | February 2, 2015 · 8:00 am

The Evolution of Blake Shelton’s Career

Two Saturdays ago, Blake Shelton was the host and musical guest of Saturday Night Live. He wore wigs, sang songs, and made fun of The Bachelor and himself. It marked, what I believe, to be the completion of the evolution of Blake Shelton’s public persona. And I’m not just talking about the evolution of Shelton’s hairstyles (naturally Buzzfeed is all over that) Obviously, I am not friends with Blake Shelton (or sadly any celebrities) so I can not attest to an actual character evolution, but from my perspective, as a consumer of music and popular culture, Shelton has undergone a lot of change in recent years.

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There’s no question about it, Shelton has been a giant (and I’m not just talking about his height) on the country music scene since his introduction in the early 2000s. He has had hits, massive tours, and got countless award nominations including Male Vocalist of the Year. He’s even married to one of the biggest female country stars of the day, Miranda Lambert. But in 2011, Shelton made an interesting career move. He signed on to be a judge for “The Voice.” And then, at least to me, I actually learned real things about Shelton. His humor about women, alcohol, and making fun of Adam Levine, while maybe not that surprising or out of character, catapulted Shelton into a more prominent place in popular culture. People tune into “The Voice” for a lot of reasons, most likely to watch people sing, but they also tune into to watch Blake Shelton and Adam Levine jab at each other with one-liners what many Americans have dubbed a “bromance.”

Since joining “The Voice”, Shelton has not left country behind. In fact, he is just as country as ever, in his boots and jeans, and spewing words with a “twang.” Hollywood success hasn’t changed Shelton at all. If anything, Shelton has displayed that anyone can make it big in this scene if they are likeable. Shelton certainly is. His staying true to his roots mentality is a perfect encapsulation of what a lot of country music is based on- simplicity and loyalty. Country music is a well-defined clique, with their own award shows and cities that are all theirs. They love their own and love to stay true to those people. Almost as much as they don’t love when people leave them. (Just count how many Miley Cyrus jokes were made at the CMA’s a couple of years ago.) And while Shelton may be on covers of People magazine and giving opening monologues on SNL, he is still, at the core, a country guy, no matter how many twitter followers he now has.

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Filed under Movies and TV, Reflection

by | February 1, 2015 · 8:00 pm

Is Blake Shelton the New Face of Country Music?

The Washington Post released an article on January 24, 2015 called, “How Blake Shelton replaced Taylor Swift as the face of country music.” This article was prompted after Blake Shelton hosted “Saturday Night Live.” The article goes on to explain that Blake Shelton “is the first country singer to host the famed late-night sketch show since Taylor Swift, who took the stage in November 2009, way back when she was decidedly still a country star.”

This isn’t Blake’s first television debut and rumors have been confirmed that it won’t be his last. Blake Shelton is one of the main coaches on today’s most popular singing competition, “The Voice,” and the “Rolling Stone” announced on January 27th that Blake Shelton would kick off his acting career in Adam Sandler’s new ‘Ridiculous 6’ movie.

Blake Shelton’s country music career started after he debuted his first hit single “Austin” in 2001 and it remained number on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for five weeks. Since then Blake Shelton has broken the Country Airplay record with 11 consecutive No. 1 singles, and is currently the reigning CMA male vocalist of the year.

I myself attended one Blake’s concerts last year and that is when I became a huge fan. I think that Blake Shelton is an incredibly humble performer and would make a great face for country music. Blake Shelton has made if very clear that he will remain loyal to country music and his own beliefs. He seems to thrive in the spot light and so far has made country music proud. Pop culture named Taylor Swift the face of country music and I do believe that they have now voted on Blake Shelton. Many fans criticize that Taylor Swift was never country, but “CMT All-Time top 40” placed her at No. 16. It is undeniable how many pop fans Taylor Swift has opened up to country music in her career, so I believe that is unfair to write her out of country music all together.

Blake Shelton has over 10.2 million followers on twitter and is married to country superstar Miranda Lambert. I don’t know how todays country artists feel about Blake Shelton being announced “the face of country music,” but I honestly can’t think of a better candidate, who has the opportunity in today’s media to bring in more country fans. I am studying TexasMedia advertising at The University of Texas at Austin and I personally believe he does a brilliant job of connecting with his fans and evolving with technology. I would have to agree that Blake Shelton is the new face of country music whether the country fans like it or not.

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Filed under Live Music, Movies and TV, New Country, Reflection

by | · 12:00 pm

Blake Shelton the Sketch Actor? Hee Naw

Hee- Haw, Farm Hunk, and a Wishing Boot; what do they all have in common? They were all bits on the past episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by country star Blake Shelton. After the deflate gate sketch and opening credits all attention was on the man of the night as Blake, or as he calls himself, “the Justin Bieber of country music, just a trouble-makin’ cutie”.

Blake and the cast start off trying to make light hearted “gotcha” jokes in the style of a comedy show Blake watched when he was younger called Hee Haw. It turns around on Blake turning him into the butt of the gangs’ jokes and he retorts, “This isn’t a roast…come on…nice country jokes”. This was not my favorite bit of the episode, but I can appreciate Blake using something he knows well to entertain his audience and introduce everyone watching to a different kind of comedy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiI-sW94ApY

After his opening monologue, Blake stars in a Bachelor-esque sketch where the women keep wanting to steal him for a conversation. This was probably my least favorite sketch. I found it to be very repetitive, but that wouldn’t be Blake’s fault. He was simply saying the lines that were written for him. If I hear “tell me about yourself” one more time, I might scream (internally). The sketch does capture the essence of The Bachelor in its first few episodes each season with its slightly crazy women trying to say what the bachelor wants them to hear just to last another week. Blake’s character even tries to scare them away from his home town in Iowa but the women just love it. Plus, take a look at Blake’s wig in this sketch; it’s a little unsettling. Although, it wasn’t my favorite sketch of the night it still made me laugh at times.

In my opinion, the show stealer was definitely Wishing Boot. The song first implies maybe a God as “something out there watching over you”. But this is SNL, so instead of a song about a God, we have a song about a magical wishing boot. I’m not sure if it’s the personality this inanimate object has or how people react to it, this song just makes me laugh.

I can agree with CMT that the Family Feud skit was only “so-so”. Facing The Voice judges against American Idol judges seemed like the easy way out and they overplayed Blake and Adam Levine’s bromance. This was the first half hour of the show with Blake’s performance of Neon Light at around the halfway point. After SNL’s news skit, Blake played a parole board member deciding on a prisoner’s execution. This performance was not worth talking about. It was a time killer and Kenan Thompson stole this scene. Later, Blake plays a local artist who helps an old man write a song for his late wife. It starts off really sweet, but then the truth comes out. The funny, sad truth. This is why Blake hosted, so he could have funny songs in his episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9M2Q1G9PMk

Then we hear Boys ‘Round Here as Blake’s second song performance of the night. However the show ends with a bang and Blake’s best acting of the night. Blake acts as a heckler at a magic show who interrupts the show wishing for various powers, and guns as different body parts. I feel this is when Blake finally had a part that he really enjoyed.

Blake seemed pretty pleased with himself for doubling as host and musical guest this past weekend. I would say he did a pretty good job considering he isn’t an actor. But Blake, please stick to being that southern boy from Ada.

How do you think Blake did hosting SNL? What was your favorite or least favorite sketch? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

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by | · 8:00 am

SNL: Blake Shelton Wishes on a Boot

snl blake shelton main 2Country music took the stage on Saturday Night Live on Saturday, January 24, when Blake Shelton acted as host and musical talent. Shelton, 2014 CMA Male Vocalist of the Year award winner and The Voice coach, was his usual charming self and used his witty humor to mock the genre he has mastered. The Washington Post reported that Shelton is the first country artist to host SNL since Taylor Swift in 2009, proving that Shelton is the face of country music and a big part of pop culture.

Shelton’s lack of acting experience was apparent but the writers catered to his strengths by using his country background in the Opening Monologue and reenacting Hee-Haw, a hillbilly classic comedy that Shelton grew up watching. I’ve never seen Hee-Haw, but it was easy to follow the sketch. However, I did not really enjoy it. SNL turned it into slapstick humor with portrayal of “simple” country folks that wasn’t funny. The “Old Coot” referred to taking his sister out for their anniversary.Shelton also appeared in a very entertaining The Bachelor spoof, “Farm Hunk.” Shelton’s musical performances of “Neon Trees” and “Boys Round Here” were easily two of the best parts of the show. Both performances gave the show a burst of energy. Shelton’s vocals were in perfect pitch and his stage presence demonstrated why he is such a big name in the country genre. However, the segment that stole the night was a spoof titled “Wishin’ Boot.”

There is no doubt that “Wishin’ Boot,” a parody of country ballads and music videos, was the nights’ best comedy sketch. In the music video, we see a dingy room and crying girls, which commonly appear in country music videos. Joined by Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant, the premise of “Wishin’ Boot” is that in times of need, a magical cowboy boot will solve all your problems. As the song says, “it’s hope in the form of a little ol’ dirty boot.” What worked about this sketch was Shelton’s ability to shine a light on the stereotypes of country and play with the norms of the genre. The video starts out with McKinnon lamenting poverty stricken life, mocking the norm of hardship. She is then blessed by a “wishin’ boot”, poking fun at the faith that country songs often reference.

Blake Shelton SNLShelton obviously enjoyed himself and effectively used his vocal skills and natural sense of humor. However, based on the Hee-Haw skit, I question whether the writers really appreciate the dominant position the country genre has in the music industry today. Maybe the 15% increase in ratings – likely due to Shelton’s presence – will convince them.

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