Blake Shelton Felt Like His Career Was 'Slipping' Before Recording 'God's Country'

Blake Shelton just celebrated his 26th No. 1 with his latest single, 'God's Country.' While [...]

Blake Shelton just celebrated his 26th No. 1 with his latest single, "God's Country." While Shelton is used to having his songs land at the top of the charts, this one feels even extra meaningful to Shelton, who was beginning to believe his career had already seen its best days.

"Let's be honest, I've been very fortunate as a recording artist to get the right songs along the way," Shelton shared with PopCulture.com and other media. "I write a little bit, but I always considered myself a singer first. I'm just the kind of guy that, I want to make the best records I can possibly make, and I don't care who writes the song, whether its me or [the 'God's Country' songwriters] or whoever. I just want the best songs that I can find. I'd already recorded a little bit and I was at home in Oklahoma."

Shelton's last record, Texoma Shore, landed at the top of the charts, and had three successful singles, including "I'll Name the Dogs," which was also a No. 1 hit. But even with the accomplishment, it still felt like a bit of a letdown for the 43-year-old.

"In my last album, it's weird because even if I said, 'Hey man, my last record felt like things were slipping, this is slipping off a little bit here,' people would say to me, 'What are you talking about? You had the No. 1 song, the album is gold, a platinum single?'" Shelton reflected. "But you kind of feel it. So I was back home in Oklahoma and Scott [Borchetta] sent me 'God's Country.'"

Shelton was working on his ranch, while listening to songs, but immediately stopped what he was doing when he heard "God's Country," written by HARDY, Devin Dawson and Jordan Schmidt.

"I was doing some work on the skid steer actually, mulching some trees," recalled the singer. "I was just trying to drive and look at my phone at the same time. I figured out a way to play the songs inside of this machine, through the Bluetooth that it had, and that's when I heard 'God's Country.' I was literally working in the spot where in the video we run the tractor, literally that's where I was and that area did not look like that.

"I stopped and I called Scott and I go, 'Man, I don't know, who or where that song came from, but that's literally the kind of song that makes me want to make another record, that reignites my excitement for, not for country music, but for what I do in country music.'"

Photo Credit: Getty images / Terry Wyatt

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