Blake Shelton's Success on The Voice Influencing Direction of His Next Album.

Blake Shelton's latest #1 hit, "Over," leans a bit more in the pop direction, and he might not have released the song to radio had it not been for his increased exposure on NBC's The Voice.  Blake sees that song, which is included on his album Red River Blue, as a kind of bridge from country to the pop and rock fans he's picked up as a TV star. It's not that Blake is catering to the pop audience just because of The Voice. He says, "I made Red River Blue album before The Voice even happened.  We were done with that record, and it just kind of happened that way." Now that Blake is back in the studio working on a new album, he finds himself reeling in the pop sound in favor of a return to more country-oriented styles. "I don't want to ever lose my core out there, you know what I mean," Blake explains.  "I don't want them to feel like, 'Oh, you know, he's Hollywood now.'" Don't expect Blake to put out a hardcore country album though.  He's determined to keep up his streak of seven consecutive #1 hits that started back in 2009 with "Hillbilly Bone." Says Blake, "The most important thing that I have going in my life right now is this momentum at radio. It's just so exciting. That's way more important to me than The Voice or any other things that I may have going on."

Blake Shelton and The Voice Coaches Do Battle in New Promo; Blake to Announce Christmas Album Details Monday!

The Voice returns on September 10, and in a new promo, Blake Shelton and his fellow coaches prove they'll stop at nothing to discover a new and exciting talent. It actually pretty funny...especially when you find out whos "Voice" they're chasing after in the promo! In other Blake news, he will reveal details on his upcoming Christmas album Monday. Look for Blake to talk about the holiday offering on E!'s Chelsea Lately that night.

Keith Urban Is Excited That His Music is Finally Getting Played in . . . Australia?!?

KEITH URBAN is from Australia, so obviously, his music is played nonstop Down Under, right? Nope.  And according to Keith, it has to do with outdated stereotypes that his Aussie mates have about country music. But the good news is that's changed now that he's a star on the Australian version of "The Voice".  (--He's one of the four "coaches" . . . along with Seal, Delta Goodrem, and Joel Madden from Good Charlotte.) Keith talked about it in an interview in the Australian edition of "GQ".  He said, quote, "The best thing about ['The Voice'] has been the chance for people [here] to get to know me. "My music doesn't really get played here despite it having a lot of appeal elsewhere, so I've found myself without an outlet for my songs because of various narrow stereotypes and perceptions about me. That's been a challenge. "But [the show] has offered an opportunity to connect in a different way and I hope now people check out the gigs because that’s the real show for me . . . and it ain't played on a planet of 10-gallon hats."

Local Resident Crowned Champion!

Local resident Jermaine Paul from Harriman, NY was crowned the winner of The Voice! Jermaine was on Team Blake (no shock there)! To read all about it, just click the link below! CONGRATULATIONS Jermaine and Blake!

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Keith Urban Starts Role as Judge on Australian Version of The Voice Later This Month.

Keith Urban will begin flying back and forth to Sydney later this month to fulfill his role as a judge on the Australian version of The Voice. He's looking forward to "getting the opportunity to try and help some killer raw talent blossom." Keith says, "I have a feeling that being immersed in that new kind of 'everything is possible' energy, will have a real inspiring and liberating effect on creating new music for my new album!"
Keith plans to spend a lot of time in Nashville working on that new album. He's already started writing and finding songs for that project, but no release date has been set yet.

Blake Shelton Reveals His Strategy for Season Two of ‘The Voice’

It feels like only yesterday that Blake Shelton‘s charge Dia Frampton was the runner up on the debut season of ‘The Voice.’ Well, season two is upon us, and Shelton is already raring to go and plotting his methods for another round. Shelton revealed that he will retain last season’s strategy of picking the singers with the most unique and different voices for his team. Obviously, Shelton has no interest in cultivating a poker face during the audition round. “I am picking polarizing voices,” Shelton reveals to The Boot. “That really worked out well for me last time around. There were a lot of great singers on that show, but there was only one Dia and one Xenia. They are so different from any other voices you ever hear. That’s what the show means to me.” Shelton, who serves as a coach and a mentor to each singer on his team, thinks this season will be an improvement from last year, which was by no means a flop. In fact, it was a huge ratings hit. He thinks his show stands out from other reality talent competitions because of the way it’s structured. “That’s the cool thing about having artists be the coaches — we all have a different vision for what ‘The Voice’ is,” he theorizes. “I think it will become even more dynamic this year, as far as how different each one of our teams are. Now we know what we’re looking for and how to go about the game we play.” The second season of ‘The Voice’ will premiere on Feb. 5 on NBC, immediately following the Super Bowl.

(A Taste Of Country)

"The Voice's" Dia Frampton and Xenia Helped Blake Shelton Get "Excited Again" About Performing

Here's proof that no matter how glamorous your job is, you eventually take it for granted. BLAKE SHELTON was in a professional rut, but he didn't even know it until he started working with the contestants on "The Voice". Blake said, quote, "From the standpoint of having been a guy who's been doing this for 10 years now, it's easy to get calloused and it's easy to forget what it was like to not have this (career). "Being around (teammates DIA FRAMPTON and XENIA), and seeing that look in their eyes and seeing that excitement when I took them out on the road with me . . . "It was [a] reminder of 'Oh my God, somewhere along the way I forgot what that was like and how lucky I am.' It rejuvenated me. Maybe that's why I got so attached to those two because they were making me feel alive again and excited about music."

Blake Shelton Loves That "The Voice" Helped Him Win Over New Fans.

There's no doubt that "The Voice" has given BLAKE SHELTON'S career a huge boost. It may even end up making him a household name. It's certainly getting him recognized. He explains, quote, "It actually blows me away. It's definitely obvious. "Just walking down the streets of New York City with MIRANDA (LAMBERT), people are stopping me and wanting to say hi and take a picture or something, and it's always about that show. "I've been going to New York City and Los Angeles for 10 years and you can count on one hand how many times someone has recognized me in New York City." What Blake loves even more than the recognition, has been the opportunity to show people what he's all about. He continues, quote, "There's no better feeling than that feeling like you won somebody over. "And it's the same feeling I had the very first time I got on stage and held a microphone when I was seven or eight years old. "It's that same rush of I'm starting from zero, you know, and I want to make these people like me and like my music and what I stand for and who I am as a person. "So when you have that opportunity like I do with 'The Voice', there's that whole new group of people again."

SPOILER ALERT!! --- The Voice Finale!

Last night was the season finale of "The Voice", and while it was close, Team Blake didn't come away with the win: JAVIER COLON from Team Adam beat out DIA FRAMPTON by just 2% of the vote. Dia was the last of the four finalists to perform, and she did "The House That Built Me" with MIRANDA LAMBERT. Miranda did the first verse, Dia came in on the second verse, and they owned it, you could tell from the crowd's reaction. Miranda gave Dia a big hug when they were finished and Blake was pretty emotional. He said, quote, "I was probably supposed to have something prepared to say. I know why I get so emotional around you, Dia. Watching you sing that song with my wife, it makes sense to me. You are family to me now and I love you. I really do." He also said, quote, "They are both mold breakers. There is nobody else like 'em."