Blake Shelton opened for Rascal Flatts in the 2000s. Fast forward two decades and 30 No. 1 hits later, Shelton quips that when he recently joined Flatts to sing “Mayberry” on their new LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: REFUELED DUETS album, he felt like he still reports to them.
“The Rascal Flatts guys still treat me like the opening act, and I fall for it, too,” Shelton said, smirking. “I still feel like they’re my bosses even a hundred years later.”
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: REFUELED DUETS also includes collaborations with Kelly Clarkson, Brandon Lake, Jason Aldean, Carly Pearce, and Jordan Davis and will be available June 6.
Shelton, who recently charted his 30th No. 1 song with “Texas,” remembers Flatts’ Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus texting him and telling him they needed him to get to the studio and put his vocal on “Mayberry” immediately.
“It wasn’t, ‘When you get a chance,’” Shelton said. “They were like, ‘ASAP.’ And it was like, ‘Yes sir. Shit, we better get in the studio.’”
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LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: REFUELED DUETS Will Be Available June 6
The next time Shelton was in the studio to record for his new album For Recreational Use Only, he spent the day singing “Mayberry” instead. He claims Flatts made him sing it in LeVox’s sky-high key.
“Which, I can’t sing in,” Shelton said. With his tongue-in-cheek humor cranked to 10, he said: “There’s not enough courtesy to go, ‘Hey, is there a better key for you that might work?’ Oh my God. Blood was coming out of my mouth, trying to sing in Gary’s key. My ears were popping.”
DeMarcus is calling bull on Shelton’s statement about the key.
“It’s a lie,” DeMarcus said. “It’s a half-step lower. He can’t sing in Gary’s key.”
Shelton pointed out that his friend Clarkson is also on the album, and he wondered how Flatts treated her.
“Maybe they were nice enough to ask her what key she wanted to do it in,” he jokes, admitting that Clarkson could likely sing “I’m Movin’ On” in LeVox’s key so it wouldn’t have to be altered.
LeVox quipped, joking: “Blake will always work for us whether he wants to or not.”
Gary LeVox on Blake Shelton: “Blake Will Always Work for Us”
It’s all in good fun, though.
“I love Blake Shelton,” DeMarcus said. “He’s turned out to be one of my favorite people on the planet.”
In all honesty, Shelton loves the “Mayberry” recording, admitting: “It’s a cool record.”
Super producer Dann Huff stepped in to guide the production of the 10-song album, which includes nine reimagined hits and one new track, “I Dare You” with the Jonas Brothers. LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: REFUELED DUETS marks the trio’s return to country music five years after they revealed plans for a hiatus. The pandemic stalled their farewell tour, but Rascal Flatts is making up for it now. Reunited, happy, and healthier than ever, LeVox, DeMarcus, and guitarist Joe Don Rooney just finished a sold-out tour.
“What’s emotionally fulfilling is that after this time off, you hit that stage every single night,” LeVox said. “This last tour was incredible. It really was an eye-opener to how much we really mean to people and what our music has meant to them. They just showed up in droves. We didn’t know if people would come, but 25 years was certainly worth celebrating.”
Life Is A Highway: Refueled Duets Album Track List:
- “I Dare You” (with Jonas Brothers)
- “Fast Cars And Freedom” (with Jason Aldean)
- “My Wish” (with Carly Pearce)
- “Mayberry” (with Blake Shelton)
- “Stand” (with Brandon Lake)
- “Summer Nights” (with Ashley Cooke)
- “What Hurts The Most” (with Backstreet Boys)
- “Yours If You Want It” (with Jordan Davis)
- “Life Is A Highway” (with Lzzy Hale)
- “I’m Movin’ On” (with Kelly Clarkson)
(Scott Legato/Getty Images)
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