The Man in Blake

By: Tony Manefetano

With a venerable musical catalog, a beautiful and successful wife (who, by the way, lets him duet with her hot friends), and television career, Blake Shelton is in no need of more validation going to that scruffy cheeked head of his. And for all this writer knows what I am about to suggest may only seem complementary to me. Throughout time immemorial comparisons have been made between historical or prevalent figures and someone we believe carries their qualities into our modern, celebriphiliac society. Now that I have buried the lede deep enough, let us dive in shall we?
Here are a few reasons why I think Blake Shelton is the new Johnny Cash.

Presence: Johnny Cash’s distinct voice cannot (and will not on my watch), be disputed. That was his trademark, his brand. The ancillary compliments of his build, height , demeanor, and talent all added to his overwhelming presence both on and off stage. Whether hearing Cash sing, speak, or even reading his literature one cannot help being captivated and at the same time reassured. Perhaps we do not go that deep with Blake but running in the Nashville songwriter circles for a few years now I have heard the tales. Stories of a young Blake Shelton picking up a guitar at parties and shutting the whole crowd up when he began to sing. And now he uses his honed and sharpened weapons to the pack out stadiums and arenas. His light heartedness and humility project an aura of comfort. Blake even carries that charisma to his twitter account @blakeshelton where he is usually propping up his wife Miranda Lambert’s career, cracking wise, or taking friendly jabs at The Voice co-star Adam Lavine.  Not to mention Blake comes in at a lofty 6’5” holding three inches over the man in black.

Crossover Ability: The Johnny Cash show ran from 1969 to 1971 and featured the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard just to name a few. Not to mention his film appearances, concept albums, books and brand logos.  Blake Shelton’s musical competition show The Voice has yet to launch anyone to stardom thus far but the similarities should not be denied. Both made the leap from audible entertainment to visual and managed to stay true to their genre. From pizza ads to billboards, from social media to prime time television right up to the stage at the Grand Ole Opry, Blake is everywhere. Are there others as well known in country music? Absolutely, but how many of them would be recognizable at a hip-hop or rock show? We see Cash’s image transcend genre in ubiquity, someone just needs to snap a picture of Blake giving the finger.

Adaptability:  We saw Cash go through country, rock, gospel and folk stages of his career. He recorded cover albums, seasonals, concepts, was in a country super group and even ended up being produced by Rick Rubin, a leader in Hip-Hop music.  Never wavering from himself as an artist and a man he was not afraid to tackle new challenges musically or in other aspects of entertainment. The aforementioned crossover comparison notwithstanding, Blake has managed to stay relevant in country music due to his skill at taking whatever the popular trend is and doing it better than almost any of his contemporaries. Whether it is traditional, outlaw or pop country. With only a handful of Tims, Kennys and Carries, Blake finds himself among a select few able to do this. Many artists stay popular for what they do without having to change. The slight adjustments we see from time to time are often mistaken as capitulation to the purchasing masses. In most cases it is a simple matter of a performer performing for the people. That is what they do, after all. It is their job. If your favorite beer changed it’s label you would still drink it, right? Hey, I’ll admit we have heard a few stinkers from Blake on pop-country radio, but he always comes back and blows us away.

Both have commendable style, are snappy dressers, married a fellow singer, and have been known to let their party sheets blow thrice to the wind. The juxtaposition of Johnny Cash’s and Blake Shelton’s careers is separated by a thin line. I do not know if I was able to make you Walk The Line,  but it would Sure Be Cool If You Did.
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