How Blake Shelton got to recording his newest single, “God’s Country,” is almost as dramatic as the song: He was clearing land on his Oklahoma farm, a place that he considers “to be God’s country, doing the thing that makes me feel the most connected to God, which is working on the land,” when he got a text from his producer, Scott Hendricks, with songs for Blake to check out, and the very first one was “God’s Country” which Shelton found “overwhelming.”

Though not planning to record any new music, he was so taken by the song he went into the studio for this one.

“We pray for rain and thank Him when it’s fallin’..

Cause it brings a grain and little bit of money..

We put it back on a plate,

I guess that’s why they call it..God’s Country”..

These are true emotions, rooted in the life of the man expressing them.

One of Hank Williams, Jr.’s biggest hits, “Country Boys Can Survive,” (1982)  echoes the musical sound of this latest Blake Shelton track–the story lines differ, but both are in-your-face renditions that speak to the work ethic of rural life and the self reliance it requires.

BoomerMusicUpdate expects “God’s Country,” currently #25 on the Country chart, to reach  #1.