Based on a True Story...
by Blake Shelton
Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
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  1. Billboard.com
    Mar 26, 2013
    79
    If fans felt like they got to know the real Blake on the hit NBC show, they'll get another close look with this batch of songs.
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Mar 27, 2013
    63
    With its easy rhymes and hummable choruses, the album doesn't ask the listener to work any harder than Shelton himself is prepared to work.
  3. Boston Globe
    Mar 26, 2013
    60
    The album may be based on a true story, but it doesn’t offer enough personal touches to distinguish it from a lot of other tales coming out of Nashville.
  5. AllMusic
    Mar 26, 2013
    60
    That Shelton can pull off this big, swinging bravado isn't much of a surprise--when his voice trills electronically on "Small Town Big Time" he makes it sound like a joke--but there's just a little bit too much of the schtick; individually the cuts work fine but they overwhelm not only the gentler moments ("Sure Be Cool If You Did," "Do You Remember") but cancel each other out over the long run.
  6. Country Weekly
    Mar 26, 2013
    58
    While some of the project’s dozen tracks, like the beautiful ballad “Do You Remember” and the refreshingly ’70s-sounding “Lay Low,” which calls to mind Gary Stewart, are of Blake’s caliber, others feel rushed.

User Reviews

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User Score
4.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 26
  3. Negative: 12 out of 26
  1. Grady
    Mar 27, 2013
    0
    Blake Shelton has released a good album in the sense that it so stubbornly adheres to the tried-and-true country pop template, that nobodyBlake Shelton has released a good album in the sense that it so stubbornly adheres to the tried-and-true country pop template, that nobody could even dare to begin criticizing it due to how "servicable" and "innoffensive" it is.

    These kind of lukewarm sentiments are exactly why we haven't seen any true evolution in mainstream country music for years. These artists can afford to be lazy because of how un-demanding their target audience is. I've seen this very same album released every year for the past 5-10 years by different people like Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Toby Keith, and a ton of other country "artists" trying to make a quick buck off of folks who have become exceedingly complacent with hearing the same sh*t over and over again.

    Don't support this cheap, lazy excuse for "songwriting". Vote with your wallets. We can't let country artists degrade music by depending on an old, tired formula for every album they release.    … Full Review »
  2. Scamp4553
    Mar 27, 2013
    0
    I'm going to tell people the cold, hard truth with this album, and that's that it is a rehashed version of every other country music album outI'm going to tell people the cold, hard truth with this album, and that's that it is a rehashed version of every other country music album out there. This is why I consider this type of music to be among the bottom of the barrel of music. If you take the lyrics to "Country On The Radio" off of this album, and basically every other country music song out there, you basically get the exact same song with the exact same lyrics. And literally every song on here is the exact same as other songs in the genre. This might as well just be Red River Blue Part Deux or Starting MORE Fires or, even more fitting, Generic Country Album #8549385234235346452375023955324532509348.3593053. Blake Shelton, along with Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch, and every other current country musician out there are all basically the same exact artist. They offer nothing that is even remotely new or interesting to the table. All of them write about the exact same topic with the same lyrics we've seen so many times before that it's now a cliche of the genre. But the sad thing is, it sells, especially with the teenagers and young adults, and that's sickening.… Full Review »
  3. jethibea
    Apr 8, 2013
    4
    Although i can't give it a 0 like some others on here, what those reviews are saying is essentially true. There's not a lot of interestingAlthough i can't give it a 0 like some others on here, what those reviews are saying is essentially true. There's not a lot of interesting stuff on here. The lead single 'Be Cool if You Did' is pretty good, and one or two other tracks stand out. Otherwise, there is nothing new here lyrically or melodically. Blake Shelton seems so likeable you want to like this music, but how can you when there are artists like Kacey Musgraves and Allison Monroe and Jamey Johnson and, for crying out loud, his wife Miranda Lambert, pushing the envelope and doing something interesting with country music.

    I know there are a lot of other very good country artists who exist outside of this generic rehash of country formula. I would take a look for those artists before investing in this kind of album.    … Full Review »
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