Superstar Blake Shelton delivered one of the 53rd annual CMA Awards’ most fiery moments, igniting the stage for his latest No.1 hit, “God’s Country.”
Scowling and sneering through one of the most aggressive hits of his long career, Shelton sang on a stage ringed by flames and cold steel, with a backdrop of iron girders that resembled a red-hot forge. Backed by Musician of the Year Winner Jenee Fleenor on fiddle — the first female winner of the award in CMA history — it was a gritty, hard-edged moment of pure-country power.
Meanwhile, Shelton was introduced by singer-songwriter Craig Morgan, who called Shelton a “true friend” and thanked him for supporting his spiritual new single “The Father, My Son, and The Holy Ghost,” a heartbreaking tribute to his late son, Jerry, who died at age 19 in a tragic boating accident three years ago.
Shelton won Single Record of the Year for “God’s Country” earlier in the night, and would go on to deliver the live-TV debut of his “Dive Bar” collaboration with Garth Brooks.
