Blake Shelton has been one busy guy these past couple of days, with the return of The Voice coming earlier this week and with a new album in tow, it's imaginable that Shelton is looking forward to summer for more than just the weather, but for a chance to finally relax. Is all this nonstop action worth it for Shelton though? Well it's too early to cast a verdict on this seasons The Voice, but his album has been scrutinised by some already and the overall critique is that Based On A True Story just about passes the grade.

Blake Shelton
Blake Shelton fails to excite on A True Story, but doesn't disappoint

The album offers next to no real surprises and is just your average country release, with Metracritic averaging the scores for the album at a satisfactory, but far from overwhelming 6.2. Probably the most positive review comes from Billboard, who agree on the openness of the album, specifically the open lyrics from Shelton. Based On A True Story is just that, it is a collection of personal songs from the country star that doesn't go too deep, as Blake maintains a pich of humour on many of the tracks. As he recently revealed in USA Today, the album may be a personal journey, but it is a 'pretty light one' at that.

Country Weekly and the Los Angeles Times agree that whilst the album hold its own and is never really a disappointment, some of the album sounds as though it was made in a rush and as a result it feels as though Shelton has underachieved on an album he could have exceeded with had we spent just a little more time on it. But given Shelton's hectic work schedule, you can forgive him this time for rushing this release.