BITTER SWEET, Ky. — It would be difficult to get much hotter than country superstar Blake Shelton short of hopping in the oven. I mean this guy is everywhere and everything he touches turns to gold.

From pushing pizzas to being a celebrity coach on the music reality show The Voice to selling one hit record after another, Shelton has become the quintessential entertainer. In fact, he was just named the Country Music Assoc.’s (CMA) Male Vocalist of the Year Award for a fifth consecutive time, a record shared only with Vince Gill.

And to top all of that, he is married to arguably the most popular female country music star on the planet, Miranda Lambert. Shelton just released his 11th album, titled Bringing Back the Sunshine, which of course, debuted at No 1.

This album, for me, really showcases this Ada, Okla. native’s country roots – although I really liked his version of the rock/pop hit Footloose.

Shelton says he grew up admiring the hits from country giants like George Strait, Earl Thomas Conley (one of my favorites) and Conway Twitty.

His latest hit, Neon Lights becomes his 13th No. 1 hit in a row – a country music record. My guess is there will be more No. 1 hits from this collection. The thing I like best about this release is there’s not a song on it that doesn’t have the potential to be a chart topper. It is good all the way through.

Shelton has taken his unmistakable country sound and blended it with a newer sound on certain tracks like Buzzin’ while giving us more conservative country music fans what we really like as indicative in the track titled Just South of Heaven.

But I think my favorite song on this release is the toe-tappin’ title track that has a little bit of a rock sound to it. I know, that’s a little unusual for me, but it’s just one of those songs that makes you want to dance. And if we all danced a little more, we’d be a lot healthier and happier.

The album also contains a great duet with Ashley Monroe, a former member of the female country trio Pistol Annies of which Shelton’s wife was a member. This album, for me, is the total package with something for everyone. If you’re a Shelton fan, you’ve likely already purchased the CD. If you’re new to his music, this is a great place to start. I give Blake Shelton’s Bringing Back the Sunshine a big 99, A. Now, let’s all put on our dancing shoes.

Bluegrass Johnson comes from a long line of country music performers and enjoys a passion for the rhythm and melody. From the hills of Kentucky, he will offer his opinions on a variety of new country music each week. Readers with questions or comments may write to Johnson in care of this publication.