Country star and “The Voice” judge Blake Shelton took a break from mainstream country music to release a gospel song with a country twang, “Jesus Got a Tight Grip.”
Shelton released the single on Friday, ahead of his album that will be out December 13.
At the beginning of “Jesus Got a Tight Grip,” Shelton sings that he “ain’t never been an angel” and “never been called a saint,” and admits he has “been a little more cold beer than holy water.” Yet the song preaches the redeeming message of God’s grace when Blake sings, “when I’m gone I know where I’ll go, ’cause Jesus got a tight grip on my soul.”
The lyrics read:
“Cause Jesus got a tight grip on my soul / And he ain’t lettin’ go, he ain’t lettin’ go. Devil reaches out but he can’t grab hold / Cause Jesus got a tight grip on my soul / And he ain’t lettin’ go, he ain’t lettin’ go / Might have a little rust on my halo / But when I’m gone I know where I’ll go / Cause Jesus got a tight grip on my soul.”
Earlier this year, Shelton released two other songs: “God’s Country” and “Hell Right,” both of which received attention for their faith-related elements.
In “God’s Country,” Shelton sings,
Right outside of this one-church town / There’s a gold dirt road to a whole lot of nothing / Got a deed to the land, but it ain’t my ground / This is God’s country / We pray for rain and thank Him when it’s fallin’ / ‘Cause it brings a grain and a little bit of money / We put it back in a plate / I guess that’s why they call it God’s country
On Friday, the day of release, “Jesus Got a Tight Grip” skyrocketed on the charts, landing at no. 11 on the top country chart. The song landed right below “Hell Right” which was seated at no. 10 on Friday.
“No one can ever say I don’t cover both ends of the spectrum,” Blake joked on Twitter, showing his songs back to back.
Shelton has been increasingly vocal over the last years about his relationship with God and his faith journey, which can be seen through his song lyrics.
You can stream “Jesus Got a Tight Grip,” on any major music platform.