Blake Shelton debuted a new duet with his wife, powerhouse singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani, on his first studio record in four years. The album, For Recreational Use Only, made its highly-anticipated arrival on Friday (May 9).

Songwriters Sam Ellis, Charles Kelley and Greylan James teamed up to write “Hangin’ On,” a ballad about a couple that can’t seem to move on from one another. It’s the latest collaboration between Shelton and Stefani since “Purple Irises,” a romantic song that appeared on Stefani’s 2024 album, Bouquet. The married duo previously released “Nobody But You,” “Happy Anywhere” and other duets.

“I hear you’re hangin’ on/ The other the side of this town/ Somehow that messes me up/ Wonder if that picture of us/ Is still hangin’ on/ That paisley wall in your room/ Or did you take it down/ I should’ve let go by now/ But I keep hangin’ on/ To every word you said/ Like some ol’ faded tee/ Wish I could take you off/ But you keep hangin’ on to me”

“Hangin’ On” is one of three collaborations on the 12-track record, along with songs featuring country stars Craig Morgan and John Anderson. For Recreational Use Only also includes previously-released tracks “Stay Country or Die Tryin’,” “Let Him In Anyway” and “Texas,” Shelton’s No. 1 single with a nod to country legend George Strait. Shelton performed the anthem during the milestone 60th ACM Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire at the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Shelton took the stage with his performance, and later presented “Lainey freakin’ Wilson” with the coveted Entertainer of the Year honor for her second year in a row.

For Recreational Use Only is the Oklahoma-born country star’s latest studio album since Body Language released in 2021. that 12-track project included “Minimum Wage,” the title track with The Swon Brothers (an Oklahoma-born brother duo who competed on Shelton’s team on The Voice in 2013), and “Happy Anywhere” with Stefani.

“I can’t believe it’s been four years since we released an album, and I’m excited to get the whole record out there,” Shelton said in a statement. “I’ve always been someone who wants to collect great songs but sometimes the hardest thing to do is to find something that hasn’t been said or written before or a melody that we haven't heard. I’m always on the search for that. I look back over the years, and I’m just proud because some of those songs don’t sound like anything else. And I think we did it again with this album.”

Find the full For Recreational Use Only album on iHeartRadio here. See the full track list details below, and listen to “Hangin’ On” with Stefani here:

Denise Plante