Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Jennifer and Jared Blake in the new music video for Don’t Let Her Be Gone

The Season 1 contestant from The Voice released “Don’t Let Her Be Gone,” his first single in three years, back in November.

The accompanying music video, starring Jared and his wife Jennifer, dropped over the weekend.

In it, the couple argue. Jennifer heads to a friend’s house to cool off and have a glass of wine.

The ladies head out to a bar, where they drink some more. Deciding to reconcile with her husband, Jennifer leaves the bar only to get involved in a crash that leaves her with a head injury.

The video is designed as a warning against drinking and driving.

It’s also inspired by a real-life incident, though in real life it was Jared and his wife who were hit head on by a drunk driver driving the wrong way on a one-way street in Nashville.

Jared told Voice Views he typically only records songs he writes but decided to make an exception with “Don’t Let Her Be Gone” — written by Ray Stephenson, Buddy Owens and John Osborne — because the story resonated with some of the things his relationship had been through while he recovered from a serious motorcycle crash.

The song became even more personal after that second crash, when Blake spent time in a hospital emergency room unsure what had happened to his wife.

“This is the most important thing I’ve been a part of in my musical career,” he said in a recent video post on Facebook. “You guys know what we’ve been through — my wife and I. You know how emotionally I am connected to this.”

That he and his wife decided to use the video as a warning about drinking and driving shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Blake struggled with addiction issues early in his career. He and Jennifer created “Live to Be,” a program designed to steer youngsters away from drug and alcohol, about three years ago. You can learn more about the program here.

Here’s the music video for “Don’t Let Her Be Gone.” Oh, by the way, Jared’s new song made Voice Views’ list of 20 best post-show singles from 2017. You can check them all out here.