Review Summary: This episode of story time is sponsored by John Deere: Drink a beer, mow your lawn, fornicate with your cousin. John Deere.
Growing up, country music reverberated from cheap radio speakers at poolside BBQ's, long road trips and in my bedroom in the evening while I did homework. One of my favorite artists was Keith Urban and his guitar playing was a major influence on my desire to pick up guitar when I was a young lad. His early hit songs “Somebody Like You,” “Days Go By,” and “You’ll Think of Me” were constants on my home computer-burned Cd’s that I would wear out after hours and hours of usage. Once I began listening to rock music, country music was abandoned left as a potential footnote in my eventual memoirs. However, one artist has consistently been on my radar and that is the one and only Keith Urban. Now that’s not to say that I’ve enjoyed his most recent output; if I’m being honest his last two or three records are downright awful. Prior to this fall from grace, he released ‘Get Closer’ in 2010 and at the time of its release, I felt like this was a very solid Keith record. After coming back to it recently, I’ve realized how nuanced and well-written a majority of the material on this record is, so I wanted to speak to that.
Keith Urban is an absolute treasure of a guitar player, wielding many stylistic influences and combining them with his own unique signature brand of playing. The choices he makes with pacing is something I truly admire; not trying too hard to play as many notes as possible, as quickly as possible but picking and choosing note positions almost like David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. It’s an emotive style of playing that Keith employs and while his skills aren’t always the forefront of a song, his technique and grandeur are genuinely present in a dynamic, nuanced form to compliment the tone of the track. On top of guitar, his banjo and mandolin skills provide a bit of country flair to his more rock influenced sound.
The album opener “Put You in a Song” is trope-city when it comes to lyrics, which if we’re being truthful, hardly have impact, depth or much creativity when it comes to country music. So, with that being said, it doesn’t bother me much that the lyrics aren’t perfect, if the hook and melodies provide a bit of flavor, I can be content. This upbeat track caters to the radio-station needs with energetic guitar licks, a massive chorus hook and colorful, punchy rhythms. It’s a lovely summer bop that doesn’t deviate far from a country-standard formula but it’s strong enough to overcome its flaws to stand out amongst the crowd. The following track “You Gonna Fly” is probably my least favorite of bunch with its considerably basic chord progression and overbearing, sappy lyrics but still carries some nice vocal melodies and guitar work.
If there’s one thing that Keith Urban rarely gets wrong, it is a ballad. “All for You” is one of my favorite Keith Urban songs because of its candid lyrics, slow piano driven melodies and luscious production value. Keith’s croons over a waltz beat with heartfelt lyrics is something I could chew on all day long. It’s simple yet effective. “Long Hot Summer” follows it up with a bright and sunny country rock anthem exploring a romantic relationship during the summertime. Not very original in terms of themes but it’s fun, it’s bouncy and its hooks are undeniable.
“Without You” is the second ballad on the record, however, this one is explored with lightly plucked acoustic guitar melodies with hints of banjo and mandolin breaking through the mix. Written about then girlfriend/wife Nicole Kidman, Keith explores his love for her with references to other aspects of his life not carrying any weight without her being in his life. It’s a lovely track, very emotional and raw with nice polished production. The track “Georgia Woods” opens with a light electronic beat which in hindsight, sort of hinted at the direction that Keith would pursue following this record which has a much more electronic, digital sound. However, this track balances its electronics with humanity very nicely with light string touches, a fun chorus hook and some interesting pacing that deviates from Keith’s normal output.
The final leg of the record is made up of the ballad “Right on Back to You” which carries a similar message and emotional weight as “Without You.” It’s light acoustic guitar passages and string arrangements compliment Keith’s moody delivery. The final track “Shut Out The Lights” is a testament to Keith’s musical ability with some nice build-ups, melodies, guitar passages and lyricism. This is most likely one of Keith’s strongest tracks to date; the chorus explodes in a bombastic emotional instrumental arrangement with powerful lyrics and delivery to match it. The quiet post-chorus after the bombast is very lovely with the lyrics calming with the instrumentals and providing a sense of relief from the noise. It’s a beautiful track and fairs well alongside Keith’s other massive songs.
While this record wouldn’t change anyone's mind if they didn’t like country rock music or Keith Urban for that matter, I find this to be very solid for country standards. It’s short and sweet with only eight tracks on the regular edition but they’re all very solid with the elimination of filler blessing this record with replayability. It’s a solid record and holds a special place in my heart offering lots of nostalgia.
Highlights:
“All For You”
“Shut Out The Lights”
“Without You”
“Long Hot Summer”
