Music review: Keith Urban – 鈥楪raffiti U鈥�
On the opening track of 鈥淕raffiti U,鈥� Keith Urban samples a portion of Merle Haggard鈥檚 鈥淢ama Tried.鈥� But don鈥檛 be fooled, Urban鈥檚 latest album isn鈥檛 your typical contemporary country effort.
The 50-year-old songwriter, vocalist and guitarist follows the same blueprint of 2016鈥檚 鈥淩ipcord鈥� by crafting another diverse set of genre-bending arrangements offering up a heavy dosage of crossover appeal.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a place that I know where they all know me/I gotta get back now to the ones who love me,鈥� sings Urban on 鈥淐oming Home.鈥� Paired with singer-songwriter Julia Michaels, Urban yearns to return to a familiar place that provides plenty of comfort, security and love.
鈥淣ever Comin鈥� Down鈥� is a party anthem that pulsates under a slick bass groove with Urban dishing the details about an evening full of good friends, hot music and plenty of ice cold beer to keep the festivities going all night long.
鈥淢y Wave鈥� finds Urban rolling with the punches on the feel-good number that features Shy Carter warning us to stay clear of the people who try to steal our sunshine and dampen our dreams.
Up-and-comer Kassi Ashton provides an infectious vibe to 鈥淒rop Top.鈥� Letting the wind surge through your hair during a carefree cruise on the open road certainly makes for a memorable summertime adventure.
After hearing the first few notes of 鈥淧arallel Line,鈥� it is easy to recognize that this stirring ballad was co-written by Ed Sheeran. Urban mirrors Sheeran鈥檚 knack for capturing the pure emotion of the moment with the heart-on-your-sleeve tune about finding love at just the right time.
鈥淲ay Too Long鈥� is another tender love song about trying to keep love alive. This is my favorite selection on the album as Urban鈥檚 voice captures the vulnerability and sadness surfacing through the inability to change as he sings, 鈥淭hough I tried to open up/It鈥檚 no use, I鈥檓 frozen in the stage/Being great at pushing everyone I love/I love away.鈥�
鈥淪ame Heart鈥� is a touching illustration about trying to move on after a broken heart and 鈥淗orses鈥� is another album highlight that features Canadian country singer Lindsay Ell.
Area fans can catch Urban when he comes to Pittsburgh for a performance at KeyBank Pavilion on June 23.
Clint Rhodes is the 缅北禁地 music reviewer. He can be reached at clinton43@me.com.