Keith Urban- High
Label: Capitol
Producers: Keith Urban, Dan Huff, Mike Elizondo, Eren Cannata, Marc Scibilia, Sean Small, Sam Sumser and Greg Wells
High serves as the twelfth studio effort from country music’s down-under superstar, Keith Urban, who has managed to build one of the most consistent country hit resumes of anyone in this modern era, with a streak that now spans a quarter-century. This serves as his first album since 2020’s The Speed of Now, and was apparently birthed after Urban scrapped an entirely different record that was completed in 2022. That indication of creative turbulence is sure to peak the interest of critics who have been proclaiming the Aussie as grossly overdue for an artistic renaissance that harkens back to his 2000s-era catalog, unequivocally his best work. Urban was never a traditionalist in any sense of the word, but he provided high-water examples as to both the commercial and critical excellence that pop and rock fused country could achieve. LPs like Golden Road and Be Here flourished thanks to the crisp, organic production surrounding Urban’s impassioned vocals, contagious hooks, and an unparalleled instrumental prowess that paired grassy banjo and mandolin licks with guitar-rock riffs. With 2013’s Fuse however, Urban embraced a more synthetic, electronic-based sound that resulted in a decade of what seemed like endless drum loops and empty calorie moments below his talent. This adaptability certainly was what allowed him to remain commercially relevant throughout the bro-country dark ages, and there were plenty of potent and entertaining moments, from undeniable jams like “Wasted Time”, “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” and “Somewhere In My Car” to a dark-horse career song with the bluesy smash, “Blue Ain’t Your Color”. Nevertheless, it was infinitely disappointing to see an artist with the raw musicianship of Urban put his instrumental powers on the back-burner for so long, especially during an era where that quality was so badly needed in popular country music. This is what makes High such a refreshing release. It’s not going to be confused as possessing the same lofty heights as those aforementioned classics, but it is certainly the beginning of a course correction. It does nothing to reinvent Urban’s contemporary leanings or narrative identities; it merely restores them to a more organic production style and gives the singer’s strongest suits the most authentic and prominent showcase they’ve had in a dozen years. Energetic anthems like “Straight Line”, “Wildside”, and “Chuck Taylors” boast the rippling chord-driven arrangements that add the kind of ear-catching ingredients needed to take their euphoria to the next level. Ballads of course remain a bread-and-butter element of any Urban album, and his performance on these selections (“Love Is Hard”, “Dodge In a Silverado”, “Daytona”, and current hit “Messed Up as Me” among them) recall raw, emotive career highlights like “You’ll Think of Me” and “Making Memories of Us”, for the mere fact that his vocal is given the room necessary to breathe and connect with the listener. Meanwhile, he sounds positively relaxed and reinvigorated on “Go Home With U”, a duet with current industry darling Lainey Wilson, who is yet to find a collaborator she lacks chemistry with. The most euphoric and nostalgic moment proves to be the rebellious getaway anthem, “Laughin’ All the Way to the Drank”. This crackling number gleefully recalls Urban’s country-rock star origins, loaded with the kind of charming novelty and instrumental breakdowns that have been sorely missing from his recent efforts, and would’ve ruled the country airwaves back in 2005. Without question, High is the strongest and most entertaining album Keith Urban has issued since 2010’s Get Closer. I wouldn’t necessarily label it a full-blown “return-to-form” quite yet. But it certainly points the singer back in that direction, and lays the groundwork for what will hopefully be the satisfying legacy act that we know is possible from one of this generation’s best singers, musicians, and all-around entertainers.
Track Listing:
- “Blue Sky” (Keith Urban)
- “Straight Line” (Urban, Jerry Flowers, Chase McGill, Greg Wells)
- “Messed Up as Me” (Rodney Clawson, Jessi Jo Dillon, Michael Lotten, Shane McAnally)
- “Wildside” (Urban, Ernest, David Garcia, Ashley Gorley)
- “Go Home W U” featuring Lainey Wilson (Urban, Breland, Sean Small, Sam Sumser)
- “Chuck Taylors” (Urban, Flowers, McGill, Wells)
- “Daytona” (Nathan Barlowe, Steven Lee Olsen)
- “Love Is Hard” (Eren Cannata, McAnally, Justin Tranter)
- “Heart Like a Hometown” (Casey Brown, Matt Roy Parker, Welling)
- “Laughin’ All the Way to the Drank” (Urban, Ben Burgess, Terence Clark, Mike Elizondo)
- “Dodge in a Silverado” (Thomas Archer, Ben Stennis, Michael Tyler)
- “Break the Chain” (Urban, Marc Scibilia)
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