Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Keith Urban doesn't take a lot of musical or lyrical risks. Lyrics are clean and infused with heartbreak, longing, and just a touch of sexual innuendo, all wrapped in predictable country and western poetry.
Families can talk about musical influences in modern country music. Can you hear the influences of other popular musical forms in Keith Urban's songs, such as rock, bluegrass, blues, even jazz? What instruments make a song sound "country"?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Kathi Kamen Goldmark
Keith Urban isn't a man who takes a lot of musical risks, but he knows how to draw on a variety of pop influences to create one satisfying, comfortable contemporary country hit after another. Blistering rock guitar riffs and a strong rhythm section serve as counterpoint to sentimental lyrics that would be over-the-top saccharine in more traditional country arrangements.
Cliché'd lines like "When the sun is hard to find/when it's rainin' in your eyes…when you just can't see the light/baby, I'll find a way to shine" ("Shine") get a fresh new life with Urban's raucous rock-influenced guitar solos over pounding drum tracks. The stellar vocal performance, intensity and drama of "I Can't Stop Loving You" almost make up for the schlock-quotient, and the CD insert photos (the artist singing in the shower, for example) portray a really handsome guy who wants you to know he has a playful side, too.
Predictable and comforting as the sunrise, Keith Urban's lyrics cover a lot of old territory with just enough vivid poetry to keep tedium at bay. "Stupid Boy" is a lovely ballad about regret, lost love, and missed chances. Most of the other songs are upbeat declarations of love, friendship, and fidelity. "Once in a Lifetime" seems calculated to be covered by wedding bands for decades to come with the chorus, "I close my eyes and I see you standin' right there/Sayin' 'I do' and they're throwin' the rice in our hair," and "God Made Woman" ("When God made woman he must've been proud/He must've been cryin' or laughin' out loud/It must have felt like the first time/Getting' kissed by the sun/When God made woman") intended to endear the artist to female fans of all ages.
Calculated or not, Keith Urban knows how to put a catchy song together with taste and style, so that the whole is inevitably greater than the sum of its parts, and that is a talent all by itself.
Fans may also enjoy the Dixie Chicks, Alan Jackson, Merle Haggard, and Sugarland.
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Social BehaviorStrong but subtle message of self-awareness and consideration for others. |
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CommercialismAn insert advertises ringtones. |
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