Country star Keith Urban (56) is back with “High” four years after his last album. The title of his new album, which is being released today, says a lot about the singer and guitarist, who is married to Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (57).
The Grammy winner says in an Instagram video that the names of his albums are like a subject line that shows what is going on in his life. With his first album, “Keith Urban,” he wanted to introduce himself, and “Golden Road” was the beginning of his journey.
For “Be Here” he read books to be more present, and “Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing” was an expression of a complicated phase. “High” is now clearly a place of euphoria, explains the New Zealand-Australian musician.
The title can of course mean different things, explains Urban in a statement. “It can be physical or spiritual, triggered by plants or meditation, chemically or musically induced – but in any case it is about a feeling of euphoria, about a utopia.” For him it is primarily about his family, friends and the “adventurous musical journey” he is on.
The catchy song “Wildside” captures this pulsating feeling of euphoria perfectly. Urban says he was inspired by the US comedy “School of Rock”, in which Joan Cusack plays a seemingly strict school principal who goes completely wild after a few drinks at the end of the day.
In “Messed Up As Me,” Urban sings about frustration in love and broken relationships to a rather gentle, soulful guitar sound. He wanted to capture what happens in the early morning hours before sunrise, with euphoric highs and devastating lows, in the video for the song.
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Urban deals with the death of his alcoholic father in the song “Break the Chain”, with a positive message about his own path out of addiction. Shortly after his wedding to Kidman in 2006, the singer went to rehab because of alcohol problems. The couple now has two teenage daughters and lives in the country music capital of Nashville (US state of Tennessee).
He brought the celebrated country singer Lainey Wilson (32) on board for the exuberant duet “Go Home WU” – a bar song about the question of where to spend the night.
Urban delivers twelve tracks on “High”, some of them profound, others are just fun. “I hope these songs bring joy, lightheartedness, a new understanding, energy and distraction,” the country star wishes his fans. They are likely to celebrate the new album euphorically.
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