Keith Urban fans had one big, collective question after the singer shared he was working on a yacht rock album. That question was, “Huh?“
It was such a surprising left turn that Urban had to specify, “I’m not kidding,” when he first talked about his new music at the Country Radio Seminar.
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Urban officially announced that project, called Flow State, this week. Along with the announcement, he answered the big question: Why yacht rock, and why now?
Why Did Keith Urban Decide To Put Out a Yacht Rock Album?
It seems like Keith Urban did some digging into the origins of yacht rock, and related to how the genre rebels and resists the darker parts of life.
“The origins of this kind of music was, in certain ways, a reaction and an antidote to the stresses of the times,” he writes in a statement.
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“Its sole mission (and soul mission) is unchanged…to bring us together and remind us that life is happening NOW — the eternal now — and we have far more in common than not,” Urban continues. “I hope wherever you hear this album you can feel the exhale, comfort and optimism these songs were originally written by and for.”
In other words, he was craving the saltwater-infused, sunny escapism that’s been yacht rock’s hallmark since its origins in the late ’70s.
Urban didn’t directly mention his divorce, but it’s fair to speculate that his highly publicized split from Nicole Kidman might be one of the “stresses” that pointed Urban in this musical direction.
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It’s been seven months (to the day, in fact) since Urban and Kidman’s divorce news went public. In that time, they’ve been fodder for the rumor mill nearly daily. Anonymous sources have come forward with every tidbit, real or fabricated, about their post-divorce lives. Gossip hounds have romantically linked Urban to not one but two much-younger singers, with little connection and even shakier hard evidence.
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After all that, who wouldn’t want to sail away into the wild blue yonder?
Keith Urban Announces Yacht Rock Album, Flow State
- Urban officially announced his album, Flow State, on Wednesday morning (April 29.)
- It will arrive on June 12.
- The 11-track project is mostly covers of classic yacht rock songs, including collaborations with Little Big Town and John Mayer.
- Flow State includes just one original track, a song called “We Go Back,” which features soft rock star and Doobie Brothers lead vocalist Michael McDonald.
Two of the tracks came out alongside Urban’s album announcement. One of those is the original, “We Go Back,” a wistful song about reconnecting with a first love and wondering if there’s still a chance at a happy ending.
The other is Urban’s take on “Summer Breeze,” Seals and Crofts’ 1972 soft rock classic.
Keith Urban, Flow State Track List
1. Steal Away
2. Baby Come Back
3. Magnet and Steel (ft. Little Big Town)
4. Just the Two of Us
5. On and On
6. We Go Back (ft. Michael McDonald)
7. Help Is On Its Way
8. How Much I Feel
9. Summer Breeze
10. I Just Wanna Stop
11. Guitar Man (ft. John Mayer)
The 20 Best Keith Urban Songs
Keith Urban is special because he’s so versatile. A talented songwriter and vocalist and one of country music’s very best modern guitar players, he’s known for pushing boundaries, trying new things and keeping an open mind with the songs he chooses to record.
That creative approach is on full display in this list of Urban’s best songs. His biggest hits range from classic singalong country to experimental ballads and pop-friendly dance tunes. Keep reading for Taste of Country’s rundown of the best Keith Urban songs of all time.
Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak
