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Keith Urban: That Word That Kept Coming Up

Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group

Keith Urban surprised fans last week by announcing the release of his first full album in four years, High. The new project will be released on September 20.

After the initial announcement, Keith filed us in on a few more details. He elaborated on the title, High. “It’s a one-word title, and I think that kind of summed up the whole spirit and energy of the record, and it ended up also being a word that started appearing in many songs on the record, unbeknownst to me (laughs). ‘”

Urban continued, “The songs were done and recorded. And it was when I started listening to the record that I went ‘Omigod, there’s that word again. Oh, there’s that word again. It’s in ‘Straight Line.’ It’s in a lot of songs.’ So, that really summed up the album. So, it’s really just a feeling and a spirit and an energy, and I think it’s a very accurate photograph of who I am at the moment.”

As for the record as a whole, Keith told us, “It feels good. There’s a feeling in this album, top to bottom. It’s 11 songs. It’s only 40 minutes. It’s not like this opus, but because of its concise nature, I think it flows with a feeling that I’m really, really happy with that I don’t think you can intentionally do that on albums.”

He concluded, “That feeling either happens and stays through all of the songs, or it doesn’t, and I really feel like this record took a life of its own. That’s truly what I think happened, and I’m so grateful for that ’cause I can’t create that. I can just hope that it shows up and stays through on the whole album. For me, it stayed there.”

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Urban said when the album was announced, “I’ve always been drawn toward the subject of living at the moment because it’s all there is, and it’s hard to do. And these days, with so much ‘content’ flying at us, it can feel like drinking from a fire hose.”

He said of naming the new album, “What makes you ‘high’ can mean whatever you want it to mean. It might be physical, spiritual, herbal, meditative, chemical, or musical, but it’s definitely a place of utopia.”

HIGH TRACK LISTING: (in sequence)

“BLUE SKY” (PRELUDE)
STRAIGHT LINE
MESSED UP AS ME
WILDSIDE
GO HOME W U (WITH LAINEY WILSON)
CHUCK TAYLORS
DAYTONA
LOVE IS HARD
HEART LIKE A HOMETOWN
LAUGHIN’ ALL THE WAY TO THE DRANK
DODGE IN A SILVERADO
BREAK THE CHAIN

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.

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Author Nancy Brooks // Country Writer, Beasley Media Group
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