Keith Urban is officially in his yacht rock era.
Out of all the storylines emerging from the first quarter of the year in country music, Keith Urban’s proposed journey into yacht rock was undoubtedly one of the most fascinating. In case you aren’t aware of the subgenre, it’s a bit self-explanatory. Though there isn’t a direct artist or band that can be pinpointed as the creator of yacht rock, for all intents and purposes, its a style of rock that’s associated with “the type of music you listen to while boating.”
Think of tracks like “Sailing” by Christopher Cross, “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass, “I Keep Forgettin'” by Michael McDonald and bands like Steely Dan, Little River Band and the Doobie Brothers, and you’ll have a pretty good grasp on the subgenre that got popularized in the 70s and 80s.
Back to Urban, the world class country guitarist first teased his transition into the genre at the Country Radio Seminar in Nashville last month by confirming his next album will be a yacht rock cover album, making it known to the crowd that he wasn’t, in fact, joking.
“It’s the first time I’ve done an album of covers. There is one original on the record. It’s a thematic record… yacht rock songs. You think I’m kidding? I’m not kidding.”
In the weeks following, the “You’ll Think of Me” singer would keep the teasers coming for the album. Taking to Instagram, he’d post multiple snippets of the one original song on the album as well as a performance alongside the band, Yacht Rock Revue, during their show in Atlanta.
After promising a big announcement for Wednesday, April 29th, Urban would officially announce his brand new album, Flow State, is coming out Friday, June 12th. Additionally, he’d drop two songs: his original titled “We Go Back” featuring yacht rock legend, Michael McDonald, and a cover of Seals & Crofts’ “Summer Breeze.”
As for the tracklist, the 58-year-old singer/songwriter is set to deliver a plethora of classics in the genre, ranging from Player’s “Baby Come Back” and Grover Washington and Bill Withers’ “Just the Two Of Us” to Robbie Dupree’s “Steal Away” and Stephen Bishop’s “On and On.” Even more excitingly, Urban is calling on fellow guitar legend, John Mayer, for a cover of Bread’s “Guitar Man” as well as Little Big Town for a cover of Walter Egan’s “Magnet and Steel.”
Discussing the album, the “Stupid Boy” singer would focus on the universal nature of the yacht rock genre. Noting how yacht rock, at its core, is a unifier which helps bring people together, Urban would note that he hopes Flow State brings a level of comfort to the listener.
“The origins of this kind of music was, in certain ways, a reaction and an antidote to the stresses of the times. 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. I hope wherever you hear this album you can feel the exhale, comfort and optimism these songs were originally written by and for.”
I think its pretty safe to say Urban’s track record has been a little questionable (to say the least) over the past decade or so. With that being said, however, I have some optimism for the record as a whole. There’s no denying he’s one of the most talented musicians and guitarists in country music, and Flow State should compliment his strengths extremely well.
Flow State Tracklist
- “Steal Away”
- “Baby Come Back”
- “Magnet and Steel” (feat. Little Big Town)
- “Just the Two of Us”
- “On and On”
- “We Go Back” (feat. Michael McDonald)
- “Help Is On Its Way”
- “How Much I Feel”
- “Summer Breeze”
- “I Just Wanna Stop”
- “Guitar Man” (feat. John Mayer)
Before you go, fire up today’s two new releases.
“We Go Back” (feat. Michael McDonald)
“Summer Breeze”
