Fresh off his hosting gig at the 55th Annual ACM Awards, Keith Urban released his latest album, ‘The Speed Of Now Part 1’ on Friday. The 16-song collection mixed fresh sounds with some that we’ve loved him for all these years. There were some gritty elements, like on the Stars and Guitars-approved song ‘Tumbleweed’, mixed with church choir sounds, like in current single ‘God Whispered Your Name’. Overall, it is an elevation to his artistry that continues to grow even 30 years into his career.
The high points of this record, ‘Say Something’ and ‘Soul Food’, are very high. ‘Say Something’ is a pretty straightforward message, but one that certainly resonates today. If you see some sort of injustice that you don’t agree with, stand up for it. Nothing changes in this world unless there are people that are willing to combat the status quo. I often feel like people are uncomfortable hearing about these subjects because either they don’t feel like there’s a problem or they don’t know how to change it. What this song does brilliantly is takes a subject matter that people might be uncomfortable with, but presents it in a way sonically that allows for any listener to hear it and not feel like they’re being preached to. ‘Soul Food’ is another song that the listener might not expect by just looking at the title. The protagonist of the song describes how he doesn’t need anything else in the world because his love fulfills his life. This is the type of song that fits in with the way songwriting has evolved through the years, but sounds so vintage that you could swear it belongs on his breakout album ‘Golden Road’.
Vintage was a recurring theme throughout the album, as there were many sonic elements to decades past. ‘Out The Cage’, a collaboration with BRELAND and Nile Rodgers, sounds like something you’d here in a club in the 90s. While ‘Superman’ could’ve been easily found on an album recorded by Sheryl Crow or Train in the mid-2000s. What I’ve always loved about Urban though is he has a way of taking these familiar sounds, but delivering them vocally in a way that no other artist on the planet could.
This was another solid effort by one of the best musicians in the genre. I wouldn’t put this on my list of best albums of the year, but I also don’t regret taking the time to listen to it. To judge for yourself, listen to ‘The Speed of Now, Part 1’ here.
