Country music fans had been waiting for Keith Urban to release another record. His last one, “Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing,” was released a few days after his very public admission to a rehabilitation clinic — a stint that postponed his tour for months and heightened his presence in the tabloids.
Celebrated for his narrative songwriting as much as his masterful guitar playing, Urban had to bounce back somehow. And that came in the form of the redemptive “Defying Gravity,” Urban’s fifth record, released earlier this year on Capitol. The songs are decidedly upbeat — even for an Urban record — and thankful and gracious and loving.
Are these Urban’s redemption songs?
“I don’t know if I would call it a redemption record,” Urban said recently from his Nashville home, “but the great thing about art is that, once it’s created, everybody can call it what they want.
“There’s a lot of gratitude in the record from the redemption that I’ve been given. From my side, it’s inspired by love and the power of love. It’s a lot of songs about the benefits of the power of love as it’s been in my life for the last couple of years.”
While “the power of love” sounds like a Celine Dion song — which it is — the love Urban sings of focuses on a single well-known woman: his famous wife, actress Nicole Kidman. The two Aussies were married only a few weeks when Urban checked himself into an alcohol-treatment facility, a move that Urban has admitted saved his marriage.
When asked how much of Kidman is in these songs, Urban laughs.
“She’s in there a tremendous amount, no question,” Urban said. “I mean, the first two singles — ‘Sweet Thing’ and ‘Kiss a Girl’ — these are direct songs about various times in our relationship, and we’ve been together for four years. But she definitely inspired different facets of this record.”
After such an ordeal — personal difficulties lived out in the public eye — Urban’s next project could have gone any number of ways. Urban, a bad boy who fans love to cheer for, opted to concentrate on the good rather than the bad.
“I wrote about the things that pulled me through, rather than writing about what I was being pulled through,” he said. “It’s a very uplifting record.”
Urban is adored for his slick approach to pop-country music, but his rugged Australian charm and sculpted handsomeness haven’t hindered his climb to fame. He is as Australian as Australian gets in the eyes of his fans, who might be surprised to hear that he has lived in Nashville for 17 years.
Urban developed a love of American country music from his father, who was an avid follower of the art form throughout the 1970s. That obsession with Americana, along with a deep interest in various ’70s and ’80s rock icons, brought Urban to Tennessee in the early ’90s.
At that time, the country charts were dominated by Alan Jackson and Clint Black, two country traditionalists. Labels weren’t interested in this dashing bloke from Down Under, with his polished, pop-leaning songs and flashy, blond hair.
“It was a very traditional time for country radio,” Urban said. “I remember getting a great letter from a guy at RCA Records, and it said, ‘Your music doesn’t fit, but I hope you find a good home.’ About 10 years later, I did find a good home.”
While Urban was a star in Australia throughout the ’90s, it wasn’t until 1999’s eponymous full-length album that he became a name act in the U.S. Today, Urban is one of the most popular country entertainers of the decade.
Even with the tribulations surrounding his last record, including a delayed tour, “Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing” sold more than a million records in North America.
“I feel very lucky to be where I’m at right now,” Urban said.
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com
