Music review: Keith Urban – ëƵThe Speed of Now Part 1ëƵ
One bright spot for my wife and mother-in-law during this pandemic is the arrival of a new Keith Urban album. They both have seen Urban perform over the years and always wait eagerly for new material from the country superstar.
Urban follows 2018ëƵs ëƵGraffiti UëƵ by utilizing the extra time during quarantine to put the finishing touches on his 11th studio effort.
With ëƵThe Speed of Now Part 1,ëƵ Urban attempts to slow down the pace of everyday life and give others the opportunity to sit back and savor the latest tracks focused on loving with all your heart and living each day to its fullest.
ëƵOut the CageëƵ opens the set with an urgency to get back to normalcy as Urban sings, ëƵDonëƵt know just how long/But IëƵve been trapped in here quite a while/Wonder if IëƵll make it out/I miss my friends, I miss the sky/Feel like I just live to die/But that canëƵt be what lifeëƵs about.ëƵ Joined by Breland and Nile Rodgers, Urban immediately displays his knack for blending musical genres in an effort to produce his signature sound and crossover appeal.
ëƵOne Too ManyëƵ gives the traditional country tear-in-my-beer number a fresh pop vibrancy infused by PinkëƵs performance. Both artists possess voices that effortlessly extend beyond their musical categories as they deliver a modern tale of not realizing what youëƵve got until you lose it.
ëƵSupermanëƵand ëƵGod Whispered Your NameëƵ address the transforming power of love. The former is a jubilant arrangement that details the many experiences that left an instant impact on the heart as Urban declares, ëƵWhen I was with you, baby, I was Superman/Yeah, we were sky high, there was nothing better.ëƵ The latter number is a tender confessional about being lost until love was unexpectedly found and changed things forever.
Sparked by UrbanëƵs spirited guitar playing, ëƵLive WithëƵ and ëƵTumbleweedëƵ are perfect cruising anthems that relay the urge to roll down the windows, press on the gas pedal and sing out loud as the worries of the day yield to living in the moment.
ëƵPolaroidëƵ is a charming love song that is certain to be played at numerous future wedding receptions. Urban tugs at the heartstrings as he describes the beginnings of a blossoming relationship when he confesses, ëƵThe night it was taken, I didnëƵt have a clue/That someday IëƵd be something more/Than just a boy in a Polaroid with you.ëƵ
With concerts halted until 2021, my wife and mother-in-law will have to patiently wait to see the 52-year-old singer-songwriter perform on stage again. For now, they can enjoy Urban at his very best and look forward to chapter two of his musical scrapbook.

