23. March 2025
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Media Review

Keith Urban – High

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Keith Urban - High

Keith Urban - High
3.2

Rating

 3.2/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Typical Keith Urban sound

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Too few catching elements

Keith Urban is back! On 20th September 2024, the country musician released his new album High. Of course, expectations are high if there is a new record by a thirteen time CMA Award winner and four time Grammy Award holder. Let’s see if I feel he kept the “pressure”.

 

Keith Urban – About The Artist

Keith Lionel Urban is an artist between three nations. Born on 26th October 1967 in Whangärei in New Zealand, he moved to Queensland in Australia at the age of two. Nowadays, he is also a US American citizen. Urban is married to actress and producer Nicole Kidman. His self-titled debut album was solely released in Australia in 1991. He had his breakthrough with the two albums Keith Urban in 1999 and Golden Road in 2022, which both were very popular in the USA and Australia. Urban is one of the few artists who also sell well in less developed country music markets. His most recent album, the 2020 The Speed of Now Part 1, also hit the Top 60 in Germany. High is his twelfth studio album overall.

 

Keith Urban – High – About The Artist

The twelve song album lasts 40 minutes.

1. Blue Sky

Blue Sky a twelve second intro, which majorly features an alarm clock. Wake up, it’s the first Keith Urban album since four years!

2. Straight Line

Urban plays it save and kicks off the album with four songs, which have already been published. Straight Line feels like Keith, no doubt. I would also guess it is fun to dance with the artist on one of his upcoming shows. Happy vibes, a good melody nice lyrics – but a bit of catch is missing. It simply feels too Keith, maybe.

3. Messed Up As Me

If you look at Spotify streams, this 14 million times streamed one has by far been the fan favorite of the High campaign. The song is rather on the emotional side, which also sacrifices the country heart towards pop music. To me, this one is indeed the most catching song of the album.

4. Wildside

Country, rock, party – that’s the concept of Wildside. The song does not move too much away from the typical Keith Urban sound, but it has the potential to have a fun time with it. I am sure long-time fans loved this song when it has been released.

5. Go Home W U (feat. Lainey Wilson)

One of the gems of High is definitely this duet with Lainey Wilson. Go Home W U comes with good and cool vibes – and Lainey adds quite a lot of the song. In fact, she might save the song from the skip button right when she appears in this song.

6. Chuck Taylors

Twelve songs are not that overwhelming much if you already know five of them – and another one is a tiny intro. The more, I was looking forward to Chuck Taylors. The country music scene typically refers to boots when it comes to footwear, so that this alternative is welcome. A song with a nice beat and energy, which is a bit of flat and too simple on the other hand.

My size 12 and your size 7
We threw ’em straight, straight up to heaven
High
In the small-town sky
It was up in the air. “Are they gonna make it?”
Never come down, never gonna come untied
Yeah, you and I, we’re still hangin’
In there just like Chuck Taylors on a power line

7. Daytona

I just (by chance) happened to share my review of the Daytona International Speedway Tour with you, so this song feels like a nice fit. Cars are not playing a major role in this song, which is a die-hard love track. Another song of the “not a bummer, not a stunner” category.

8. Love Is Hard

Love Is Hard is straightly heading towards the ballad category. The song is very quiet, which on the one hand is leading to a nice focus on Urban’s voice – on the other hand, it is also rather easy not to listen to it if you have it on your playlist.

9. Heart Like A Hometown

The beat and the groove of Heart Like A Hometown is directly creating these characteristic Keith Urban vibes. The chorus of the ninth track is in a special focus. The song definitely beats many of the other listens of High.

10. Laughin’ All The Way To The Drank

Three new songs finish the album, the first one is Laughin’ All The Way To The Drank. The song starts with a guy rushing away in his car and his girlfriend/wife shouting after him. The guy must have been really in a rush, at least this fast song is suggesting it. The intense beat and the howling guitar suggest country-rock vibes, but the song solely strikes during the chorus.

11. Dodge In A Silverado

The piano opening Dodge In A Silverado already suggests that we are back in the ballad spheres. The longer I listen to this almost five minute track, the more I enjoy it. Nice.one.

12. Break The Chain

The song features bad family relations, stating It’s never too late to break the chain. Keith Urban thus chose a very thoughtful and personal way to close his 2024 album.

 

Keith Urban – High – About The Artist

Here is High on Spotify:

 

Keith Urban – High – My View

The album is not a “low”, but it is definitely not a High as well. It is somewhere in the average region – and that’s simply not enough for a Keith Urban release. Where are all his catching songs? Where are his party vibes, which even caught the non-country part of the music world? You won’t find too much of it in his 2024 release. For this artist, an average release is close to a disappointment.

Favorite Song: Dodge in a Silverado

 

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