Love Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing

Grammy Award winner and reigning Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban has completed the follow-up to his nearly four times platinum third album Be Here. Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing (Capitol Records Nashville) contains thirteen brand new tracks and is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. The album showcases Urban's consummate songwriting and vocal talents, as well as his searing guitar work. Co-produced by Dann Huff and Urban, Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing, includes ''Once In A Lifetime,'' (John Shanks, Keith Urban) the album's first single, which upon its release last month became the highest debuting single since the inception of the Billboard Chart. Highlights of Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing include the bold, contagious rockers ''Faster Car'' (Urban) and ''I Told You So'' (Urban). Songs such as ''Shine'' and ''Used to the Pain'' exhibit Urban's ability to produce infectious melodies that patiently build to a musical climax. While brilliant songs such as ''Stupid Boy,'' ''I Can't Stop Lovin' You'' and ''God Made Woman,'' an anthemic tribute to women, all show Urban's ability to select and interpret songs written by others. Said Urban of Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing; "It's just an accurate reflection of where I'm at now. I think it's the sound of being happy and extremely excited with the music that we're making.''

It's tempting to read these songs--many about hope in the face of potential heartbreak--as an adjunct to Keith Urban's own tabloid-fodder life, which lately reads "ex-junkie country star marries Nicole Kidman, enters rehab." But his three previous albums have similar dark undertones. That would also be an underestimation of Urban's creative powers, which are broad enough to balance assembly-line Nashville pop with emotionally fine-tuned artistry. Breezy rockers like "Faster Car," sweet hooky ballads like "Shine," and readymade big-chorus hits like "Once in a Lifetime" rub elbows with more complex numbers like "I Can't Stop Loving You"--an essay about sad courage that starts with an acoustic guitar and adds instrumental textures as it unfolds--and "Stupid Boy," a tale of loss and self-discovery. It's no coincidence that both those songs climax with Urban's own crying guitar solos. As a player, his bold, midrange-heavy tone complements his most nuanced vocal performances. Another highlight is "Raise the Barn," which Urban co-wrote and sings with Ronnie Dunn. The cheerful tune, inspired by the survivors of Hurricane Katrina, is a tribute to the durability of the human spirit--a subject Urban seems to know more than a little about. --Ted Drozdowski

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