Golden Road (CD - 2002)

Personnel: Keith Urban (vocals, electric guitar, gango, e-bow, cardboard box); Dan Dugmore (guitar, steel guitar); Tom Bukovac, Dan Knuff (guitar); Jason Mowery (dobro); Aubrey Haynie (fiddle); Tim Akers (Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards); Steve Nathan, John Hobbs (keyboards); Jimmie Leee Sloas (bass); Chris McHugh, Matt Chamberlain (drums, percussion); Eric Darken (percussion); Russell Terrell (background vocals); The Nashville String Machine.

Personnel: Keith Urban (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, E-bow, banjo, piano, background vocals); Dan Dugmore (guitar, steel guitar); Dan Huff, Tom Bukovac (guitar); Kathryn Vanosdale, Carl Gorodetzky, Pamela Sixfin, Alan Umstead (violin); Aubrey Haynie (fiddle); Kris Wilkinson, Gary VanOsdale (viola); Carl Rabinowitz (cello); Nashville String Machine (strings); John Hobbs (piano, keyboards); Tim Akers, Steve Nathan (keyboards); Chris McHugh (drums, percussion); Matt Chamberlain (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Jerry Flowers, Monty Powell, Scotty Huff (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Justin Niebank.

Recording information: Blueberry Hill; Emerald Entertainment; Hound's Ear; The Sound Kitchen, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: Juan Pont Lezica.

Arranger: Ronn Huff.

Keith Urban's sophomore issue on Capitol is an early yet devastatingly original piece of work that pointed the way toward his later albums. Urban is partially responsible for the diverse musical traditions that make their way into the contemporary country music scene of the 21st century. While others like Garth Brooks, Tim McGraw, Travis Tritt and the like modeled a sound that included Southern and '70s rock, Urban brought bluegrass, Top 40 pop stylings, and drum loops into the mix as well, and made them all work in his own songs as well as those he covered. Produced by Urban and Dan Huff, Golden Road is the first place listeners really get to hear the monster guitar slash and burn that he is well known for in his live performances. The album contains two Urban originals in the beautiful, lithe ballad "You're Not Alone Tonight" and the shuffling soft rocker "Song for Dad," both of which showcase the blend of sounds he would later employ as his own trademark mix. The set also contains a pair of excellent cuts by Rodney Crowell, which are particularly suitable, and perhaps were even tailor-made for Urban in "You Won" and "What About Me." The ballad "Raining on Sunday," was a single written by Darrell Brown as was the other single "You'll Think of Me." Tony Martin's "You Look Good in My Shirt," is a delightful stinging rocker, and Monty Powell's "Who Wouldn't Want to Be Me" is another, with Urban playing the strings off his banjo as well as electric guitar. While his later records were bigger hits, this one is consistent enough and full of such charm and personality that it's difficult to believe Urban didn't write everything here. That he owns these songs as if he did write them makes Golden Road a lasting early achievement. ~ Thom Jurek

Considering that Keith Urban grew up in New Zealand and cultivates an image that's more Kelly Clarkson than Roy Clark, one might be tempted to doubt his abilities when it comes to Nashville hit making. On GOLDEN ROAD, however, Urban delivers a solid set of contemporary country with more panache and chops than many of his American-born, cowboy-hatted contemporaries. A virtuoso picker who credits Lindsay Buckingham as a primary influence, Urban has fashioned a highly melodic country/alternative-rock fusion that's equal parts Fleetwood Mac, Rodney Crowell, and Third Eye Blind. On several tunes, twangy vocals and banjo blend seamlessly with distorted Lynyrd Skynryd-style guitar leads and the pounding drums of rocker Matt Chamberlain (David Bowie, Tori Amos, Dave Navarro). In addition, Urban wisely avoids using Music City cookie-cutter material, instead favoring mature tunes from left-of-center stalwarts such as Crowell and Radney Foster. Overall, GOLDEN ROAD offers few real surprises, but serves as a welcome reminder of Nashville's occasional ability to produce music that's simultaneously slick and substantial. minimize