Keep the FUSE burnin’

Fourth-time Grammy-winner Keith Urban pushes his musical boundaries further than ever on his just-released seventh studio album Fuse. I am not much into country music but I admire whatever Keith Urban does. I am fascinated with Fuse when I heard the entire songs. Keith never ceases to amaze me because this album sounds different from the others.

The Australian country superstar offers us a fusion of pop and country by incorporating the guitar and the banjo. He worked with eight different producers to get the final product. Like most songs on the album, the track is a love song about a couple. Miranda Lambert and Eric Church performed duets with Keith on this album, also contribute to the new sound. Fuse can most accurately be described as musical fusion. The lead single “Little Bit of Everything,” which went Top 1 at US country airplay, revolves around circular banjo riffs and drum loops before a laid-back chorus rolls by with an exceptionally smooth flow. The song delivers a laid-back country song with hints of pop and R&B. I always get my groove on whenever I played this song. It has movement and vibes as well.

This album will want you to get in the car and cruise with the windows down, partially because of the fun-loving and cool beat moreover, because he mentions that in a number of the songs. The subject of cars were a reoccurring theme in this album including tracks like “Somewhere in My Car,” “Cop Car,” “She’s My 11” and “Red Camaro.” Subject like cars have been successful for Keith in the past, and he will surely see radio success with a number of these new songs. The joyriding “Red Camaro” and charging “Somewhere in My Car” blend accentuated and creative banjo licks with electro-pop beats. On the story song “Cop Car,” where attraction explodes when living a little dangerously, stargazing moments come with soft keyboards.

Another standout track on the album is “Shame.” It’s a more serious song, as the title suggests, but it’s very reflective and a great upbeat yet sad song. “Come Back to Me” is a beautiful song that reminds me and other fans why we love Keith Urban in the first place. It’s simple to get the sense that Keith is very in love, perfectly happy and contented in his life. Keith also wrote lyrics of songs about his wife (actress Nicole Kidman).

With its boundary-pushing mission firmly accomplished, this is an expansive project that will challenge listeners to keep up. Keith’s guitar work ranges from contemplative to fiery. For me he is one of the greatest music artist in the world today. I hope I can watch him performing live in his tour. Fuse is amazing album and I really love it!