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Keith Urban
Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing
(Capitol)
First Appeared in The Music Box, December 2006, Volume 13, #12
Written by John Metzger
Since issuing his self-titled debut, Keith Urban has rocketed to stardom.
Considering the mammoth number of albums he has sold as well as the array of
music industry rewards that he has reaped, he would be foolish to try to alter
his style at this stage of the game. Sure enough, his latest effort Love,
Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing falls directly in line with his past efforts.
The funny thing about Urban’s phenomenal rise is that he has accomplished these
feats by staking a claim to the country charts, even though his songs bear mere
hints of Nashville-derived twang. If anything, he has used Love, Pain & the
Whole Crazy Thing to move even further afield from tradition. Given the
crisp, propulsive flair that drummer Chris McHugh provides to the set, it’s
clear that Urban has embraced his pop-rock approach fully and completely.
In and of itself, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Urban long has had
grander aspirations, and scattered throughout Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy
Thing are hints that he just might succeed in pulling them off. Once in a
Lifetime, for example, bears more of a resemblance to U2 than it does to
Hank Williams; Faster Car’s hook-heavy melody owes a debt, at least in
part, to The Beatles; and in covering Elton John’s Country Comfort on his
2004 outing Be Here, Urban laid the groundwork for the Paul Buckmaster-inspired
string arrangements that adorn Shine and I Can’t Stop Loving You.
Elsewhere’s he’s joined by Ronnie Dunn on the rousing post-Katrina rocker Raise the Barn, while Tu Compañía
is reminiscent of the soulful folk-pop of Kenny Loggins.
Nevertheless, Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing suffers from one very
big problem: Urban’s execution. On the one hand, he’s willing to take a few risks
by using a choir to introduce God Made Woman and adding an R&B- inflected
horn section to Faster Car. Similarly, his guitar accompaniments
typically elevate the material by alternately adding to the urgency of Shine
and winding tastefully through cuts like I Told You So and Stupid Boy.
On the other hand, he has a tendency of bending his songs until they resemble
nothing more than arena-ready fodder — so much so that the tunes nearly collapse
under the weight his formulaic approach.
In a sense, Urban’s affable
superstar persona ultimately weighs him down and keeps him from achieving any
sort of artistic merit. Consequently, Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing
is nothing more than a pleasant diversion. Its contents are plain and innocuous
instead of bold and exciting. It will win awards, but it won't move him forward. 
Of Further Interest...
Miranda Lambert - Kerosene
Little Big Town - Little Big Town / self-titled
Kate Walsh - Tim's House
Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing is available from Amazon.
To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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50th Annual Grammy Award Winner:
Best Male Country Vocal Performance
Stupid Boy
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006 The Music Box
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