Urban lights a “Fuse”

After seven studio albums that all have a similar sound, Keith Urban is back with new album “Fuse,” which sees Urban diverge further from country and in more of a rock direction.

Previously, Urban had only worked with country producer Dann Huff, but “Fuse” consists of eight different producers from all different musical genres, like Butch Walker (Fall Out Boy, Train), Stargate (Rihanna, Beyoncé) and Mike Elizondo (Eminem, Fiona Apple).

Some might think this would give the album a disconnected sound, but it’s very much the opposite.

The album opens with “Somewhere in My Car,” which listeners will immediately notice its stark difference from Urban’s usual sound. But, it’s not only the sound listeners should be listening to— the lyrics on this song are perhaps some of the most visual on the album.

It’s also a perfect demonstration of Urban’s skill at writing a heartbroken song while backing it up with upbeat, almost happy-sounding music.

“Cop Car” also shows Urban’s skill as a storyteller. Its lyrics focus on a young couple who fall in love in the back of a cop car over a mid-tempo rock soundtrack. It also showcases Urban’s guitar playing on a solo in the middle of the song.

“Shame” stretches Urban vocally, and the listener can hear his voice soar higher than ever. In an interview with Billboard magazine, Urban attributed this to the removal of a vocal polyp in 2011, a surgery that healed his damaged vocal chords. It’s exciting as a listener to hear him take his music and sound in this new direction.

“Come Back to Me” tells the heartbreaking tale of a man who has let his girlfriend go and is letting her know he’ll still be there when she’s ready to come back. In the interview with Billboard, Urban said the song is a follow-up to 2006’s “Stupid Boy,” when he sang about letting the girl go. Not only are the lyrics heartbreaking, but the song as a whole makes the listener feel the pain of the narrator.

While much of the album has a theme of a heartbroken man, “She’s My 11,” “Red Camaro” and “Little Bit of Everything” are both obviously influenced by Urban’s wife, Nicole Kidman. “Little Bit of Everything,” the first single off the album that recently hit number one on the Billboard country charts, is a laid-back song that sounds great for driving down back country roads and for rocking out at Urban’s arena concerts. “She’s My 11” and “Red Camaro,” along with “Little Bit of Everything,” paint a picture of a man who is madly in love with his wife and provide a glimpse into Urban’s very private life.

“Fuse” only has two pure country songs, and both are duets.

“We Were Us” featuring Miranda Lambert and “Raise ‘Em Up” featuring Eric Church. Both songs mesh well with Urban’s rock vibe on the rest of the album. Lambert and Church also work well with Urban, and neither duet feels like it’s just there to have big name guests on the album.

This is definitely Urban’s best album to date, sure to please new and old fans alike.