Golden Road

iTunes Review

Even though Urban’s songs usually have an acoustic foundation, the drums here provide a spark, and the band is as informed by U2 as they are Music Row. Like a lot of modern country singers, Urban is sweet and gentle, but these pieces exhibit an underlying tension that keeps them from becoming maudlin. The outstanding examples are “Somebody Like You” and “Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me,” the exceptional one-two combination that opens the album. Urban clearly loves the crack of a snare and the pulse of a kick drum, and “What About Me,” “Jeans On” and “You Won” are all about the balance between a pretty melody and a sharp rhythm. The Golden Road strengthens Urban’s relationship with his band, but his inner folkie is revealed on “You’ll Think of Me” and “You’re Not Alone Tonight,” songs that feel like Urban is alone fingerpicking a guitar on his bed. Those who still want to write off the Australian as a Nashville pretty boy should first listen to “You’re Not My God,” a bold portrayal of addiction in which the narrator speaks directly to the drugs, addressing them as if they were a beastly human foe.