Country music star Keith Urban has released a new album, ‘Flow State’, which features yacht rock covers and an original song with music legend Michael McDonald. The album was recorded at Urban’s newly restored studio in Nashville, The Sound, and features 10 yacht rock covers, including ‘Baby Come Back’ and ‘Just the Two of Us’.

Urban’s Pivot to Yacht Rock

Urban’s decision to record a yacht rock album was unexpected, even to himself. ‘I didn’t either, no,’ he laughed when asked if he had planned to make such an album. The project began with the recording of a few yacht rock songs, which eventually grew into a full-length album.

Urban says he and his crew were playing and recording purely for the joy of it, and that yacht rock is the ‘perfect genre for that spirit’. The album features collaborations with other artists, including Little Big Town and John Mayer.

A Balm in Tumultuous Times

Urban describes the songs on ‘Flow State’ as feeling as good to sing now as they did when they were first released. ‘The music was almost an antidote to the stresses of the times,’ he explained. The album is a collection of songs that provide an escape from the divisiveness of the world.

For Urban, the album was also a personal escape. In January, he and his wife, Nicole Kidman, were officially divorced after 19 years of marriage. ‘The record’s called ‘Flow State’ for a really good reason,’ he said. ‘It really was about just constant movement.’

Original reporting: KTSA News/Talk (San Antonio) — read the source article.