Keith Urban | BE HERE | CD

Personnel: Keith Urban (acoustic guitar, acoustic 12-string guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, E-bow, banjo, mandolin, hand claps, background vocals); Keith Urban (vocals); Bruce Bouton (steel guitar, dobro); Chris Thile (mandolin); Charles Stegeman, Robert Matsuda, Sara Parkins, Rachel Stegeman, Bob Peterson, Bruce Dukov, Peter Kent, Natalie Leggett, Armen Garabedian, Josefina Vergara, Berj Garabedian, Charlie Bisharat, Endre Granat (violin); Jonathan Yudkin (fiddle, cello); Matthew Funes , Roland Kato, Evan Wilson, Denyse Buffum (viola); Paula Hochhalter, Rudy Stein, Daniel Smith , Suzie Katayama, Larry Corbett, Dan Smith, Steve Richards (cello); Steven King (accordion); Jimmy Nichols (piano, keyboards, string synthesizer); Steve Nathan (piano); Jimmie Lee Sloas, Paul Bushnell (bass guitar); Tom Bukovac (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide guitar, wah-wah guitar); Dann Huff (acoustic 12-string guitar, electric guitar, mandolin); Tim Akers (accordion, piano, organ, keyboards); Chris McHugh, Matt Chamberlain (drums, percussion); Eric Darken (percussion); Russell Terrell (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Justin Niebank.
Recording information: Blackbird Studios, Nashville, TN; Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Emerald Entertainment; Hound's Ear; Jane's Place; Old Hickory Sound Studio; Sound Kitchen; Starbuck's Studios; Starstruck Studios; The Castle; The Sound Kitchen, Nashville, TN.
Photographer: Andrew Southam.
Arranger: Paul Buckmaster.
With his US debut album, GOLDEN ROAD, Keith Urban confounded critics' expectations of what a New Zealand-born country singer could do, delivering a record that not only contained four Number One hits and remained on the charts for more than 100 weeks, but was an undeniably substantial artistic achievement. Urban cites legendary songwriter Jimmy Webb (author of Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" and "Galveston"), as an influence, and Urban's music often recalls not only Nashville mavericks Rodney Crowell, Vince Gill, and Radney Foster, but the introspective stylings of 1970s singer/songwriters Jackson Browne and Dan Fogelberg. That said, BE HERE's smooth California folk-rock feel doesn't obscure the album's firm country roots. "God's Been Good to Me" lays down a tough, Waylon Jennings-worthy beat bolstered by hot banjo picking, while "Live to Love Another Day" is all backwoods twang and rural imagery. Urban's true forte, however, is the weepy ballad, and "Making Memories of Us" (penned by Crowell) and " Nobody Drinks Alone" are among the most poignant he's recorded.

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop
• Released: 9/21/2004
• Released: 09/21/2004