This is the first personal review of the CD that we've received. We would love to have your reviews, and will post them. Just email me at umyths@yahoo.com.
This writer does not hate this record. It contains probably one of the best songs that Keith Urban has ever written, ‘Til Summer Comes Around. The song is very strong and does not sound like anything else on the CD. It’s sad that there aren't any other songs on the CD that are this strong. However, saying that, the rest of the songs are weak would not be right. Keith has written better songs on better CD's. He again shows that he is a master of interpretation with Radney Foster’s, I'm In. Standing Right in Front of You, is another song worth more than a few listens. Sweet Thing and Kiss a Girl have nice clicky verses and are radio friendly, but they aren't substantial. With the exception of ‘Til Summer, none of these songs are keepers.
What seems to be missing from this record is texture; texture in terms of musical direction or emotional sentiment. Keith Urban has depth, listen to Tonight I Wanna Cry or You Won; even go back to Man of the House and you can see there is a good writer there. Love Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing has been debated until we are sick of it, but it had something that this CD lacks, and that is diversity. This CD has nice sweet lovely little songs in it but that’s all they are. This CD also has one of the most disturbing songs that Keith Urban has ever had a hand in writing and that is the song Thank You.
At the end of Golden Road Keith wrote a song called You Are Not My God. That song was about surrendering to false gods. The chorus reads, “You are not my god, you are not the truth, you're a temporary shot." In Thank You, Keith does a 180 and kneels at the altar of Nicole Kidman. If he had not had a co-writer, I would be very frightened for his mental health, however, because someone else had a hand at this song I have to think like a staged photo op this song was placed so that everyone is aware that Keith is not Keith without Nicole pulling the strings. Almost like he had to write that; an obligation; like the trained media monkey he has become.
Someday when people look back on this CD they will see an artist who wrote a very contemporary timely artifact of a period of time.
Good or bad - you be the judge. I view Defying Gravity like eating junk food, tastes good, but not lasting, nor does it live up to the artist’s example.
This writer does not hate this record. It contains probably one of the best songs that Keith Urban has ever written, ‘Til Summer Comes Around. The song is very strong and does not sound like anything else on the CD. It’s sad that there aren't any other songs on the CD that are this strong. However, saying that, the rest of the songs are weak would not be right. Keith has written better songs on better CD's. He again shows that he is a master of interpretation with Radney Foster’s, I'm In. Standing Right in Front of You, is another song worth more than a few listens. Sweet Thing and Kiss a Girl have nice clicky verses and are radio friendly, but they aren't substantial. With the exception of ‘Til Summer, none of these songs are keepers.
What seems to be missing from this record is texture; texture in terms of musical direction or emotional sentiment. Keith Urban has depth, listen to Tonight I Wanna Cry or You Won; even go back to Man of the House and you can see there is a good writer there. Love Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing has been debated until we are sick of it, but it had something that this CD lacks, and that is diversity. This CD has nice sweet lovely little songs in it but that’s all they are. This CD also has one of the most disturbing songs that Keith Urban has ever had a hand in writing and that is the song Thank You.
At the end of Golden Road Keith wrote a song called You Are Not My God. That song was about surrendering to false gods. The chorus reads, “You are not my god, you are not the truth, you're a temporary shot." In Thank You, Keith does a 180 and kneels at the altar of Nicole Kidman. If he had not had a co-writer, I would be very frightened for his mental health, however, because someone else had a hand at this song I have to think like a staged photo op this song was placed so that everyone is aware that Keith is not Keith without Nicole pulling the strings. Almost like he had to write that; an obligation; like the trained media monkey he has become.
Someday when people look back on this CD they will see an artist who wrote a very contemporary timely artifact of a period of time.
Good or bad - you be the judge. I view Defying Gravity like eating junk food, tastes good, but not lasting, nor does it live up to the artist’s example.
8 comments:
Certainly the notion that the orb has become insubstantial...or probably has simply become emotionally "inert"... does not surprise me one bit. As the believers of the "it is his own fault" and not...anyone elses...(guess who I am refering to?) are simply addressing the possible...and debatable "blame" for the lack of growth or substance. They do not take into consideration the possible reason...which I would certainly put at the feet of his hooking up with kidman. I can go through the usual timeline everyone I'm sure is aware of the start of his downward spiral...and why not...I think I will...career on a upward trend...then...marriage...stint in rehab 4 months later...next album drops while the orb is laid up...album severly underperforms to half the sales of his last album...spotty touring schedule...reliance on "piggybacking" on other more successful artists. Now about 2 and a half years...a new, insubstantial cd...with maybe a few decent tunes. Is the orb simply "emotionally distilling" his stuff simply to try and sell it to the teenyboppers...which is certainly a reasonable notion, based on the last single...(as is having 19 yr old swift co headlining a few gigs on his tour)...or he is simply not in a mature and very thoughtful frame of mind at the moment to produce anything of substance. As the old cliches...or sayings go... you perform with a lousy dancer...you'll become pretty lousy yourself...or back to a favorite subject of mine...The Beatles quit performing live gigs...(at the height of the "beatlemania" craze) because at the shows they couldnt hear their own singing and playing above all the wild screams...and they actually felt their singing and playing skills were being hurt by that. I can only imagine the level of "emotion" and "sense of core values"...or the lack thereof... that the orb has been subject to being married to kidman...who despite over 20 years in the "emoting" business of acting... kidman has yet to convey any viable sense of warmth... relatability...or just a plain "normalness" that an actor should have to be successful.
I read the Apter book, wherein he quotes a KU associate saying that rehab may be good for sobriety and marriages, but bad for talent.
How much of Keith's musical neutering is due to him being clean/sober and how much, really, can we lay at the feet of his wife?
Would he be any more inventive, would he have kept more of his appeal, had he married a civilian?
PS: I've convinced myself that the Roll Royce is Nicole's condolence prize to herself for "Australia."
Well, the sentiments of this cd being less than substancial can also be read in this review from Entertainment Weekly.com...
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20267723,00.html
Music Review
Defying Gravity (2009)
Keith Urban
"Right between marrying Nicole Kidman and going to rehab, Keith Urban altered his sunny pop-country formula with 2006's overcast, eclectic Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing — his first-ever American album to yield exactly zero No. 1 hits. So feel free to celebrate the music industry’s fondness for overcorrection (what up, Kelly Clarkson) when considering this follow-up, Defying Gravity, because Urban is way back on message. He's taken such an aggressive header into the fluffy clouds of romantic optimism, in fact, that he should have just mailed Van Morrison a couple bucks and called this thing Love, Love & Crazy Love. Get thee behind him, cynicism!"
...I especially get a kick out of the cracks about the rehashing and recycling...
"Good thing Urban has a gift for making radio-baiting hooks and production feel enthusiastically fresh, whether he's cribbing an intro from the New Radicals' ''You Get What You Give'' on ''Standing Right in Front of You,'' borrowing Kenny Chesney's beachcomber vibe for ''Why's It Feel So Long,'' or ripping himself off left and right with just about everything else."
...wow for a basically "positive" review of the cd...this guy cant help but give the orb a lot of a back handed compliments... I mean...cribbing off the New Radicals? Borrowing from chesney?
And lastly, ripping himself off left and right? I could have told you that when he was so desperate he re-released a years old song to get some chart love...dont forget...some people really loved ol' Hammertime way back when! "Cant touch this?" Yeah, Rick James certainly did...by sueing his plagurizing behind!
You can't lay it at the feet of Yoko. No one put a gun to his head. I would think if you like this guy, and love his music you would like to think he married her because he loved her.
Now, if he loves her, and she is hard to deal with, as rumor has it, and as we have witnessed, I think that might be reason enough for the, let me say, writers block.
How much of the drivvle do you think one person can produce in their lifetime anyway? If what I have read regarding contractual obligations and radio friendly content is true, I think if I had to keep cranking it out I'd shoot myself.
Maybe it's my age, (we all know I'm bitter, ugly, lonely and overweight), but as admittingly strange as these two are, (albeit a tad understandable given the lifestyle THEY chose, I think I'm going to err on the side of he just loves her. My husband just loves me, I just love him. There are/have been many times I've looked at him, (and he says this isn't true, but come on), and thought why? But, I love him. I eat, I sleep, I work, I love my husband.
I'm sorry, guys, I think that's what you may have here.
I think he loves her too. I have for a long time. That doesn't mean I think this is a healthy relationship ... or that they are good for each other. But lots of people get into relationships when they are actually quite poisonous to them personally.
I believe that's what we have here.
Thus ... NK's career is sliding fairly rapidly downhill and Keith's creativity seems stalled at juvenile romance jingles (with a couple of exceptions on the DG CD) ala Junior High.
Ha! Just saw the new posted pic on the home page of kidman posing with the young actress from Slumdog...kidman DESPERATELY trying to lap up that bollywood sheen I tell you! Boy, that photo is the height of hilarious camp and parody...the lily white temple goddess...and that look on kidman's face shows such laughable "seriousness" for her ginger ale epic...and of course all compliments from the offical kidman photo opters JJ...seems they were invited onto the "set"...its all so "official". Boy, I bet the natives fall to their knee's at the sight of their new "ivory goddess"... or in other words, the "ginger ale" pusher! HAAHAHHAHHAHAHHaaaaahHHa!
...ps...
Hey... another thought crossed my mind as I finished posting and took another look at that photo...she reminds me of marlon brando on the set of Appocolypse Now...the bloated and flighty westerner sitting on his throne over the local people...kidman no doubt revels as the bollywood dancers shower her in a mist of the carbonated nector of the gods...ginger ale "manna" from the gods... for the ridiculous jester!
So, the orb descends still farther into teen "popstar" mediocrity...the "insubstancial" descriptions continue...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/03/30/entertainment/e080045D75.DTL&type=business
Music Review: Urban "Defying Gravity" with new CD
(you can tell when a review is pretty "superficial" by the moronic level of the titles "pun"...)
"Indeed, some songs — "Kiss A Girl" and the album's first hit, "Sweet Thing" _concentrate almost too much on musical merriment while letting the lyrics slip into juvenile sentiment."
...even in this saccarine and sunny side up and very fluffy review from the SFC, it can't help but acknowledge the orbs "juvenile sentiment... and it will be interesting, with the other news story of how kidman is "touched" by the new song written for her on this cd, just how this cd does...because as is so evident nowadays...everything connected to kidman also descends into failure and mediocrity.
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