Keith Urban's Ode to the Johns in His Life

Gotta say I just heard the new single by Keith Urban, and it is an instant classic! The upbeat, playful tune is titled "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16". Not in the least bit preachy, in spite of the Biblical reference in the name. 

Keith's been away since 2013, and with his stint on American Idol coming to an end, it's time for him to focus solely on the music once again. 

For me, his 2009 album, Defying Gravity, was one incredible disc! Chock full of great songs- everything from "Kiss A Girl" to "Hit the Ground Runnin'" captured the fun of country music. I even found a bit of the Eagles and their California meets Arizona stylings in the underrated "Only You Can Love Me This Way".

Radio.com has this great but short interview with Keith about his new album and particularly his new single:

“It’s a great feeling to be back in the studio shaping a new album,” Urban said in a press release about the song. “‘John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16’ was sent to me a few months ago by one of the songwriters and I loved it immediately—loved it so much that right before I walked out on stage at the Ryman (Auditorium) for CRS a few months back, I thought I’d play the song solo acoustic to see what the audience thought.

“Flash forward and there’s no doubt that their response that day helped make it the first single from what will be my next album.”

“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16″ was written by Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman and Josh Osborne and co-produced by Dann Huff and Urban. Urban said that the song “resonated deeply” with him the movement he heard it.

“It’s the poetic use of the three Johns and what each represents to me,” he said.

Unimpressive Idols

American Idol Season 13 is certainly unlucky! After viewing a handful of episodes, I am thoroughly unimpressed. The judges are probably the best mix since the original ones. Jennifer Lopez always displays her soft side (except on stage!), Keith Urban is kind but honest, and surprise hard nose Harry Connick Jr. is generally as dead on as Simon Cowell.  The show is past its prime when greats like Carrie Underwood and Daughtry made a splash. We won't see artists like them again. It's time for The Voice to return.

(Photograph by Michael Becker, Fox)

Candice Glover Sparkles on American Idol

Hardly seems right, but many are already predicting that Candice Glover will be passed over when American Idol crowns its next champion. It's a shame!

Here is a beautiful soul with a warm and amazing voice. Elegant, classy, and every bit as marketable as Amber Holcomb, Angie Miller and Kree Harrison. When Candice slides into her sophisticated version of Billie Holiday's "You've Changed", time seems to stand still. Just stunning. Harry Connick Jr. rightly praised her, and judges Keith Urban, Mariah Carey and Randy Jackson did as well. (Am I forgetting someone? Oh yes, Nicki Minaj, the most annoying judge to ever dis-grace the panel. Get rid of her and watch the show's ratings rise again.)

Candice is consistent week after week, yet sometimes she chooses just the right combination of song and arrangement to show that she is an artist and not just a contestant. A great artist at that. There's a hint of early Whitney Houston's gorgeous higher notes,  the "money's in the basement" lower tones of ADELE, (love that quote by Karen Carpenter!), and at times, the breezy delivery of old school jazz singers. Quite the combination.

Will I be buying her album? We'll see who produces her! But I want to. Will you?

Won Over

Every once in awhile, a Keith Urban song catches my ear. The last one was "Somebody Like You", from the 2002 "Golden Road" album. I had given up on him after that point until this new disc arrived in stores.

The new collection, "Defying Gravity" is almost impossible to resist. It's filled with the catchiest of songs and arrangements! "Kiss A Girl" may have had revived interest due to his American Idol duet with Kris Allen, but Urban's original solo version sparkles with fun. And the disc just keeps getting better.

Standouts include the catchy "Hit the Ground Runnin'" and "Sweet Thing", but it is with the tender ballads "Only You Can Love Me This Way" and the ode to Nicole Kidman "Thank You" that give this collection its heart and soul.

ipod shuffled

Like to shake it up a bit every now and then. And it was way overdue, but it finally took American Idol Season Eight to make me shuffle up my ipod. Not since the year of Elliott Yamin and Chris Daughtry has there been such talent!

So adding to the old standbys of Sting and Karen and Richard Carpenter are now Kris Allen and Danny Gokey, in particular. Why now Adam Lambert? Just not a fan of the glam rock thing. Should his disc have a few things as strong as Mad World, I might consider a change of plan.

Certainly, there are some oddities on my ipod shuffle to make the most die-hard of Disney geek blush. One Little Spark from the Imagination pavilion (Epcot), the on board soundtrack from the original version of Space Mountain (Paris), and various odds and ends from Disneyland, Epcot, California Adventure and TokyoDisneySea.

Naturally, it doesn't end there. Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin, and Amy Grant give me an inspirational shot, with Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra providing the swing. George Strait still rules and Keith Urban adds a few more songs to my collection.

Can't wait for the traditional onslaught of Fall releases! I am sure A Change is Gonna Come once again.