Keith Urban - 'Be Here'

As the follow-up to Keith's, Double-Platinum-selling Golden Road, Be Here delivers more of the guitar-driven music that Keith Urban fans love. From the fast paced "Days Go By" to the melancholy "Tonight I Wanna Cry" and everything in between, "here" is a good place to be.

Topping a multi-platinum album is a hard thing to do, but with the songs on "Be Here," it certainly is possible.

The album contains songs that are penned by Urban as well as others. The moods range from the get-in-the-car-with-the-top-down "Days Go By," to the moody, introspective "Tonight I Wanna Cry."

In "Better Life" Keith sings about heading for better things to come. The song has a strong percussive opening, and great banjo line as well. I especially like when Keith uses his falsetto at points during the song. On the mid-tempo "God's Been Good To Me," Keith tells of his thankfulness for all the gifts he's been given. The song starts out fairly acoustically, with a prominent banjo line, but by the second verse, the guitars are added as well.

Probably my favorite song on the album is the lovely ballad, "Making Memories of Us," which is a Rodney Crowell-penned tune. (It can be heard on the Notorious Cherry Bombs album, as well as on Tracy Byrd's The Truth About Men CD. I love the soft strings, acoustic guitar, and the tenderness of Keith's voice on this song.

The mid-tempo song "You're My Better Half" talks about appreciating that special someone in your life. This song is guitar-driven, which is what we expect from Urban.

One of the most different songs on the album would have to be "Tonight I Wanna Cry." The song is piano-based, which is something that fans aren't used to hearing from Urban, who is famous for his fantastic guitar work. The song speaks of someone who used to keep his feelings in, but now is going to just let it all out and cry.

The album goes full circle with the final track, "These Are The Days," which contains advice from a grandmother to slow down and enjoy the days of your life. It segues back into "Days Go By" again, with a few repetitions of the chorus, then the acoustic outro. A perfect ending to an excellent album.