Keith Urban - Keith Urban Days Go By (2005)

A New Zealand-born songwriter who moved to America during the 1990s, Keith Urban established a base for himself in Nashville a decade or so before this release, and while he certainly draws from country's long tradition in his music, he also infuses it with a healthy dose of good ol' rock & roll attitude. This isn't anything new in Nashville, mind you, but Urban also happens to be one heck of a guitar player, and his seemingly boundless enthusiasm for the job means his version of rocking country doesn't sound like a studied hybrid, but instead appears as effortless and natural as the wind blowing down a freeway. Add to this Urban's refreshing optimism, and songs like "Days Go By," "Somebody Like You," and "Better Life" explode out of the speakers like joyous new beginnings. Days Go By is a European compilation that combines most of the tracks from 2004's Be Here with a few from 2002's Golden Road, creating what amounts to an introductory anthology of Urban's early work for Capitol Records. © Steve Leggett