Keith Urban is trading in his cowboy boots for deck shoes.
The country music star has announced he will pivot to yacht rock for his new album, Flow State, which arrives on June 12.
According to a press release, Urban sought to capture “the breezy, laid-back sounds of classic yacht rock tunes for a reinvigorated collection of the timeless songs that will have us lathering up the sunscreen and blending drinks all summer long.”
"Flow State started as a fun little project and somehow turned into a full-fledged album," Urban says. "It features 10 covers of some of my all-time favorite yacht rock songs, along with incredible collaborations with John Mayer and Little Big Town, PLUS one original track, 'We Go Back,' with the legendary Michael McDonald."
Some of the covers Urban recorded included classics like Seals & Crofts' "Summer Breeze," Player's "Baby Come Back," and Little River Band's “Help Is on Its Way.”
“The origins of this kind of music was, in certain ways, a reaction and an antidote to the stresses of the times,” he explains. “Its sole mission (and soul mission) is unchanged…to bring us together and remind us that life is happening NOW — the eternal now — and we have far more in common than not. I hope wherever you hear this album you can feel the exhale, comfort and optimism these songs were originally written by and for.”
Urban and Dann Huff shared production of the album, completing it at Keith’s studio in Nashville.
Hear "We Go Back" featuring Michael McDonald and his cover of "Summer Breeze" below.