I don’t have any of that stuff anywhere because I like it to be as blank a canvas as it was the very first time I made a record. But, I agree with Trigger’s main point…it’s silly to see a 50 year old guy writing/singing this type of material. But despite his far-flung sound collision, Urban is still at his best when staying firmly within his wheelhouse, delivering several undeniable hits on the soul-leaning arena ballad “Parallel Line” and the party-starting country rave “Never Comin Down. I have always loved that word, loved the sound of the word, and have loved that it's art-driven," he said. The lead-in to the release of Graffiti U, however, has not (at least by the singer’s own exceptional standards) been an auspicious one.

If anything disqualifies Graffiti U as the first honest to goodness monogenre record, it would be there’s not enough country in it to count that as an integrated influence. It’s almost as if in a calculating and maniacal obsession, Keith Urban and his legion of SIXTEEN producers set out on a purposeful mission to make the worst country album they could. I don’t begrudge Urban his money, b/c the record will sell…nor do I begrudge his fans for listening to it if they enjoy it. And this is just a modern version of that, I don’t think that is where thr comercial catering comes in for him. PO Box, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola, Anguilla, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan Republic, Belarus, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cook Islands, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Fiji, French Polynesia, Gabon Republic, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greenland, Guam, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Puerto Rico, Republic of the Congo, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Suriname, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vatican City State, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (U.For better or worse – and I’d say it’s for the worst – much of the alt-country critique of mainstream country isn’t about the music, but about representations of masculinity.

You’d be wise to use the term “country singer” loosely to describe Keith Urban, and even more wise to cut out the “male” part. I’ll tell you what would be refreshing: Keith apologizing for this record and recording some kind of “country roots” LP. This deluxe version also includes three extra bonus tracks including "The Fighter" (featuring Carrie Underwood). People who enjoy country music played by a band full of musicians who do not rip off other country music songs.Although chart performance is far from being the only measure of a song’s success, I think the numbers here do reflect the fact that Graffiti U’s antecedent singles have - for the most part - not quite been up to Urban’s usual standard. If you and your constituency are so concerned with the welfare of traditional country music start your own station and play whomever you deem worthy. I say “almost” because, with the passing years, I am having less and less difficulty ignoring his output. A long time ago it was easier cause there was not so many subcategories as it is today, and not so money-driven. But, this is two albums of this now, and this is even more of a departure from country music than “Ripcord” was.

As many have said, Texas Time does seem to pay homage to Don Williams Tulsa Time - same "flavour" with a modern twist.Graffiti U is neither a song title nor a lyric on the record, but rather a phrase that Urban had come up with. The guy can sing too, but who cares when he’s singing about subjects he has no business broaching, like girls in tight jeans at freaking Coachella. Keith Urban songs still dominate the radio, he gets CMA and ACM nods which could go to deserving country artists. Perhaps predictably, the well-intentioned song was met with both praise and criticism in a country ecosystem that is struggling to support and sustain its female entertainers.