On June 12, Keith Urban released his first cover album, “Flow State,” a deviation from country music that compiles his take on several yacht rock classics. (Photo credit: Keith Urban / Facebook)
Since the release of Keith Urban‘s self-titled 1991 debut album, the following 35 years have not seen the Australian country artist release a cover album, until now…
However, rather than do a country cover album, Keith has gone in an unexpected direction, releasing a collection of yacht rock cover songs on Friday, June 12, in an album titled flow state.
“Creating ‘flow state‘ was one of the most unexpected albums I’ve ever made,” Keith said in a press release. “In a lot of ways, it felt like the whole album had an energy and life of its own and I was just following where it led me.”
As the album led him along, he also brought a few friends with him, including Little Big Town and John Mayer, with both acts contributing their talents to the project.
Further, he said:
The songs we recorded were all so natural though, and I discovered a lot about how much they’ve helped shape my own music. There’s a reason these songs have stood the test of time, and equally so, the need for their spirit of fully disconnecting from ‘the grid’ and swimming in blue sky simplicity.”
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Listen To Keith Urban’s ‘Flow State’
Back on March 19, Keith announced he’d be releasing his first cover album, and he surprised fans at the Country Radio Seminar ’26 when he revealed it wouldn’t have any country songs on it.
Instead, Keith said, “It’s a thematic record … yacht rock songs.”
Upon him saying this, laughter and some cheers could be heard from some in the audience, to which Keith replied, “You think I’m kidding? I’m not kidding.”
And he truly wasn’t kidding, with flow state, stylized in all lowercase, being released on June 12.
“The origins of this kind of music was, in certain ways, a reaction and an antidote to the stresses of the times,” Keith said in an earlier press release for the album. “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.”
He added, “I hope wherever you hear this album you can feel the exhale, comfort and optimism these songs were originally written by and for.”
Additionally, on social media, he wrote in all lowercase, “this album is intended to bring escapism… to help you look up and see a blue sky. play it at the beach, on the boat (of course), at the backyard barbecue with your family & friends… wherever and whenever you need a moment to exhale.”
Featuring 11 tracks, Keith had said from the beginning that his yacht rock project would also include one original song, written in the yacht rock style.
That song is “We Go Back,” which features Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers.
During CMA Fest, Keith performed this song live with McDonald, as can be seen, here:
Here’s the full track list for flow state:
- “Steal Away”
- “Baby Come Back”
- “Magnet and Steel” (ft. Little Big Town)
- “Just the Two of Us”
- “On and On”
- “We Go Back” (ft. Michael McDonald)
- “Help Is On It’s Way”
- “How Much I Feel”
- “Summer Breeze”
- “I Just Wanna Stop”
- “Guitar Man” (ft. John Mayer)
Regarding his cover of “Steal Away,” which is the opening track of flow state and was the first track Keith shared from the album, he wrote on social media, “I knew ‘Steal Away’ would kick off this yacht rock album as soon as we recorded it. It immediately sets the right vibe and sums up the energy of this record perfectly.”
Leading up to the release, he also released his cover of “Magnet and Steel,” featuring Little Big Town.
If you think their collaboration has a Fleetwood Mac-esque sound, you’re not mistaken. On the original 1978 song by Walter Egan, both Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham provided backing vocals, and the song was produced by Buckingham.
Hear Little Big Town collaborate with Keith Urban, here:
One of the standout tracks on the cover album is “Just the Two of Us,” which the new audio can be heard here:
Listen to the album flow state on your preferred streaming platform, here.
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