Fuse (Keith Urban album)

Background

Regarding the sound of the new album, Keith said during an interview with Rolling Stone that "I just wanted to see how far I could go before it's not me." He also said he was inspired by U2's album Achtung Baby, saying "Bono said, [Achtung Baby] had to be the sound of [U2] chopping down The Joshua Tree, which I thought was great. That's where I found myself at. I can keep making the same record, but I don't want to do that." The album cover was revealed on 1 August 2013.

Singles

The album's lead single "Little Bit of Everything", written by Brad and Brett Warren (both of The Warren Brothers) along with Kevin Rudolf, was released on 14 May 2013. This song reached number one on the Country Airplay chart in September 2013, as did "We Were Us", which was released as the album's second international single. in September 2013. "Shame" was released as the second single in Australia and New Zealand only in August 2013. The third international single, "Cop Car" was released in January 2014. The fourth international single, "Somewhere in My Car", was released on 23 June 2014. This single also reached number one on Country Airplay late that year. The fifth international single, "Raise 'Em Up" was released on 26 January 2015. It became the fourth (of the five North American releases) to top the Country Airplay chart in May 2015.

Critical reception

Fuse garnered generally positive reception from music critics to critique the album. At Metacritic, they assign a weighted average score based upon selected mainstream critics reviews and ratings, which based upon four reviews, the album has a Metascore of a 74. At Country Weekly, Bob Paxman said that the release "mesh[es] Keith's usual blend of pop and country with some R&B touches and even some New Age-y sounds." He praised the variety of sounds and thought that the vocals were more prominent than on Urban's previous albums. Will Hermes of Rolling Stone highlighted that "What is surprising, though, is how unforced and fun the record sounds", and this was because "Sometimes, leaving your zone is the best way to find yourself." At Allmusic, Thom Jurek wrote that "For all the piecemeal recording, technological obsession and sheer ambition on the Fuse, Urban manages to fashion it all into a (mostly) working whole and maintain his identity as a contemporary country artist, even as he reaches for the mainstram pop fences."

Jerry Shirver of USA Today suggested that "Deleting generic material would have made the gems pop more, but that's minor since there are plenty of keepers". At The Oakland Press, Gary Graff told that "Fuse does lean a bit heavy on same-sounding arrangements (gentle verses swelling into bombastic choruses) but the songs are consistently strong, and Urban's performances on both guitar and vocals - including duets with Miranda Lambert ('We Were Us') and Eric Church ('Raise 'Em Up') - certainly help the new sonic approaches go down easy." Glenn Gamboa of Newsday found that the album was "filled with plenty of pleasant surprises. The biggest one, though, is how high Urban raised his ambitions and then delivered impressively on them." At Edmonton Journal, Amanda Ash stated that the release was "a thrill that's for sure, although the sentimental ups and downs may be hard on those with pop-sensitive stomachs."

At The New York Times, Jon Caramanica wrote a mixed review, and evoked that "The words are working hard here, and the music is, too, but Mr. Urban is gliding through, barely quaking at all." Melinda Newman at HitFix affirmed that even though Urban "plays beyond country's confines on a few tracks, most tunes hew closely to what the faithful have come to love: mid-tempo tunes anchored by banjo or guitar and Urban’s instantly recognizable vocals." Bobby Peacock of Roughstock praised the variety of production and songwriting, saying of the latter that some of the songs "have different details and/or phrasing than his usual songs." In addition, he wrote that "All of the changes are just right, fitting into his signature sound while offering something new and creative at every turn." At The Montreal Gazette, Bernard Perusse wrote that the album "is mind-numbingly predictable arena pop-rock. Every singsong chorus, every wailing guitar solo and every heartland lyric sounds so written by committee that it’s almost impossible to tell one radio-friendly track from the other."

Commercial performance

In the first week of release, the album sold 98,000 copies in the US, after debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and the US Top Country Albums chart. As of April 2016, the album has sold 478,000 copies in the US. The album also debuted at number one in Canada and Australia, and in the top 10 in the United Kingdom. It is Urban's second album to chart in his native New Zealand, after 2012's The Story So Far.

Personnel

Compiled from liner notes.

Singles

Other songs

"Even the Stars Fall 4 U" and "Good Thing" have charted at number 49 and number 50, respectively, on the US Hot Country Songs chart.