When I reviewed Keith Urban's last single, I criticized him for releasing way too many shallow love songs in a row off Defying Gravity — indeed, "Sweet Thing," "Kiss a Girl" and "Only You Can Love Me This Way" were sorely lacking in the lyric department, although all three (especially "Only You") were redeemed to a certain degree by Keith's highly engaging vocals. (Okay, "Kiss a Girl" is still my least favorite song of his, but it's not terrible.)
For the album's fourth single, Keith has finally gone for something a little more substantial. In this song, the narrator is deeply let down by the end of summer, yearning for the girl that he met at the carnival. In the meantime, he waits for her to come back again. The chorus provides interesting little details, such as the two of them sitting on the ferris wheel as its car rocks, and the fact that he maintains the park's rides in the meantime; other details, such as the winter wind, only add to the melancholy feel. In some ways, it feels like a sequel to "Anything but Mine," my favorite Kenny Chesney song. The production and melody are appropriately somber, relying mostly on Keith's soft slide guitar licks and some soft organ fills. Urban steps up his game vocally (which says a lot), convincingly playing the role of one very heartbroken man.
As I said the last time I reviewed one of his songs, ballads have long been Keith Urban's forte, and "'Til Summer Comes Around" is no exception. In fact, I would say that it's a standout even among his many great ballads. Despite the recent influx of sad songs (e.g. "Why" and "Wayman's Song"), Urban easily has the momentum to get nearly anything to the top — even, and especially, a song that's this well-written and well-sung.
You can support Keith Urban by purchasing this single at iTunes | Amazon.
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