Album of the Month (May 2016): Keith Urban, ‘Ripcord’
The Boot's readers have selected Keith Urban's upcoming new album, Ripcord, as May 2016's Album of the Month. Earning almost 65 percent of votes, Urban's new release beat out upcoming projects from, among others, Cole Swindell, Jennifer Nettles and Blake Shelton to earn the Album of the Month title.
If fans feel as though the wait for Ripcord has been long, they can't be faulted: The first signs that new music was on the way from Urban came all the way back in February of 2015 when, near the end of the month, the country superstar shared that he was "just starting work on" the project that would become Ripcord. Shortly thereafter, Urban revealed the disc's first single, "John Cougar, John Deer, John 3:16," during CRS 2015; the tune hit No. 1 in October.
October of 2015 was a big month for Urban -- more accurately, for those eager for details about his new record: That month, the singer shared Ripcord's second single, “Break on Me,” and announced the album's tile, by simply tweeting the word “Ripcord” to more than 2 million followers.
“It’s just kind of a cool word name — just, it has a lot of energy about it that I really like … I just like the sound of it …,” Urban says of selecting Ripcord as the album's title, “and I thought [a ripcord on a parachute] is quite metaphoric for what music is for me and what music is for a lot of people: It can very well be the thing that saves their life.”
After "Break on Me" hit No. 1 in March, Urban shared “Wasted Time” as Ripcord's third single.
After 14 months of waiting, fans will finally get to hear all of Ripcord on May 6. In addition to its three singles, the 12-track record also includes “Sun Don’t Let Me Down,” which features rapper Pitbull and Nile Rogers, as well as a song called “The Fighter,” featuring Carrie Underwood.
“I always think records are like photographs; they’re just a snapshot,” Urban says. “For me anyway, they’ve all been just an accurate snapshot of who I am, where I am in life, what’s going on.
“I’ve always really done it sort of haphazard when I get in the studio. You got a bunch of songs and try this song and try that one,” Urban continues. “Sometimes songs just don’t work, and sometimes other things become something in the studio much more than before. They just come to life.”
Ripcord is available for pre-order on iTunes. On June 2, Urban will kick off his Ripcord World Tour 2016, featuring Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris.
Keith Urban, Ripcord Track Listing:
1. “Gone Tomorrow (Here Today)” (Written by Jeff Bhasker, Samuel Tyler Johnson and Keith Urban / Co-produced by Jeff Bhasker, Tyler Johnson and Keith Urban)
2. “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” (Written by Shane McAnally, Ross Copperman, Josh Osborne / Co-produced by Dann Huff and Keith Urban)
3. “Wasted Time” (Written by Greg Wells, J. Hart and Keith Urban / Co-produced by Greg Wells and Keith Urban)
4. “Habit of You” (Written by K-Kov and Jackson Morgan / Co-produced by K-Kov and Keith Urban)
5. “Sun Don’t Let Me Down” (Written by Nile Rodgers, busbee, Armando Christian Perez and Keith Urban / Co-produced by Nile Rodgers, busbee and Keith Urban)
6. “Gettin’ in the Way” (Written by Emily Weisband, Jordan Reynolds and David Hodges / Co-produced by Dann Huff and Keith Urban)
7. “Blue Ain’t Your Color” (Written by Steven Lee Olsen, Hillary Lindsey and Clint Lagerberg / Co-produced by Dann Huff and Keith Urban)
8. “The Fighter” (Written by busbee and Keith Urban / Co-produced by busbee and Keith Urban)
9. “Break on Me” (Written by Jon Nite and Ross Copperman / Co-Produced by Nathan Chapman and Keith Urban)
10. “Your Body” (Written by busbee and Keith Urban / Co-produced by busbee and Keith Urban)
11. “That Could Still Be Us” (Written by Jason Duke, Jesse Lee and Jonathan Price / Co-Produced by Jonny Price and Keith Urban)
12. “Worry ‘Bout Nothin’” (Written by Chris Tompkins, Rodney Clawson and Josh Kear / Co-Produced by Dann Huff and Keith Urban)
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