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Keith Urban Cranks Up the Hard Rock in New Song ‘Tumbleweed’

Urban’s brisk new tune is the latest offering from ‘The Speed of Now Part 1’

Keith Urban cranks up and sings an ode to a free spirit in his new song “Tumbleweed,” released on Friday. It’s Urban’s latest offering from the forthcoming album The Speed of Now Part 1, due out September 18th.

“Tumbleweed” — written by the Cadillac Three’s Jaren Johnston and Neil Mason, with James McNair — kicks off in familiar Urban fashion, piling its components on top of a funky six-string banjo riff played by the ace guitarist. But this one’s paced a lot faster than recent Urban tunes, appropriate for being an ode to a fast-moving woman that has him smitten. “I’m your Billy the Kid, so baby let’s giddy-up gone,” he sings, the band evoking the brisker-than-brisk pace and palm-muted crunch of hard rock as he pledges to come along for the ride. By the song’s end, Urban has his Stratocaster in hand and shreds his way through a horns-worthy guitar solo.

Urban has already released a handful of songs from The Speed of Now Part 1, including “Polaroid,” “Change Your Mind,” and “Superman.” The 15-track project is the follow-up to Urban’s 2018 release Graffiti U.

Just before his album is set to drop, Urban will take the reins as a first-time host of the Academy of Country Music Awards. Originally slated for mid-April, the show was postponed to September 16th due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The rescheduled event will now take place in Nashville, with performances happening at the Grand Ole Opry House, the Ryman Auditorium, and the Bluebird Cafe.

From Rolling Stone US