Keith Urban Greatest Hits: 18 Kids (Capitol Nashville, 2007)

Keith Urban subtitles this best of CD "18 Kids," which is a little strange because Urban is not usually noted for his songwriting, even though he gets writer's credit on many of these hits. Instead, it's more common for respected songwriters to describe their compositions as children, whom they appear to love almost as much as their very own offspring. There's so much topnotch material on this collection, however, it's easy to see why Urban speaks of its track list so fatherly.

Upbeat works like "Days Go By" and "Where The Blacktop Ends" always jump right out of the radio, primarily due to Urban's undeniable enthusiasm. "You'll Think Of Me" is also a finely crafted breakup song. Furthermore, the way Urban angrily/regretfully mouths the word "stupid" during "Stupid Boy" is priceless. Nevertheless, not everything here reaches auditory pleasure centers. For instance, "I Told You So" just plods along, seemingly without end. The new track, "Got It Right This Time (The Celebration)" also suffers from that same musical monotony. Thankfully, the other new one, Steve Forbert's "Romeo's Tune," fairs much better. An acoustic piano and plucked banjo combination make it a winner and a fine addition to Urban's growing musical family.