Keith Urban didn't set out to record a yacht rock record. But then he entered the 'Flow State'

Keith Urban's Flow State marks a surprising turn for a country superstar, transforming a 2026 project into a yacht rock showcase rather than a traditional country album. The collection includes ten yacht rock covers alongside an original track with music legend Michael McDonald, reflecting Urban's long-held affection for mid-to-late 70s soft-rock. The project began after Urban purchased and renovated the former Tracking Room studio in Nashville, renaming it The Sound. To test the vibe, he assembled a core group of session players and started by recording a yacht rock tune, then another, and soon booked several additional sessions. Two songs were laid down in a single day with Urban, producer Dann Huff, and the band, and the sessions grew into a full-length album. Urban emphasizes that flow came from joy rather than a mission to imitate the classics; the arrangements lean into extended outros while honoring the source material. The covers include Little Big Town on Walter Egan's Magnet and Steel and John Mayer on Bread's The Guitar Man, with McDonald joining on the original track We Go Back, the album's sole original, written in 2020 with BRELAND, Sam Sumser and Sean Small.