Keith Urban's Out of Rehab and On CD

I'm not a country music fan.

But since I got married, my wife has helped me appreciate some country artists whom I never would have considered otherwise. One of them is Keith Urban, the Australian crooner whose melodic guitar playing and upbeat lyrics helped me realize country isn't always synonymous with twanging gee-tars, drawling accents and down-on-your-luck stories.

It turns out I'm not the only one who's crossed over into Keith Urban country. His latest, Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing recently debuted at No. 3 on Billboard's pop chart. More significant than chart position is the up tick in fans' interest. Love sold 267,000 units its first week, compared to just 148,000 copies of Urban's 2004 effort, Be Here. Says Capitol Records Nashville vice president Bill Kennedy, "It says a lot about his growing fan base that he's just about doubled the best week he's ever had."

No doubt Urban's recent marriage to fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman has increased his visibility. But his catchy songwriting (which easily straddles the country, rock and pop genres), combined with his optimistic outlook, definitely deserve credit as well.

Crazy Little Thing Called Love
The title Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing hints at songs that span the human experience. But while Keith's personal life has had some painful moments of late (he's just emerged from rehab at the Betty Ford Clinic after "relapsing" during his years-long recovery from drug and alcohol abuse), his album focuses much more on love than pain.

Urban's marriage to Kidman seems to have inspired a slew of songs about commitment. "Once in a Lifetime" celebrates fidelity and trust as he promises, "I know we got a once-in-a-lifetime love" and reminisces about their wedding day ("I close my eyes, and I see you standing right there saying 'I do'"). Track after love-drenched track pledge faithfulness. "Shine" insists, "You know that I won't ever let you down," while "I Told You So" alludes to marital perseverance ("Oh, can't you see/That for better or worse/We're better together?"). Keith is so smitten he's even penned a thanksgiving ode that praises God for creating women ("God Made Woman").

Two Steps Forward, Only a Half Step Back
Just when it seems sentimentality might run amok, Keith demonstrates what long-term love looks like in the real world. On "Tu Compañía" he delights in sharing the mundane stuff of daily life with his beloved ("Your feet propped up on that kitchen chair/Mornin' papers scattered all around you/Coffee brewin' on that cast-iron stove/And the pleasure of just known' that you're mine"). And "I Told You So" recognizes that affection sometimes melts into misunderstanding without warning. Doe-eyed romance, then, is rightly tempered by reality on these tracks.

When Keith isn't finding new ways to express his faithful intentions, he's encouraging strugglers and stragglers. "Everybody" reminds us not to go it alone. "Used to the Pain" wisely acknowledges that while each of us is broken ("There's a scar that's always gonna be there/There's a past in everyone"), we don't have to let pain drive us into isolation ("It's hard holdin' on/... But you're not alone").

Only a couple missteps dampen the positive vibe. "Fast Car" includes the album's lone profanity ("d--n") and a stray reference to smoking ("Flicking cigarettes out of the window"). "Tu Compañía" refers to sharing a bed with someone without explicitly mentioning marriage as a context ("If I could be anywhere with anyone/You know exactly where I'd be/Under the covers waitin' for the sun to rise/Your head on the pillow next to me"). That reference, however, is perhaps mitigated by Urban's nuptials, and the fact that he spends the balance of the album glorifying long-term fidelity.

"I Wonder If I Should Put My Hand Up?"
By his own admission, Keith Urban is still working on the themes he sings about. He recently told Best Life magazine, "Everyone gets overwhelmed at points, but it's when you think you can handle it yourself, and you don't reach out for help—that's when the end is near. Recognize that you're about to tire, that drowning is looming. I've definitely been that drowning guy, and in the midst of drowning, I thought, 'I wonder if I should put my hand up?' ... I'm just really grateful to be present and doing what I can."

In a music world that can often be sensual and self-absorbed, Mr. Kidman's honesty and optimism are a breath of fresh air. Song after song remind us of what's important: Loving our family and friends well and resolutely depending on them when we're tempted to go it alone.

Even someone who never used to listen to country can appreciate those values.