Country superstar Keith Urban is set to release something completely unexpected on June 12, 2026 — his 13th studio album titled Flow State, made up almost entirely of smooth yacht rock covers from the ’70s and ’80s.
In an exclusive interview, Urban revealed that this project was never intentional. After building a new studio in Nashville, he was eager to record but had to hit the road for his High and Alive world tour. When the studio was finally ready, he decided to break it in with some casual sessions.
“We put a session band together and I said, ‘Let’s just do a couple of yacht rock songs just for fun…’ that’s all it was going to be, just to break in the studio,” Urban explained.
What started as a relaxed warm-up quickly snowballed. The band had so much fun that they kept adding more songs every time he returned from tour. Over four months, the album “revealed itself” and demanded to be made.
“None of this was preconceived. I never in a million years thought I would end up making a yacht rock record. It wasn’t in my sights.”
All-Star Collaborations & Tracklist
To bring these timeless, lush arrangements to life, Urban recruited an elite roster of guest musicians and guitar virtuosos.
-
Michael McDonald: The definitive voice of the yacht rock era joins Urban on the record’s lone original composition, “We Go Back.”
-
Little Big Town: The country powerhouse provides rich, layered vocal harmonies on Walter Egan’s 1978 hit “Magnet and Steel” (a track originally backed by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham).
-
John Mayer: The fellow guitar god joins forces with Urban for a blistering, six-string-heavy reinterpretation of Bread’s iconic masterpiece, “Guitar Man.”
Official Flow State Tracklisting:
-
Steal Away (Originally by Robbie Dupree)
-
Baby Come Back (Originally by Player)
-
Magnet And Steel (feat. Little Big Town) (Originally by Walter Egan)
-
Just The Two Of Us (Originally by Grover Washington Jr. / Bill Withers)
-
On And On (Originally by Stephen Bishop)
-
We Go Back (feat. Michael McDonald) (Original Track)
-
Help Is On Its Way (Originally by Little River Band)
-
How Much I Feel (Originally by Ambrosia)
-
Summer Breeze (Originally by Seals & Crofts)
-
I Just Wanna Stop (Originally by Gino Vannelli)
-
Guitar Man (feat. John Mayer) (Originally by Bread)
This feels like a perfect “vibe album” from Keith Urban. Known for constantly pushing boundaries and exploring new sounds, Flow State shows his love for smooth, soulful music and his incredible guitar playing. Fans expecting traditional country might be surprised, but those who appreciate Urban’s versatility are in for a treat. Sometimes the best albums are the ones that happen organically.
