Country Music's Yacht Rock Obsession: Keith Urban's New Album

People would be surprised how many country artists are obsessed with yacht rock, says Lady A singer Charles Kelley, host of a new yacht-rock show on SiriusXM. This year, country music is moving up from fishing rigs and pontoons to the easy listening waters of yacht rock.

Keith Urban released his 13th album, Flow State, a collection comprising mostly covers of classic songs like Steal Away, Summer Breeze, and Just the Two of Us, featuring Little Big Town, John Mayer, and Michael McDonald. Urban has said that he started the project as an accidental antidote to the stress of our world.

He's not the only one in Nashville currently enamored with yacht rock. Songs like Morgan Wallen's 7 Summers have brought those relaxed West Coast vamps all the way to country radio. Lady A's Charles Kelley launched Y'all Aboard on SiriusXM's Yacht Rock Radio, where he spins his favorite soft tunes alongside guests like Russell Dickerson, Dustin Lynch, Trisha Yearwood, and more.

The goal, he said, is to show that country music has a lot more than you think in common with the genre most often associated with poolside easy listening, R&B tones, and jazzy riffs. Plenty of others borrow its dockside aesthetic, Kenny Chesney and Zac Brown Band among them.

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