Keith Urban says new songs play well live

BILOXI, Miss., June 15 (UPI) -- Australian-born country star Keith Urban says he's looking forward to playing songs from his latest album on his upcoming North American tour.

"We did a short run in Australia, and I was pretty happy with how the new songs sounded," Urban says of the material from "Get Closer," his eighth studio album, which came out in November and has been certified gold. "We did a lot of songs off the new record, and it's was really good to see how people sang along with them. I love these songs, and if I'm fortunate enough to get to do these for many years to come, I'll be very happy."

"Get Closer's" second single, "Without You," was Urban's 12th No. 1 country single. "Long Hot Summer," which he co-wrote with Richard Marx, is the next release from the album.

Urban's tour kicks off Thursday in Biloxi, Miss. He'll be on the road in North America through mid-October.