Charm and looks aren’t everything

IF I were Nicole Kidman, I’d want to hang out with Keith Urban too. Onstage Tuesday at the Gibson Amphitheatre, the guy was nothing if not cute and charming.

But I’m not Kidman and you’re probably not either, so beware: even that charm isn’t enough to keep Urban’s music from seeming so unrelentingly ordinary.

Urban has just been named entertainer of the year by the Country Music Assn., but that tells us more about the uninspired state of the top-of-the-charts talent level in Nashville these days than it does about this Aussie singer with a sweet, uplifting message about following your dreams.

It would be a whole lot easier to feel good about what Urban has accomplished in his career if his music were more compelling.

It’s as if Urban spent all those childhood years in Australia dreaming about being part of Loggins and Messina.

You could even picture him Tuesday teaming up with one of the members of that mellow country-rock team from the ‘70s.

Loggins and Urban?

Urban and Messina?

Put it this way: Urban hasn’t a trace of the mystery or depth to handle the Johnny Cash role in the film “Walk the Line,” much less aspire to Cash’s place in country music -- even though the late country star’s “Folsom Prison Blues” was played over the sound system before Urban walked on stage.

But Urban’s pre-show tape also included Coldplay’s “Fix You” on the sound system, so go figure. In the concert, he, too, played snippets of country and rock tunes -- Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and U2’s “Beautiful Day.”

For all this acknowledgment of country and rock, the music during the two-hour concert didn’t feel like it was in step with either of those rich genres, but some mushy place in between, despite the blistering energy from his five-piece band.

Thank goodness Urban’s not one of those country singers who wears the big hats, but he does sport the second most common country singer look: the everyman with the jeans torn conveniently at the knees and a T-shirt that looks like it came from the bottom of the pile in the closet.

Urban’s latest album, “Be Here,” has been on the country and pop charts for more than a year -- full of reflections on the three L’s of country music: love, loss and longing.

The challenge for any artist, however, is to express those themes in fresh terms. Urban just expresses them. They feel interchangeable with hundreds of other songs you’ve heard but barely remember.

The chief noteworthy numbers in Tuesday’s set were “You Look Good in My Shirt,” a lively tale, which Urban didn’t write, about rekindling an old flame, and the tune from his new album that may become his signature number: “These Are the Days.”

Written by Urban and Monty Powell, it’s blessed with a lovely melody and sentiments that summarize Urban’s musical philosophy in personal, convincing tones:

These are the days we will remember

These are the times that won’t come again

The highest of flames becomes an ember

And you gotta live ‘em while you can

MUSIC aside, Urban knows how to charm an audience.

He thanked the fans in that adorable Aussie accent for driving a long way to get to the show. He also thanked the opening act (Deana Carter). He even jumped down from the stage to kiss a faithful fan. And he was playful enough to sing a song (“You Look Good ...”) to another young fan onstage, while both were lying on their backs.

And it was all done with a warmth that never made you question his sincerity, which isn’t always the case in country music, where the “just one of the folks” approach is sometimes hard to swallow.

Still, all the nice gestures only took up about 10 minutes, which left a lot of time to twist in your seat.

Urban certainly does know how to play a mean guitar, unlike many country singers who seem to just use the instrument as a prop. And his vocals are pleasant. But that’s not enough to make Urban memorable in any musical way.

Whether they were smitten by his smile and manner or they truly find emotion in his songs, the rows of female fans couldn’t have been happier, however. They shrieked at his every move and sang along on every line.

In most cases, pop fans probably daydream of actually being the star on stage. In Urban’s case, my guess is those female fans probably just daydream about being Nicole.

*

Robert Hilburn, pop music critic of The Times, may be at reached at robert.hilburn@ latimes.com