The phone rang a few minutes later than expected.

Keith Urban was on the line, with an apology for the delay. He was preparing for a show in Columbus, Ohio, and running behind as a result of other media interviews.

"I'm on the bus, backstage," he said. "I'm once again sitting in a darkened loading bay and can't tell if it's light outside or what."

If there's one impression after chatting with Urban, it's that he is remarkably genuine, despite his status as a country-music megastar.

He speaks with candor and seems comfortable with the place he is at in life. Urban just released a new album titled "Defying Gravity," and he is celebrating three years of marriage to actress Nicole Kidman this year. Their daughter, Sunday Rose, turned 1 this year.

"God works through people," Urban said as he described his life. "And boy, that has never been more present than in my own family,"

On Wednesday, he will perform a one-night show at EnergySolutions Arena in downtown Salt Lake City. The performance is part of his Escape Together World Tour and the group Little Big Town is scheduled to open the concert.

For Urban, performing is an opportunity to inspire, and he has designed his tour in a way he thinks will really involve the audience. The stage is arranged with no barriers to block the crowd, and Urban said his musical selection is deeply relevant to where he is in his life right now.

Reviewers in other cities have already given approval to the way the show is set up, including some more candid moments where Urban lets loose on his guitar.

"We're just there to make a connection for the night," Urban said as he described his upcoming performance. "I don't want to impress anyone, but I would love to inspire someone."

His new album focuses on that idea of inspiration, particularly the inspiration of love. And we're not talking about the sexed-up and showy love some of his contemporaries write about, but a more sweet and simple kind of love, with the power to uplift and heal.

Urban said he was drawn to writing songs about love for his album because it was one of the "energies" that pulled him through the past few years of his life, including a period where he went through a very publicized stint in rehab.

"Instead of wallowing through it and rehashing all the darkness, I didn't feel any need to process what I had been through with song writing," Urban said. "I had done that in other ways."

He credits Kidman for helping him to truly open his heart to love.

"I look back at life before her, and I don't think I ever had the willingness or the courage to truly love and let someone love me," Urban said.