Keith Urban In An Inspired Mood These Days

Keith Urban is definitely in a happy place. Touring with the Defying Gravity album, Urban told Newsday the record is definitely more positive in its energy. "Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing captured an energy that I wasn't aware of. And this one captured an energy that I was really glad to see," he explained.

Part of that energy is clearly coming from wife Nicole Kidman, who Urban said has influenced his songwriting style. "The way she approaches life I find just beautifully inspiring, and that in turn has inspired my art."

As the superstar prepared to play Madison Square Garden Thursday night, he spent some time with Newsday to discuss writing songs, his trans-Atlantic move and Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. Urban recounts the first time he met his teenage guitar idol: "It was more of a strange fan sighting one night -- one of my early years in Nashville. He was sitting at a table in a restaurant. I was just sort of awestruck."

Urban fans unable to attend the Garden show tonight can catch the Aussie star this November on the CMA Awards, where he will perform. The Awards will take place Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 9  p.m. on ABC.