(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Keith Urban loves appearing on Australia's The Voice because he gets to talk "artist to artist".

The country singer is a judge and mentor on the popular TV talent show alongside Delta Goodrem, Joel Madden and Seal.

Keith loves the premise of the show and only considered starring on it because of its credible musicians.

"I've been blown away by the level of talent on the show. The first day we started shooting, I was like, 'Good golly!' There's some really good singers in this country," he exclaimed in an interview with the Kyle and Jackie O radio show.

"It's a really good show. It's the only show of its kind that I'd really want to be involved in, purely because its artists talking with artists. There's a language that you only get with other artists. You only get the periphery of the industry from artist to artist.

"It's a very comfortable environment for me."

Keith was a contestant on a TV talent show called Pot Of Gold in the 70s. He has laughed off the criticism he was faced with at the time.

"I was!" he giggled. "It was Bernard King - he was the judge who totally crucified me. He said to me: 'I desperately encourage you to escape the mediocrity - get out of country and western and get into some real music!'"

Keith releases his new album The Story So Far today. The 44-year-old star hopes people are able to look beyond the genre to appreciate his latest offering.

"There's a real mix on this record. I think even when people label it country, it tends to create some barrier, and I've certainly found that our music across the board has started to defy genre and just be about songs," he said. "I think at the end of the day, people gravitate towards songs, the sound, melody, lyrics, you know all that kind of thing.

"Our music has started to transcend across those borders because of the songs." (C) Cover Media