Justin Moore released his sixth studio album, Straight Outta The Country, on Friday, April 23rd. The project features eight tracks, two of which were co-written by the country singer and all of which were recorded at the same time as Moore’s 2019 Late Nights And Longnecks album. The album’s eight songs range from inspiring songs of hope, to sentimental tunes about family, to clever breakup songs. The project as a whole also encapsulates Moore’s trademark country sound, with the title track leading the charge as an unruly anthem to the country life.
“It’s not one of these songs that’s going to change the world, but it’s the type of song that has become a staple for us on our albums; the kind of raucous, rowdy, loud song,” Moore says of title track. “In this case, it’s about being prideful of being from the country, obviously, and I just think our core fanbase expects a track or two like that from the albums that we put out, and they’re fun.”
The album also captures a range of other emotions with the nostalgic “Hearing Things,” in which Moore sings from the perspective of a young person missing home, and “Consecutive Days Alive,” an inspiring, country story song about being grateful for each day. The singer gets even more sentimental and personal with his current single, “We Didn’t Have Much,” in which he sings about the simple life using vivid and relatable visuals. Moore did not write the single (written by Paul DiGiovanni, Randy Montana, and Jeremy Stover), but he says he has related to it throughout the pandemic. Moore also included an acoustic version of the song as the album’s final track.
“I really thought this song spoke to the beauty in that simplicity,” Moore tells Sounds Like Nashville of relating to the song through the pandemic. “I was literally borrowing eggs from my friend who has chickens, and just things like that that sound so cliché, but were really happening, at least for me and my family. There was kind of a beauty in that and I thought this song represented that.”
Another heartfelt moment on the album comes in the form of acoustic-leaning “More Than Me,” which was co-written by Moore along with Paul DiGiovanni, Chase McGill and Jeremy Stover. The song serves as a “love letter” to his kids, assuring his daughters, specifically, that their future husbands may love them great deal, but that Moore will always love them the most. The song was inspired by a real-life conversation Moore had with his daughter, Ella.
“I said, ‘One day, you’re going to find somebody you love and you’ll be with a long time from now. I promise you they ain’t ever going to love your more than I do, but they better get dang close,’” Moore recalls of their conversation.
Moore also touches on heartbreak with “She Ain’t Mine No More,” a mid-tempo, steel-guitar-filled song that is both set in, and ready for, a crowded honky-tonk. There’s also “You Keep Getting Me Drunk,” which finds Moore, backed up by Sarah Buxton, “blaming” his ex-partner for his excessive drinking over their broken relationship.
While the content of each song differs, one thing they have in common is their pure country sound that both tips its hat to traditional country while also staying modern. The project stays true to its title musically, as it’s packed with acoustic guitar, steel guitar, country-leaning electric, and of course, Moore’s signature twang. Moore takes pride in keeping his music country and believes Straight Outta The Country continues to establish him as an artist who does exactly that.
“It further cements me as a guy who’s out there waving the flag for traditional country music, and an artist who has remained true to what’s gotten me to this point in my career,” Moore said. “I feel like I know myself better as an artist than I ever have in my career, which I would hope would be the case this far into it. I think it’s the best that I’ve been in my career and whether it be choosing songs or writing songs, it’s who I am more so than ever before.”