6 minute read
Justin Moore at the Ford Center
from News4U May 2021
JUSTIN MOORE
Down-to-earth country music star talks new album, the nostalgia of "We Didn't Have Much," staying true to his roots and more
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FORD CENTER | JUNE 4 | 7 P.M.
Having charted just under 20 songs - including eight number one singles - since he burst onto the country music scene with his self-titled 2009 debut, Justin Moore stands as one of the genre's most authentic stars, never betraying his roots or losing sight of what's truly important in life. And that's no small feat in a cutthroat, volatile industry. From the Arkansas native's first monster hit "Small Town USA" to this year's nostalgic "We Didn't Have Much," there's been a common thread throughout, a comforting, often emphatic reminder that Moore is 100% "straight outta the country" - which makes a fitting title for his sixth studio album, released April 23 via the Valory Music Company.
Along with "We Didn't Have Much," Moore dropped the aching "She Ain't Mine No More" ahead of the new 8-song collection. Both songs demonstrate artistic growth while maintaining the singer's core sound, a balancing act he's previously achieved on fan favorites like "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away" and "The Ones That Didn't Make it Back Home." But make no mistake, Moore still likes to party. In keeping with his career-long tradition of drinking anthems, Straight Outta the Country's "You Keep Getting Me Drunk" is primed to be a major sing-along when he hits the stage in Evansville.
Moore was kind enough to speak with News 4U in the lead-up to the show at the Ford Center.
IT WAS NEARLY 10 YEARS AGO - JULY OF 2011 - THAT YOU HEADLINED THE VANDERBURGH COUNTY FAIR, RIGHT AT THE MOMENT WHEN YOUR CAREER WAS
REALLY TAKING OFF WITH THE RELEASE OF OUTLAWS LIKE ME AND THE HUGE NUMBER ONE HIT, "IF HEAVEN
WASN'T SO FAR AWAY." IT MUST HAVE BEEN AN AMAZING TIME FOR YOU AS AN UP-AND-COMING ARTIST.
Yeah, it's pretty wild, man. I move to a town [Nashville] to see if I can finagle my way into some doors and somehow sign a record deal - and you get to that point realizing that that's just the very beginning. To not only be able to record a whole album and get it out but to have hits on the radio and all that good stuff. We were fortunate enough to do that with the first album having three big hits off of that - and it sold well. That's back when albums actually sold [laughs]. It was a whole different business then, buddy. But then you think, crap, I don't want to be just a flash in the pan. So, I thought we did a pretty good job of putting an album out - the Outlaws Like Me album, which was our second - that I was really, really proud of and I thought there was a bit of growth in that album in spots; "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away" was an example of that. When you have back-to-back albums - not only songs but albums - that do well, you can kind of take a deep breath and go, 'ok, maybe we can settle in here.' At least for me, I'm thinking the whole time that this has got to go away at some point - it's all going too well right now. And you know, here we are, golly, 14 years after I signed my record deal and we're still doing it. Certainly, it's a great time to look back on and hey, I'm glad that I made it through without ruining my career being so drunk for about four years. I'm glad I've grown up, but it was certainly a blast.
"WE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH" OFF THE NEW ALBUM IS A WISTFUL LOOK BACK AT A SIMPLER TIME WITH A SENTIMENT THAT SEEMS TO FIT THE CURRENT MOOD OF THE COUNTRY LIKE A GLOVE.
My longtime producer and co-writer was a co-writer on this song. He sent it to me pre-pandemic and I said, 'I love this - we might need to record this.' I related to the song simply because of how I grew up and how, quite honestly, I live now back in my hometown of 300 people. When Covid hit, I listened to the song in a completely different way. And not unlike most everyone, you know, my family and I were forced to lead a much simpler lifestyle than what we were accustomed to. We planted a garden - we didn't know early on with this thing what the hell was going to happen. And we were getting eggs from our friends who have a bunch of chickens. It sounds cheesy, but that's really what we were doing. I think relying on friends and family more than ever and then also being cooped up in the house together was kind of back to basics - which for me that's kind of how I grew up. And so I thought the song really spoke to the beauty in that simplicity. I thought it might be the right time to put this type of song out.
THE OTHER SONG RELEASED SO FAR, "SHE AIN'T MINE NO MORE," HAS A MELANCHOLY VIBE THAT REALLY SEEPS UNDER THE SKIN.
That is probably one of my favorite two or three songs on the album. It kind of reminds me of the songs that I was influenced by growing up in the late 80's, early 90's. You know, we've recorded some breakup songs but I don't know that we've ever had one as a single and "She Ain't Mine No More" is a single contender down the road. And I don't know that we've ever had a song that moves like this, either - you know, melodically and instrumentation and all that. We've had a chance to play it at a couple of shows - it's a fun tune to play so I'm really excited for everybody to hear it.
IT SEEMS THAT YOU HAVE STAYED TRUE TO YOUR SOUND THROUGHOUT YOUR ENTIRE CAREER - NO GIMMICKY PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES OR FOLLOWING TRENDS. DO YOU EVER GET PRESSURED TO CHANGE THINGS UP?
Yeah, there have certainly been conversations through the years - and I appreciate you saying that; I take that as a compliment. You know, when I first came out in '08, the radio sounded a lot different than it did in '12, '13 or '14. Around that midpoint of my career, it was more what they call "brocountry" or whatever they call it. I can't keep up - there are so many subgenres now. But there was some pressure on us for sure. You kind of felt at the time that if we want to maintain a voice on the radio then we're going to have to do some things. I like to say that, you know, we bent a little here and there but we never really broke. I think we did a really good job of staying true to me as an artist and what I want to say and do - and not contradicting myself as an artist while at the same time growing from a songwriting perspective, maybe cutting a few more love songs. You know, just some little subtle things here and there. And now you look at where we are from a popularity standpoint...at least my opinion is that it feels like it's swinging back towards a more traditional sound. And that's thrilling for me because that's what I do and what personally I enjoy listening to the most.
