Justin Moore Embraces Being An Outsider On New Album ‘Stray Dog’ Out May 5th
Album Features Top 40-and-Climbing duet “You, Me, And Whiskey” with Priscilla Block + duet with Riley Green
New Track “Stray Dogs” Available Digitally Today (2.24): https://JustinMoore.lnk.to/StrayDogsPR
Justin Moore has never been one to follow the pack. A multi-Platinum, chart-topping Country star who left Nashville behind for the simple pleasures of small-town Arkansas life, Moore has built his remarkable career playing by his own rules, eschewing trends and spotlight-chasing in favor of an honest, old-school approach to making records and connecting with audiences. His sixth studio album ‘Stray Dog,’ slated for May 5 via The Valory Music Co., was captured at the historic Castle Recording Studios in Franklin, Tennessee, and showcases Moore at his most self-assured, tapping into the raw energy of his electrifying live show as he delivers heartfelt stories of desire and commitment, heartbreak and regret, joy and celebration.
“A long time ago I decided I wasn’t going to play games or pursue things that didn’t make me happy,” Moore reflects. “Perhaps that’s made me a bit of an outsider in this industry, but it’s also what allows me to go to bed each night feeling good about what I’m doing.”
The songs are mature and nuanced, rooted in the rewards and challenges that come with embracing adulthood. The production is similarly refined, drawing on classic Country even as it pushes firmly into the 21st century. Sure, there’s plenty of good times and whiskey to be found on the album, but ‘Stray Dog’ is ultimately a powerful work of reflection from an artist who’s grown to understand himself on a deeper level than ever before, one who’s willing to engage in the hard work that comes with building not just a career, but a life of meaning and purpose.
Moore and the band captured the majority of ‘Stray Dog’ live over the course of just a few days. Opener “Everybody Get Along” sets the stage, with a loose, playful spirit of camaraderie between Moore and special guest Riley Green, who spin a friendly rivalry into a declaration of unity in the face of tension and division. “In a world where all we do is fight and fuss and disagree,” they sing, “why can’t everybody get along like you and me?” Like much of the album, the track balances wry turns of phrase with an underlying sincerity, and repeated listens are rewarded with deeper layers of meaning.
The soaring “That Wasn’t Jack,” for instance, turns a down-home southern saying into an emotionally vulnerable revelation, while the tender “Better Slow” meditates on taking your time in a world obsessed with instant gratification, and the blissful “Country On It” revels in the laidback joys of country living. While Moore gets romantic on the heartfelt “With a Woman You Love” (his latest No.1 single) and taps into an even more sensual side on the simmering “You, Me, And Whiskey” (a duet with rising star Priscillia Block), he doesn’t shy away from good old fashioned party songs here either, delivering perhaps the most freewheeling performance of his career with the lighthearted “Get Rich Or Drunk Trying.”
It’s ultimately the slow-burning “Stray Dogs,” though, that best encapsulates the record, with Moore proclaiming, “I’m the wild and free kind of breed that’ll always be / Running with the stray dogs.”
“It’s a really personal, autobiographical song,” Moore reflects. “I’ve never just gone along with the crowd. I’ve always tried to follow my heart and let the chips fall where they may, and I’m really proud of that.”
‘Stray Dog’ Tracklist:
1.“Everybody Get Along” (with Riley Green)
Justin Moore, David Lee Murphy, Jeremy Stover
2.“That Wasn’t Jack”
Justin Moore, David Lee Murphy, Chris Stevens, Jeremy Stover
3.“With A Woman You Love”
Justin Moore, Paul DiGiovanni, Chase McGill, Jeremy Stover
4.“Better Slow”
Justin Moore, Paul DiGiovanni, Randy Montana, Jeremy Stover
5.“Stray Dogs"
Justin Moore, Paul DiGiovanni, Randy Montana, Jeremy Stover
6.“Country On It”
Justin Moore, Casey Beathard, Paul DiGiovanni, Jeremy Stover
7.“You, Me, And Whiskey” (with Priscilla Block)
Jessi Alexander, Brock Berryhill, Cole Taylor
8.“Get Rich Or Drunk Trying”
Justin Moore, Casey Beathard, Paul DiGiovanni, Jeremy Stover
Credits / Liners notes here.
Track-by-Track by Justin Moore, here.
Born and raised in Poyen, Arkansas, Moore landed his first Country No.1 with “Small Town USA,” the breakout single off his 2009 self-titled debut for The Valory Music Co. (an imprint of the Big Machine Label Group). The record went Platinum, as did its 2011 follow-up, ‘Outlaws Like Me,’ which yielded yet another No. 1 single with “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away.” In the years that followed, Moore would go on to land nine more No. 1 singles, take home the coveted New Artist of the Year trophy at the ACM Awards, rack up more than a billion streams across platforms, record with the likes of Miranda Lambert and Thomas Rhett, and perform everywhere from Jimmy Kimmel Live to NBC’s TODAY. Critics found much to love in Moore’s music, too: The New York Times hailed his songs as proof that “old forms can stand even stronger with injections of new ideas,” while Billboard celebrated his “down-home personality and wry sense of humor,” and Rolling Stone praised the “upbeat mix of contemporary Country and honest twang that he perfected.”
Justin Moore On Tour:
Fri., Mar. 3 | Duplin Events Center | Kenansville, NC
Sat., Mar. 4 | Berglund Center | Roanoke, VA
Fri., Mar. 24 | Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts | Salina, KS
Sat., Mar. 25 | Southern Illinois Center | Du Quoin, IL
Sun., Apr. 16 | Tortuga Music Festival | Fort Lauderdale, FL
Thurs., Apr. 20 | La Crosse Center | La Crosse, WI*
Fri., Apr. 21 | Five Flags Center | Dubuque, IA*
Sat., Apr. 22 | Xtream Arena | Coralville, IA*
Tue., Apr. 25 | Von Braun Center Arena | Huntsville, AL
Sat., May 6 | Country In The Park | Sacramento, CA
Sat., May 13 | iHeartCountry 2023 | Austin, TX
Fri., May 26 | The Pool at Talking Stick Resort | Scottsdale Ranch, AZ
Sun., May 28 | Los Angeles County Fair | Pomona, CA
Fri., June 2 | Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam | Panama City Beach, FL
Thu., June 22 | Centennial Park | Sarnia, ONT
Sat., June 24 | Freedom Fest Ohio Mount | Gilead, OH
Thu., June 29 | Bottle & Cork | Dewey Beach, DE
Fri., June 30 | Bottle & Cork | Dewey Beach, DE
Mon., July 3 | Buck Motorsports Park & Entertainment Complex | Quarryville, PA
Fri., July 7 | Country Fest 2023 | New Salem, ND
Thu., July 13 | Northern Wisconsin State Fairgrounds | Chippewa Falls, WI
Sat., July 22 | Edgar County Fair Grounds | Paris, IL
Sat., Aug. 12 | Grand Country Nights | Hinckley, MN
* "You, Me, And Whiskey" Tour Dates featuring Priscilla Block
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