Justin Moore Calls Out The Current State Of Country Music With Twangy New “Put A Boot In It”

If you listen to country radio lately, you might notice something missing from a lot of the new music: Country. There's been a big trend recently of pop artists dipping their toe into the country music waters. And it shouldn't really be a surprise, with the genre's popularity soaring on the backs of superstars like Morgan Wallen, Zach Bryan, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, and plenty of others. But as these pop stars come into country music, so does their pop sound as it replaces the traditional fiddle and steel-soaked twang that country fans want to hear. And Justin Moore is calling it out. Justin's newest single, "Put A Boot In It," dropped last week, and the twanger is a tongue-in-cheek criticism of the current state of country music: "I heard you moved to Music City from LA Traded your trap beats for a little twang Tryin' to make a little money, write some radio country You said it ain't that hard singin' bout a bar Jukebox, Jack, Jim and broken hearts Rhyming 'round here' with 'cold beer,' but your smoke screen is real clear I ain't buyin' what you're sellin' right now I'm about to take your brand new skinny jean sound And put a boot in it" (Can I just say how much I love the line "rhyming 'round here' with 'cold beer?' How many times have we heard pop country songs use that exact line?) The song brilliantly shifts between the "modern country sound" on the verses before launching into the twangy, boot-stompin' chorus, perfectly highlighting the differences and tensions in country music right now. And speaking on the song, Justin said that's exactly what he was going for: “It’s a song that was just an attitude. It’s a Honky Tonk, kind of fun tune that’s basically about keeping country music… well, you know, twangy, and REAL country. It’s definitely tongue-in-cheek and isn’t meant to be offensive by any stretch to any other artist out there who does the other stuff. It really came to life in the studio because we did something completely different than when we originally wrote it. The verse sounds completely different than the chorus when it comes to instruments and speed, which is pretty neat. It’s really nothing like I’ve ever recorded.” If you know Justin, you know that he's never been afraid to speak his mind, and has never really played Nashville's games when it comes to toeing the line and doing the things you're expected to do in order to have success. (Though that quote from Justin perfectly sums up who he is as a person: A great dude who's always wanting to be respectful and not offend anybody even when he disagrees). Justin's getting ready to head out on the road with Randy Houser for a co-headlining tour that will feature two of the most underrated artists in country music right now. And this is the second new single that Justin's dropped recently, with "This Is My Dirt" coming last fall, so it seems like he may be gearing up to release an album in the near future. I'm sure there are plenty of artists who will come to mind when you listen to "Put A Boot In It," so I don't really need to name them all here. But one thing's for sure: Country would be a lot better if more artists would drop the trap beats and put a little more boot in their music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmMl6WoRZGA