You can always count on
Justin Moore dropping solid, stone-cold country music. But he may have outdone himself with this one. The Arkansas native released his 8th studio album,
This Is My Dirt, today. And with the deeply personal collection of songs that he managed to put together, Justin may have dropped his best album yet. One thing I always look for in an artist is whether their music grows with them. If an artist is still singing about the same things at 40 that they were singing about at 25, chances are they're chasing trends more than authenticity. But Justin's music has continued to grow along with the father of four, from songs like "That's My Boy" on his 2019
Late Nights & Longnecks album to the reflective "Better Slow" on his album
Stray Dog, released in 2023. It's this growth as a husband and a father, and as a man, that led Justin to release his most personal project to day with
This Is My Dirt - and he knocked it out of the park. The entire album feels like a cohesive snapshot of the stage of life Justin finds himself in right now. On his duet with Randy Houser, "The Worst," he finds himself hoping his kids learn some lessons the hard way, while "Glad To Be Here" is all about being thankful for the blessings you have in your life. Even the eye-catching song titled "F Word" is a humorous take on finding somebody to settle down with - forever. Sure, there are still some of the rowdy beer-drinkin' songs, including the previously-released "Put A Boot In It" which is a critical look at the state of country music right now, and his new duet with Blake Shelton, "Beer Ain't One." But the standouts on the album are songs like "Time's Ticking," a duet with Dierks Bentley that finds the fathers (and at this point, elder statesmen of country music) remembering to slow down and enjoy life as it passes by.
"Call your mama, kiss your babies Pick the one some roadside daisies Drink a beer with back-home buddies Make a memory, not just money Spinner bait a good honey hole A Sunday drive's good for the soul Put a little slow in your roll or you're gonna miss it Time's a tickin'" The entire album serves not only as a tribute to his home in Arkansas, where he lives on his family land, but to the life he's built as a husband and a father of four - the accomplishments that really matter. It also happens to be the first album Justin's ever recorded using his touring band, the musicians who are out on the road with him day in and day out. And it's an album that Justin says he's proud of:
“I’ve never made albums to try to make a statement. I just try to find or write the best collection of songs that I can, but this album became a home project with the first single. There’s the same hilarious, beer-drinking, hell-raising music that we’ve had in all of our albums — stone-cold country — and I’m proud of that.” I've said time and time again that Justin never gets the respect he deserves in country music, and I'm sure that will be the case again with this album. But it's a shame, because
This Is My Dirt may just be his best album to date.
"Time's Ticking"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-skHcdgYbR8
"Love Your Hometown"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKLdQwVwzDY
"Glad To Be Here"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG6siSAhkYQ
Check It Out On Our New Music Friday Playlist:
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