Thursday night was a wild one.
And that’s all thanks to country music’s gruff-voiced crooner Kip Moore, who shook the Tennessee Theatre with a rock-heavy batch of new music off of his latest album, “Wild Ones.”
The album, released in August of this year, is something of a newly turned leaf for Moore; with a strong sense of Tom Petty-like rock and a range of themes from underdog ballads to rebellious blue collar confessions, Moore seems to have come into his own with his unique brand of rough-voiced country rock music.
“Wild Ones,” the initial song from Moore’s latest album, hit the air as a fitting introduction for the country singer who stepped on stage donning a cut-off t-shirt and signature red cap.
Bright, colorful stage lighting was reminiscent of Moore’s Technicolor album art, but none of these effects overshadowed the raw talent exhibited through his energy and strong, spot-on vocals. And with just a snippet of a guitar riff from Moore’s red electric guitar, the crowd shouted in anticipation with nearly each song.
These tunes like the rebel anthem “What I Do” and the electric traveler’s tune “Lipstick” kept the concert feeling more like a rock concert than that of a country show. However, Moore’s south Georgia twang and pure country themes kept a strong pulse throughout songs such as “I’m To Blame” and “That’s Alright With Me.”
Though Moore’s rock sound has taken over his live shows and his latest album, the country singer took time to explain some of the struggles he’s faced — particularly the one he faced when first fighting his label to release these left-of-center country rock songs.
“They said, ‘this isn’t gonna work,’” Moore explained. “So I said, ‘watch me make it work.’”
Moore’s underdog tale is one that is apparent not only in his songs but in real life as well; he shares his past in his song about first learning to play guitar from a “fat-back hairy man named Pete” (see Moore’s song, “Reckless (Still Growin’ Up)”) and in his story of lacking the funds to keep his heat on just a few years ago.
These stories intertwined throughout Moore’s songs clearly resonated with the audience, but mega-hits such as “Somethin’ ‘Bout A Truck” and “Hey Pretty Girl” floored the crowd.
But this pedal-to-the-floor excitement idled perfectly during moments such as Moore’s sexiest song “Backseat” and his latest single “Running For You”. These love songs brought couples out into the isles for a slow dance, which only ignited encouragement and a scruffy smile from the country rocker.
The show was electric and it seems that “Wild Ones” might just be his breakout album, but the biggest takeaway from this show is how underrated this “Hillbilly Springsteen” is in country music and the music industry. With the current “bro country” sub-genre (a radio-favorite blend of country and hip hop) taking over country music, artists who are willing to take a risk with their music are growing more difficult to come by.
Wild ones like Moore take risks. My advice: take a risk. Go see this wild one, and who knows. You just might become one.
