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Justin Moore takes pride in his label as an “outsider,” which he earned for doubling down the pursuit of his own style of country music rather than shifting gears to mix in with other artists. Moore captured his “outsider” spirit on Stray Dog, his long-awaited new album that he unleashed on Friday (May 5).
Moore marked the occasion with a packed album release show on Thursday evening (May 4) at the Wildhorse Saloon in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee, playing smash-hit anthems spanning his career (including “Point at You,” “Til My Last Day,” “You Look Like I Need a Drink,” “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home,” “Lettin’ the Night Roll” and “Why We Drink,” to name a few) as he readied the release of Stray Dog. The 8-track project is a collection of “some really mature songs,” and an “autobiographical” title track for the Arkansas native. The album also includes collaborations with Riley Green and Priscilla Block, both of whom surprised the Wildhorse audience as special guests at Moore’s headlining show.
“When I started my career — I don’t know why because it was not by design, but I was kind of labeled an ‘outlaw,’ or ‘outlier,’ or ‘nonconformist,’ or whatever, for whatever reason,” Moore reflected on his career, addressing the cheering crowd before closing the show with “Stray Dog.” He added as his album made its debut, “I’ve never hidden or shied away from who I am as a person. If you know anything about me, if you’ve listened to any of my records, you can probably come up with a pretty good idea.”
- “Everybody Get Along” (with Riley Green) | Justin Moore, David Lee Murphy, Jeremy Stover
- “That Wasn’t Jack” | Justin Moore, David Lee Murphy, Chris Stevens, Jeremy Stover
- “With A Woman You Love” | Justin Moore, Paul DiGiovanni, Chase McGill, Jeremy Stover
- “Better Slow” | Justin Moore, Paul DiGiovanni, Randy Montana, Jeremy Stover
- “Stray Dogs” | Justin Moore, Paul DiGiovanni, Randy Montana, Jeremy Stover
- “Country On It” | Justin Moore, Casey Beathard, Paul DiGiovanni, Jeremy Stover
- “You, Me, And Whiskey” (with Priscilla Block) | Jessi Alexander, Brock Berryhill, Cole Taylor
- “Get Rich Or Drunk Trying” | Justin Moore, Casey Beathard, Paul DiGiovanni, Jeremy Stover
“A long time ago I decided I wasn’t going to play games or pursue things that didn’t make me happy, 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,“ Moore previously said. “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 embodies that same mantra.”
Before he released the full album, Moore teased fans with some of the tracks, including his smoldering duet with Block and his collaboration with Green that sees the two country artists “playfully” disagreeing on everything (though they “make it work and are best buddies”). Moore and his band captured the majority of the project live over just a few days, according to Moore’s record label. He said when he announced the project: “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.”
Moore is part of the all-star iHeartCountry Festival lineup on May 13, at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Fans across the country will able to tune in to all of the incredible live performances at this year's iHeartCountry Festival as the event will be broadcast on iHeartRadio country stations nationwide, and on iHeartRadio.com as well as the iHeartRadio app on Saturday, May 13th at 8pm ET/5pm PT.
Listen to a few of the Stray Dog tracks below.