KIP MOORE
Up All Night
Producer: Brett James
MCA Nashville
Release Date: April 24
Like Eric Church, Billy Currington and Luke Bryan before him, this young Nashville up-and-comer prefers a weathered baseball cap over a crisp 10-gallon number. And like his predecessors, Moore spends much of his debut album, Up All Night, outlining the pleasures to be had from hot women and cold beverages: “You’ve got the kiss that tastes like honey,” he sings over a mild country-rock shuffle, “and I’ve got a little beer money.” That lyric (from the song “Beer Money”) gives a good indication of the album’s low-stakes appeal. Moore certainly isn’t looking to reinvent the mud tire here. On the set’s party-starting title track he takes “the only road straight out of town,” while Moore’s current hit, “Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck,” re-emphasizes the delight of “beer sittin’ on ice.” (He goes on to imagine “a girl in a red sundress” taking a sip.) The mood deepens a bit for the track “Everything but You,” an amped-up singleton’s lament that cribs the chord progression from “Sweet Jane” by the Velvet Underground. But even that one ends up on a beach somewhere.
