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American singer/songwriter Kip Moore returns with his fourth studio album ‘Wild World’, and with tales of regret and missed opportunities, it’s perhaps his most personal album to date.
Travelling down the same thematically well-worn highways of long-time influence Bruce Springsteen, Moore is in seeker-mode during ‘Wild World’. If he was Australian then he would be in walkabout-mode. ‘Southpaw’ enhances the role of Moore as an “outsider”…”I shoulda been a cowboy, Livin’ in the black hills, Livin’ on the outside of the law…”, the title playing on the fact that in boxing terms a southpaw boxer stood out and was considered unorthodox. During the U2-tinged ‘Fire and Flame’ he talks of losing faith and having “…this reckless heart that I can’t tame”. Given that the U2-tinge comes via a ‘Joshua Tree’ guitar tone then the imagery of Moore walking the dusty American desert back roads is quite strong. He stopped walking long enough though to record a series of stripped back and organic live videos known as the ‘In The Wild Sessions’. And it’s during these sessions where the strength in songwriting on ‘Wild World’ shines through.
‘Janie Blu’ launches the album in a quiet, reflective way, and despite it being quite a heavy song lyrically, the gentle vocals, along with Dave Nassie’s guitar melodies give it a delicate state of mind. One of those rare tracks where you can easily find yourself smiling despite the bleak nature of the lyrics. Likewise, the title-track is also a gentle, deep moment. The main protagonist is on the receiving end of some wise words from their Mother, with the end result being staying true to themself and finding their own way – “Ooh, baby, it’s a wild world, so stay wild, man”.
Moore shines on more upbeat moments such as ‘Red White Blue Jean American Dream’, ‘She’s Mine’, ‘Old Lover’ and ‘South’, but it’s when he strips away the polish that he truly excels. ‘More Than Enough’ sees Moore on Springsteen ‘Tunnel Of Love’ grounds, as does the heartbreaking tale of losing a parent; album closer ‘Payin’ Hard’. Moore finally being strong enough to put into words the process of making difficult decisions when you are a touring musician – “Well, I’ve heard it said that moments come and then they pass, And it sure passed me by when I should’ve saw my dad, But I plugged it in to another town, Swore another chance would come around again…”.
‘Wild World’ is an album full of songs as relatable to fans of Bon Jovi as they would be to fans of country music. Ultimately though, you get the impression that Moore is happiest when he is in the company of a few good friends with acoustic guitars.
Available now on Snakefarm Records.
Review – Dave
