Kip Moore has long been beloved by the UK country fandom and his live performances alway leave his audience awed and invigorated. Now, in a time where live performances are zero, he is bringing a quieter more introspective and raw feel to his latest record Wild World than ever before.Â
It has been nearly three years since we were treated to a full studio album from Kip Moore. Tomorrow, Moore returns with his new record Wild World and this may be his most thoughtfully crafted, produced and written record yet. Moore’s UK fan base are fervent believers in his cause, who lap up pretty much anything that he delivers. Deliver he does in his live rendition, Moore is one of the best live performers you will see on the circuit and whilst he has delivered in his previous records, there is something about Wild World that has imbued the fervour of Moore’s live performance into every notch on this record. The production is more thoughtful, more varied and creative than in previous records like ‘Up All Night’ and he has got more deeply introspective in this record, more hopeful at moments and more melancholic in others. This may be Moore’s lasting legacy, his masterpiece.Â
Album opener, ‘Janie Blue’ sees Moore open with a gut-wrenching note of resignation seeing his former lover move on and finding it yet harder for him to do so. ‘Why you got to keep running from the one thing that’s been true, I know I can’t keep clinging to my Janie Blue.’ Moore has definitely retained the grit on his vocals in this track, but there is a note of raw and real emotion that we haven’t heard fully up to this point. Though the track is a huge and bombastic opener, set for live performance, there is a real authentic emotion that makes this more emotionally resonant than some of Moore’s original material. Yet, the song retains all the hallmarks that has made Moore so popular, with bold guitar licks and a rock-edged tinge.
As is his hallmark, Moore has delivered huge rock-riddled anthems on Wild World. ‘Southpaw’ boldly opens with powerful drum beats and there is something almost U2-esque about the intro and backing track, before Kip dives into his gritty, rock vocal. Here, Kip Moore delivers his ‘outlaw’ persona in full force, with his blue collar pride. This is rock Kip at his finest, yet with a glossier finish than in previous works. This will surely be an electric moment in its live retelling. So too, ‘Red White Blue Jean American Dream’ has the same infectious energy of ‘Plead The Fifth’ and will no doubt be sensational live and in ‘Sweet Virginia,’ Moore lays into this rip-roaring track with a sense of funk in the backing guitar riffs. In the former, the pacier guitar that threads through the song makes this one of the catchier tracks on the record. Moore shows his pride in his blue collar roots and there’s something frenzied in the production that feels intensely engaging.Â
With a thrumming guitar backing in the first verse, Moore builds into a huge, anthemic track for ‘Fire and Flame’ that is joyously uplifting. ‘Some day I might find my way to heaven / Lord I hope there’s still room on that train, but if you’re looking for me tonight, / I’ll be out here burning bright somewhere between the fire and flame.’ Kip’s vocal traverses huge ground in this track from its gritty depths to new heights. The magic of this track is in the incredibly artful production, giving it real depth and moving between almost acapella-esque styling to a real rock ballad. Simply put, this is one of the best tracks Moore has ever written. It feels as though in this album, Moore is discovering himself, and this track is the epitome of that feeling.
‘Wild World’ the title track is also one of the centrepieces on this record. The track narrates lessons from his mother, namely not seeking meaning in wealth or position but in love and relationships. With the electric-piano intro, there is an almost church-like sentiment brought to the beginning of this record. ‘Life is short, somedays are long. You’re going to need a rock you can lean on.’ The track captures the feel of ‘Guitar Man’ from Slowheart, yet it manages to feel more poised and thoughtfully produced, with a quieter guitar solo singing throughout and maracas. There is a true poignancy in this quieter track that is also contained in ‘More than Enough,’ again about finding meaning in love rather than material things. ‘You in my arms is all I need, just a bit of your love.’ It’s delicately and gorgeously done and feels like a step up from ‘Hey Pretty Girl.’
Even ‘She’s Mine’ feels more deeply introspective than its previous iterations (Running for You, Plead the Fifth…) and is filled with yearning to finally find his partner ‘Tell her I’m coming, I’m running, yeah I’m sorry I’m late, I love her and I just can’t wait to meet her some day.’ It is definitely one of the catchier, more commercial moments on the record, but that does not detract from the sense of desperate hope that comes through in Kip’s vocal and lyrics here.
‘Hey Old Lover’ tramps that road of seeking comfort in an old lover and someone who truly knows him, as he sings ‘Right now, nothing sounds better than to lay around with someone I don’t have to play pretend with.’Â There is a real poignancy to the lyrics contained in the bouncier lyrics and it is this that Moore has always captured so well – relatable yet clever lyrics.
‘Grow On You’ is another fun song about winning around a potential lover. This is one of the more playful moments on the record and Moore’s infectious enthusiasm on the song resonates through on his vocal, where he plays around with his own vocal riffs and licks. Not to be outdone, ‘South’ employs a similar sense of funk and groove in the opening guitar track. ‘You might not miss me, you might have moved on…’ The guitar solos and uplifting backing track really mirror the ascendancy of Moore in this record, with a much more artful production that gives different levels to the record – not something that has often been the case on Moore’s records.
As has become the norm now for Kip Moore’s studio album (memorably so in Guitar Man), the closing track ‘Payin Hard’ is possibly the most introspective moment throughout the 13 songs. It is a stunning closing track for this masterful record.
Editor’s Picks
Fire and Flame
Hey Old Lover
Wild World
