Rock-solid as always.
Justin Moore’s seventh studio album, Stray Dog, is finally here. Back in February, Moore announced the project, citing it as his most personal and authentic album to date. He announced the titular track and the album, while also giving a bit of back story on the project as a whole.
Stray Dog is definitely Moore at his most personal. In the album’s announcement, he had this to say in the Instagram caption:
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. I’m excited to announce that my upcoming album, Stray Dog, embodies that same mantra.
The album comes in at a tight eight songs, including four previously released ones. The four include the Riley Green collaboration, Everybody Get Along, and the Priscilla Block duet, You, Me, And Whiskey.
Among the eight tracks, Stray Dog feels the most authentic in a string of already authentic tracks. Moore fully leans into the stray dog persona, as the album title suggests. His underdog attitude is incredibly endearing and perfectly encapsulates his personality as shown in his previous records. The likability and overall honesty that he shows on the track and throughout the record, makes the listener feel like they’re getting an unfiltered, honest look at who Moore really is.
It’s a really personal, autobiographical song that gives an insight into myself and the project as a whole.
Throughout Stray Dogs, it is clear that Moore is embracing his outlaw nature more now than ever before. In an interview with Billboard talking about the album’s release, he had this to say,
Not by design at all, but from the beginning of my career, I’ve been dubbed an outlier or a bit of an outlaw.
The album still has its fair share of fun, tongue-in-cheek moments. The closing track, Get Rich Or Drunk Trying, is a hilarious track about Justin dreaming about finding ways to get rich quickly. The song is an obvious play on 50 Cent’s hit 2003 album, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, a title which Moore has stated that he has been sitting on for “five or six years.”
While this album is brand-new to the public, Moore states that he has another album ready to go, saying “The goal is to keep putting out new music as frequently as we can, as long as we keep staying ahead of it.“
Listen to You, Me And Whiskey, Stray Dogs, and Get Rich Or Drunk Trying here: