'Up All Night' melds country with modern rock edge

Kip Moore's debut album melds traditional Country with a modern rock edge and Moore's unique sound is distinguishing him as one of Country music's most popular newcomers.

Kip Moore's debut album "Up All Night," has brought the Georgia native praise from many music critics.

Country Music Television's website writer Chet Flippo said, "I have to say I have not heard a more compelling and appealing new singer-songwriter-performer since Jamey Johnson came along. His vocals are urgent and gritty, the gifted voice of a true storyteller working at full throttle."

Journalist and historian Robert K. Oermann, who writes for 'Music Row' magazine, said, "For years, I have been searching for the missing link between blue-collar rock and country music. This year, I think I have heard it. His name is Kip Moore. There is fiery, urgent intensity in his voice. His lyrics vibrate with conviction and true grit. The melodies have gripping, heart-in-throat passion. And the roaring, propulsive performances on his debut album sound like signposts on the highway to some Southern-fried 'Born to Run.' Dare I say it? This man just might be the hillbilly Springsteen."

Moore wrote or co-wrote each of the 11 tracks on "Up All Night." The common theme covers many of his own coming-of-age experiences.

Kip tells us what he hopes to accomplish with his debut album.

"I want to create a loyal fan base. I think through all the years of writing this, I feel like it's a very honest record," he said. "It's not all 'songwritery' where it's said all kind of crazy ways. I wanted to speak on the record just like you would in conversation, how you would really say it to somebody. For me, those are the records that I gravitated to when I was young - the Jackson Brownes, the [Bob] Segers and the [Bruce] Springsteens that were so good at making you feel something. That's the main thing. I want to make people really emotionally connected to this record, which in turn will create a loyal fan base, I think."

Music wasn't Kip's first passion. He first attended an Alabama college on a basketball scholarship. Following that was another scholarship to play golf for a university in his home state of Georgia. But, he says music was always in the back of his mind.

After spending several months living with friends in Hawaii, Moore headed to Nashville in 2004. Soon after arriving in Music City, producer Brett James signed him to a publishing deal, which led to a recording contract with MCA Records.

The label released the track "Somethin' 'Bout A Truck" as the lead single from "Up All Night." Moore says it's one of the most autobiographical songs on the album.

"That song was my teenage life growing up. It was hanging out on the back of truck beds and fishing holes and big fields," he said. "In South Georgia there's not a whole lot going on and you kind of make your own fun. That's what that song is. For me it happened to be borrowing my dad's Silverado when I was about 16. This girl that I was trying to get the attention of didn't really seem to pay too much attention to me when I had this little Isuzu car that got passed down to me with about 400,000 miles on it. But, when I took that truck out, it was like I picked up a whole other woman. So I learned that there was something about a truck at an early age."

"Somethin' 'Bout A Truck" was recently certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies. Its video has attracted more than six million views on YouTube.

Here is Kip Moore with his top 10 hit "Somethin' 'Bout A Truck".

at full throttle: as fast as possible 以最高速度

hillbilly: a person from the backwoods or a remote mountain area 鄉下人，山地人

Related stories:

Women in Jazz Festival features Lundy, Carrington

Pop singer Lionel Richie heads south for home with 'Tuskegee'

Dierks Bentley takes listeners 'Home'

Muldaur gifts fans with bluesiana album 'Steady Love'

（來源：VOA 編輯：旭燕）