American country music star Justin Moore has a pretty simple philosophy on life.
“I just try to be the best possible husband, dad and person I can be.”
He also tries to create the best possible music for his legion of fans to enjoy. They have certainly endorsed his latest album. Kinda Don’t Care has become Justin’s third straight number one on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.
“I’m particularly pleased that the album has done so well,” smiled 32-year-old Justin. “Some of the songs are a different style from what the fans would normally expect to hear from me. This was deliberate because I wanted to grow as an artist and become a more rounded entertainer. But I was concerned that at least a fair number of fans may not have approved of my more expansive style.”
Justin’s fan base is by no means confined to the traditional country music market. Kinda Don’t Care has also reached number four on the Billboard 200. This was not unexpected. Country artists do not usually fare so well but all four of his albums have peaked in the top ten.
“I can’t really explain why so many mainstream music buyers have taken a liking to my albums. It’s not as if I’m from somewhere like New York or Chicago and just happen to perform country songs. I’m from the small town of Poyen, Arkansas, an area of America which is steeped in country music. I’ve always previously recorded traditional types of country songs so I don’t know why mainstream music fans buy my albums but I’m obviously glad that they do.”
Much of Justin’s change of musical style can be credited to his wife, Kate.
“The desire to expand my range of songs was mine. But Kate was responsible for selecting many of the tracks which she thought I should record. I’ve learned to trust her musical instincts. She has a really good ear for a hit song. There were times in the past when I’ve been foolish enough not to heed her advice. She’s wanted me to cut songs which I didn’t and they’ve become really big hits for other people.”
Kate has been with her husband throughout every step of his career. The couple met as high school teenagers on their senior trip vacation to Panama City Beach, Florida.
“She is also from a small town, Houma, Louisiana. We fell in love sitting around a camp fire. I just knew Kate was the girl for me. I signed my record deal on the day we got married. We were at the reception and getting ready to cut the wedding cake when my manager came up with a piece of paper for me to sign. Until the days when our three children were born, that was the happiest day of my life.”
Justin’s 2008 debut single, Back That Thing Up, reached a respectable number 38 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. The follow-up, Small Town USA, which he co-wrote with Brian Maher and Jeremy Stover, transformed him into a star.
Released on February 10, 2009, the song debuted at number 55. It began a slow climb which ended at the number one spot in September and saw Small Town USA become the eleventh-biggest-selling country song of the year.
“It was one of the first songs I wrote after moving from Poyen to Nashville to try to make it on the country music circuit. I was a small town boy in a big city and missing everything from back home. I was the kind of person who didn’t expect to leave home until I was about 40. I felt depressed and homesick so these emotions came out in the lyrics.”
The song also gave Justin his first taste of mainstream chart success. It reached number 44 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
The popularity of Small Town USA proved the perfect promotion for Justin’s self-titled debut album. It hit number three on the Top Country Albums chart and number ten on the Billboard 200.
“I felt like I’d established myself. I co-wrote all but one song on my album so people were enjoying material I’d written rather than just songs I’d performed. I knew I still had a long road to travel before I could become a top artist but I’d at least taken the first steps.”
With so much success to his name, does Justin now believe he has reached the status of a top artist?
“No way, there are so many people who are far more successful than me. All I can do is keep trying to become a better songwriter and a better performer. Maybe one day I’ll get there.”

in
brief

Young Guns
English quintet Young Guns are another of those hard rocking bands who almost never seem to stop writing, recording and performing.
Their debut single, In The Night, was released early in 2009. Since then, the band have issued a further 14 singles, three EPs and are just about to release their fourth studio album. All this is in addition to playing countless concerts.
“We like to keep busy,” smiled singer and keyboardist Gustav Wood. “The truth is we don’t really think of the band as being our job. It is of course but when you love doing something, it doesn’t feel like work.
“I was a salesman in an American Apparel shop when we first started. That was work. But being in the band is special. It gives us a great reason to get up every morning.”
Their new album, Echoes, will be released on Friday. It was written in just eight weeks.
“We actually took a break from touring to write and record the album,” Gustav explained. “Our last album took around two years to write. We were constantly touring during that time so could only do a little writing here and there. It made a nice change to have dedicated writing time for the new batch of songs.”
Bulletproof was released as the lead single. The official video is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwOroZhpDTk
The follow-up, Mad World, has just been issued. The video can be found at www.youtube.com/watch?v=IB6lbrK2Q4Q
The band’s three previous albums, All Our Kings Are Dead, Bones and Ones And Zeroes, are all posted in full on YouTube.

Sylvan Esso
Singer Amelia Meath of indie-folk trio Mountain Man joined forces in 2013 with Megafun bassist and producer Nick Sanborn. The duo created electro-pop concoctions under the name of Sylvan Esso.
Their self-titled debut album reached number 39 on the Billboard 200 while lead single, Hey Miami, was named Paste magazine’s number one song of 2014. Two more singles, Coffee and HSKT, were released from the album. They also made a stand-alone single, Jaime’s Song, around this time last year for the Elements episode of National Public Radio’s “Radiolab” series.
Amelia and Nick have just begun a round of concerts during which they will presumably perform at least a few tracks from their sophomore album which is set for release early next year. Lead single, Radio, will be issued on November 18. But a video for the song is already available to view. It is posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LEmDEZVa5g
Their debut album can be heard in full on YouTube while a fan posting of Jaime’s Song is at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9uybOsZ_Nw

Sting
If you had emerged from an ordinary upbringing to amass a 180 million GBP fortune, wouldn’t you want to leave that money to your children?
Sting doesn’t. The former Police frontman, now solo star, is insistent that his three sons and three daughters will receive virtually nothing. He says his children must work to earn their living and fully intends to spend just about every penny of his money before he shuffles off this mortal coil.
He will undoubtedly be adding more millions to his fortune through the upcoming release of his 12th solo studio album, 57th & 9th. An audio posting of lead single, I Can’t Stop Thinking About You, can be heard at www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKyh2kYOdOk