Everything We Know About Kip Moore’s New Album, ‘Slowheart’
Kip Moore is excited for the release of his third studio album, Slowheart. It's a record that, the artist says, he has been looking forward to for a long time, and one that reflects his life recently.
“I definitely feel like, with this record as a whole, you’re definitely going to get a very clear understanding of where it’s all gone from one record to the other, and where I was at at this particular stage of my life and the things that affected me to write this record,” Moore says in a press release. “You’re definitely going to get a sense of where I’ve been at for the last year, year and a half, in my life as this goes.”
After the hard push to release his second album, Wild Ones, and an extensive tour in support of the project, Moore was burned out. So, he took a break to travel the around the globe, from Hawaii to Iceland to Costa Rica, and re-center himself.
"I believe in music so much, and I care so much, that it's a double-edged sword ... It's what has made me successful, and it's what has made me a depressed human being at times. I face that pendulum swing so much. The toils of facing a crowd, 175 shows a year -- maybe other artists can have a show that is not that great and walk away. Me? I will spiral. I'll think of that one despondent face in the crowd and ask, 'Why couldn't I sway that one person?'" Moore says in an interview with Rolling Stone. "That's the fiery human being I am ... I'm trying to find that balance better, and I've come to be more at peace with knowing that. So I took this year and let go of the steering wheel. I let the music make itself."
Below, The Boot rounds up all of the details known so far about Moore's Slowheart.
The Title
The title Slowheart comes from a nickname that one of Moore's bandmates gave him while on tour.
"My former guitar player called me a ‘slowheart’ many years ago, claiming I don't just jump the gun and show all my cards or my emotions on what I truly feel," Moore explains in a press release. "He always said, 'You're a slowheart, man ... you observe before you act.'"
Moore's band is named the Slowhearts, and his fan base has adopted the moniker as well.
The Release Date
Slowheart will be released on Sept. 8.
The Album Cover
The Slowheart album cover is a sepia-toned shot of Moore, taken on his recent trip to Costa Rica. It captures the personal space that the artist has lived in during the creation of Slowheart.
The Record Label
MCA Nashville, part of the Universal Music Group Nashville family, is the label behind Slowheart. Moore has been with the label since his debut disc, 2012's Up All Night; however, Moore tells Rolling Stone, when he started making Slowheart, his label wasn't aware of it.
The Producers
As the sole producer on seven of the 10 tracks on Slowheart, Moore was able to capture the authentic, stripped-down sound he was looking for.
"I sang through an SM-7, which is about a $200 mic," Moore tells Rolling Stone. "It's a very aggressive mic, and if you're not 'on,' it's going to show. It's very unforgiving. But if you hit it right, it fit for my voice."
The Single
"More Girls Like You" is the first single from Slowheart; the song was was written by Moore with Steven Olsen, David Garcia and Josh Miller. Moore says the tune is a love song that takes a look at the next step.
"“This song is about meeting that someone you find so amazing inside and out, that you can only pray the kids you have together are just as amazing as she is," Moore says. "That’s the kind of woman I hope to end up with.”
The lyrics in the chorus of "More Girls Like You" repeat that theme: "God made / Girls like you, make guys like me / Wanna reach for the brightest star, set it on a ring / Put it on your hand, grab a piece of land / And raise few / More girls like you.”
The sweet, sentimental, mid-tempo song has been steadily climbing the charts since its release in March.
The Songs
Slowheart will be the first album in Moore's repertoire to feature songs that he didn't write. “Plead the Fifth” and “The Bull" are the first forays that Moore will take into outside music.
“That’s my song,” Moore says of “The Bull.” “[It’s for] anybody that’s had any doubt in me. I heard all the rumbles when I went away for a minute from radio. I heard what other promoters, other labels, said about me. That’s my middle finger to everybody and saying, ‘F–k that, we’re going strong.’ I’ve always been that guy in the song.”
"Blonde," Track No. 2 on Slowheart, is a tune that Moore wrote about the superficial life of celebrities online and in social media.
"There are a few pros to social media, but, for the most part, it's pretty destructive to the soul ... People seek all their validation through it and end up craving other people's lives," Moore says. "It's caused everyone to chase fame for the sole purpose of being famous or Insta-famous. Everyone wants a shortcut and will try to achieve that by whatever means necessary. It causes people to lose their d--n minds."
"Guitar Man," the final track on the album, is a throwback to Moore's early days in the music industry as he struggled to make his way.
A complete track listing for Slowheart is below. It features 13 songs,
Kip Moore, Slowheart Track Listing:
1. “Plead the Fifth” (Luke Dick, Josh Kear)
2. “Just Another Girl” (Kip Moore, Westin Davis, Ben Helson)
3. “I’ve Been Around” (Kip Moore, Dan Couch)
4. “Fast Women” (Kip Moore, Blair Daly, Westin Davis, Troy Verges)
5. “Bittersweet Company” (Kip Moore, Josh Miller, Troy Verges)
6. “Sunburn” (Kip Moore, David Garcia, Josh Miller, Steven Olsen)
7. “More Girls Like You” (Kip Moore, Steven Olsen, Josh Miller, David Garcia)
8. “The Bull” (Jon Randall, Luke Dick)
9. “Blonde” (Kip Moore, Steven Olsen, Josh Miller, David Garcia)
10. “Good Thing” (Kip Moore, Josh Miller, Troy Verges)
11. “Last Shot” (Kip Moore, Dan Couch, David Lee Murphy)
12. “Try Again” (Kip Moore, David Garcia, Josh Miller)
13. “Guitar Man” (Kip Moore, Dan Couch, Westin Davis)
The Vibe
“It’s the most special project that I’ve been involved with, for me so far. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed making this record," Moore tells The Boot of Slowheart. The artist has evolved quite a bit since making both his freshman and sophomore albums.
“My concepts are changing, and musically, I’ve stretched more than I ever have on this [upcoming] record,” Moore continues. “There’s lots of influences of my Motown — my dad playing Motown records — and classic ‘70s rock that I’ve heard around the house growing up as a kid. So, there’s more colors on this record than definitely the first two.”
Moore says that he is also more comfortable with his third record, both because of what he has experienced and because of what his fans have taught him.
“I’m more at ease making this project than I’ve ever been making one,” Moore confesses. “I was more at ease going in to make this record, knowing that I know my fan base. I feel like a lot of artists might not know their fan base — they’re just maybe singing or writing what they’ve been told to write or sing, or the songs they’ve been pitched. I have a very clear vision of what I want to say and do and who my fans are, and I think this record speaks right to them.”
The Tour
Moore will embark on his Plead the Fifth Tour this fall.
“The live show has been our backbone,” Moore notes. “Radio launched us into an amazing thing with the Up All Night record, which was so many radio hits. It gave us the chance to be seen by the masses, and then it was up to us to keep them there, and our live show has really helped us thrive from what radio gave to us.”
A current tour schedule is available on Moore's website.