One of the best in the business.
It’s been 17 years since Justin Moore dropped his self-titled debut album back on August 11, 2009. Since then, he’s racked up 13 #1 hits and is one of only a handful of artists from that time who’s been able to have consistent success on both country radio and on the road.
Justin is one of the few artists who got his start in the mid-2000s and managed to make it through the 2010s without falling into the “bro-country” sound that dominated the decade. (The closest he came to changing his sound was on his 2016 Kinda Don’t Care album with singles like “Somebody Else Will” – but on that same album were plenty of stone-cold country songs).
With a resumé of #1 hits like “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away,” “Why We Drink,” “Til My Last Day,” “You, Me and Whiskey” featuring Priscilla Block and “Lettin’ the Night Roll,” I’ve always found it a little baffling that Justin has never really seemed to get the respect or attention he deserves: He’s not winning the awards or even invited to the shows, and it seems like he’s consistently overlooked when discussing the top artists of the decades.
I know part of that is because he chose to leave Nashville earlier in his career to move back to his native Arkansas to raise his family, a decision that he no doubt has no regrets about making. But with a catalog as deep as Justin, it’s a shame that he’s not given more attention or respect as one of the most consistent hitmakers of the past decade.
And while it’s easy to talk about his hits, it’s even more impressive that so many of Justin’s best songs never made it to radio. So I thought we’d take a look at 10 of his most underrated deep cuts that prove what a force he really is:
“Hell On A Highway”
Released in 2016 on his Kinda Don’t Care album, “Hell On a Highway” is in the running for my favorite song in Justin’s entire catalog. While in its simplest form the song is just another country breakup song, the vivid imagery paired with Justin’s powerful voice manages to paint the picture in a way that you can almost feel the heartbreak – and see the taillights fading off into the distance.
“She’s got them high heels pressed down hard like she hates that floorboard
Leavin’ her red tipped, still lit, lipstick cigarette trail behind tail lights
Gone as it gets with her wings on the wind, angel made her getaway
Now she’s out there puttin’ my heart through hell on a highway.”
But along with a healthy dose of heartbreak, my favorite line from the song is about the self-reflection that comes from watching the love of your life take off down the road – and knowing that she’s not coming back:
“She probably called up her mama, and her mama said ‘It’s about time’
She said I ain’t worth a damn, and damn if she ain’t right.”
So good. This song has made an appearance in Justin’s live show ever now and then, and I would love to see it return.
“Flyin’ Down A Back Road”
This song from Justin’s 2011 album Outlaws Like Me is another one that’s become a fan favorite thanks to his live shows, and at a time when a lot of the “bro-country” artists were singing about getting their girl and driving down a dirt road, this one is from the perspective of Justin himself (or probably a lot of country artists) who enjoy the stage, but not as much as they enjoy being home:
“All that stuff it makes you feel real good,
But not near as good
As flyin’ down a back road
With some buddies from back home
A splash of Jack in my Coke
Catchin’ brim on a Zebco
Spottin’ deer in a hay field
After church a Sunday meal
Huggin’ mama before I go
Yeah, flyin’ down a back road”
“Outlaws Like Me”
The title track to Justin’s 2011 album, this powerful ballad shows off the complexity of the man behind the songs, from late night bar rooms to front row pews on Sunday morning. It’s no doubt relatable to a lot of his listeners who, like Justin, proudly identify as imperfect Christians.
“Better Slow”
This is another one that just about anybody can relate to. Released on Justin’s 2023 album Stray Dog, the song finds him wishing time could slow down because while some things like Talladega are made for speed, there are a lot of things in life that are just better slow:
“Some things, like a ride in paw paw’s truckSome things, like a deer-stand sun coming upSome things you don’t need fasterLike a tractor blocking the roadYeah, some things you ain’t gonna get backSome things, you better make ’em lastSome things are worth soaking in‘Cause you just never knowLike the hug you give you mama right before you goSome things are better slow”
This song also has a line in it that almost brings me to tears every time I hear it, because of course it’s about a dog and how you wish you could slow down the time we have here on earth with our best friends:
“How you float down a small-mouth river
When your limit’s just one more
How you pet your dog that’s barely holding on
After twelve years on the porch”
(I’m writing this with my dog laying by my side. Hits hard).
“Someday I Gotta Quit”
I know I’ve said this a few times already, but maybe that’s what makes Justin’s music so good: It’s so relatable. And this one from his 2019 album Late Nights and Long Necks is no exception, because we all have things that we should probably quit doing, whether it’s whiskey, nicotine, or hanging on to a long lost love. But of course, that’s easier said than done.
“She Ain’t Mine No More”
From Justin’s 2021 album Straight Outta the Country, this one has a great upbeat, two-stepping sound to contrast with the lyrics of a heartbreak. It’s kinda like Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” as it recounts the experience of seeing someone you love out having fun with someone else.
“You Keep Getting Me Drunk”
Another classic country breakup song about turning to the bottle to drown a heartbreak, the most compelling thing about this song is the incredible harmonies provided by background vocalist Sarah Buxton, an incredible artist in her own right. But while it tells a familiar story, it manages to convey the pain of going through a breakup in a hauntingly beautiful way:
“You keep getting me drunk
Left me nothing to hold but this whiskey in my cup
How can I get over us when I can’t even sober up?
You keep getting me, you keep getting me drunk
Keep getting me drunk, keep getting me drunk, yeah”
“Old Habits”
It’s really a shame that this duet with Miranda Lambert from Justin’s 2013 Off the Beaten Path album was kept from becoming a single because of the politics behind country radio (Miranda already had another duet on the radio at the time so her label didn’t want to release it) because it’s one of the greatest country songs of the past two decades, and I’ll die on that hill.
“More Than Me”
I debated whether to include this one, because we wrote about it recently when talking about the best songs for new dads. But it’s so good that I couldn’t leave it off.
Justin is the proud father of four children, and the song perfectly sums up every parent’s wish for their children: That they have a better life than their parents had themselves.
“I hope you love, I hope you hit your knees
Hope you get to see the hometown team
Win a little more than me
I know the world’s gonna think the world of ya
But I swear on the stars above you
No one’s gonna love you more than me”
“Selfish Man”
Not only was this song never a single, it actually didn’t originally even make his 2019 album Late Nights and Long Necks, but was released as a bonus track a few years ago – and it deserves its place among the best songs Justin’s ever recorded. A tenderhearted ballad about being selfishly in love with your partner:
“I won’t settle for nothin’ less
Than givin’ you the very best
I can’t live without you, it’s somethin’ I won’t do
Oh, it has to be this way
I wanna wake up to you every single day
If that makes me a selfish man
Then call me a selfish man
Oh, I’ll live for you, baby, die for you, baby
In this crazy world, you’re all that saves me
Everything you need, I’ll go get it
When it comes to you, I’m a little hard-headed
If that makes me a selfish man
Then call me a selfish man”
