Artist: Justin Moore

Title: Outlaws Like Me

Label: Valory

Real deal country singer Justin Moore may have named his second album Outlaws Like Me, but track five—"Beer Time"—is a more accurate representation of the overall content.

Besides having his picture taken at the bar for the record's interior packaging, eleven of thirteen songs mention "an ice cold Bud," being "drunk again on a little Wild Turkey," dropping "a splash of Jack in my Coke," "pop(ping) a top on a bottle of Boone's," or something to that effect.

If that's too much of the hard stuff for some tastes—and it is excessive—you've been warned. Certainly a guy whose first hits included "Back That Thing Up" and "I Could Kick Your A**" isn't pretending to be an angel.

But if you suspect Justin sometimes overstates his backwoods bad boy roots for genre's sake—keep in mind he's a family man now—Outlaws Like Me might just be a catchy rebel country set. And amidst the obvious recurring topics of dry counties, rowdy friends, swimming holes, fishing poles, trucks, and tractors, there can even be discerned several glimmers of spiritual depth.

Still, Moore's wild streak is front and center for the opening pair of feel-good, thick drawling Southern rockers. "Redneck Side" finds him skinny dipping in a rich couple's pool at 2 a.m. "My Kind of Woman" rhymes "roll in the hay" with "hog wild in the middle of the day." He can also tell a funny story.

Comparable to Brad Paisley, "Bait a Hook" is a well-written foot stomper that laughs at a clueless city slicker. It may be the same guy Justin shows the door to later on the sassy "If You Don't Like My Twang"—a musical kin to Travis Tritt's signature "Country Club."

On the more thoughtful side, "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away" is a powerful memory ballad, daydreaming of visits with lost family members as well as musical icons like Hank Williams and Janis Joplin. "Flyin' Down a Back Road" finds Moore grateful for his success—name checking shows with ZZ Top, Skynyrd, and Alan Jackson—but never more happy than when he's back home with longtime friends.

The closing title track confirms this sturdy new act recognizes the tension every soul encounters: "I've been a rough houser . . . a front pew Bible holder. But each day's a choice of which one I'm gonna be. God bless outlaws like me."

*This article first published 6/28/2011