Skye Moore

Although he is the great-nephew of George Jones, Skye Moore probably wouldn't consider himself a hardcore country artist, and when the screaming electric guitars enter with the opening track of his debut album, initial listeners might be inclined to agree that the appropriate genre for him is rock. True, there are no sawing fiddles or whining steel guitars anywhere on I'm Flyin', but taken as a whole, the disc is still stamped with the spirit of contemporary country, especially as purveyed by its many crossover kings and queens of the early 21st century. "What's Up With That," the advance single, could be programmed on country radio in between a Faith Hill song and the latest effort from Montgomery Gentry and not sound out of place. That's not only because of the sound of the record, but also because of its content. On this song and several others, such as that leadoff track "Animation" (which is a cautionary statement about computer porn), "The American Dream," and the humorously intended title tune, Moore and his 12 songwriting collaborators (with whom he matches up in ones and twos on each track in typical Nashville songwriting-session style) betray a redneck sensibility in which, as "What's Up With That" puts it, "...if you're normal/then you're the freak." It would be going too far to call the viewpoint satirical, but Moore and company clearly see the modern world as a freak show in which they, with their "normal" attitudes, are the only ones to be trusted. Elsewhere, there is the usual complement of derivative, cliché-ridden love songs, any one of which country radio might eat up. In particular, "Defenseless," with a melody and arrangement close enough to Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do (I Do It for You)" to make a copyright lawyer salivate, could light up phones around the country. And that reference is a good one for the whole disc: this is exactly the kind of album Bryan Adams would make if he went to Nashville and began taking songwriting meetings with the local pros. Perish the thought! ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide