Kip Moore Breaks Down 5 Essential Tracks From His New Album, ‘Reason To Believe’: ‘There’s a Complete Unbridled Nature to What I’m Doing Now’

The album is dedicated to Moore's mentor, songwriter-producer Brett James, who died in September.

Kip Moore

PJ Brown

When beloved Grammy-winning songwriter Brett James died in a plane crash last Sept. 18, the Nashville music community mourned the loss of a great songwriter — James penned such tunes as “Jesus, Take the Wheel,” “When the Sun Goes Down” and “Blessed” — but for singer-songwriter Kip Moore, the loss was especially acute.

“I don’t know if there’s been anyone in my adult life that made a more profound impact on me,” Moore says of James. “Brett and I were thick as thieves for probably the first four years that I was with [James’ publishing company] Cornman. There was a period of two years where I don’t think we went a day without hanging out, just writing songs and riding motorcycles. What I carry with me the most when I think about Brett is Brett got me to believe in myself when I didn’t.”