Hudson Moore

Although currently a sophomore studying radio, television and film at the University of Texas, singer-songwriter Hudson Moore still calls Fort Worth his home. And Moore's relatively slick brand of rocking pop-country is certainly better suited to the more traditional redneck values associated with Cowtown than the stoned, Americana vibe coming from our state capital.

Fireworks is Hudson Moore's debut effort and it's a well-conceived, exceedingly well-played affair that shows off Moore's melodic flair as well as the guy's keen understanding of mainstream country radio. Songs such as "When I'm With You" and "Too Much and Not Enough" would fit well alongside cuts by the likes of Pat Green or Cory Morrow on the playlists for any middle-of-the-road country radio station.

That's less a criticism than a fact. Hudson Moore plies his craft rather successfully, but he does so very clearly on the safe side of town. He's no Ryan Adams. Then again, he's also not some shallow hack pandering to the basic hayseed clichés a la Tim McGraw. He's somewhere in between, and in this case, that is a criticism.