Steve Moakler Celebrates ‘Born Ready’ Album, Out Friday

Pictured (L-R): Creative Nation’s co-founder Luke Laird, Jeff Skaggs, Christina Wighton, Kelsey Granda, Rachel Burleson, Steve Moakler, Brandon Gill, Shaina Botwin and CN co-founder Beth Laird. Photo: Sonni Young, Remedy Creative

Steve Moakler gathered with his Creative Nation family with Luke and Beth Laird at Ocean Way Studios in Nashville on Tuesday (June 12) to celebrate the soft launch of his latest album, Born Ready, set for release Friday, June 15.

“At Creative Nation, we just want to work with people we believe in,” Laird shared on the company’s mission upon launching in 2011. “I’m obviously a songwriter first, so what drew me to Steve was his songwriting. All these songs he writes are songs I wish I could write or wish that I’d have written. For me, to have the opportunity to be his producer — which really, all that means is that I’m just trying not to mess up the heart that’s in these songs he’s written…I believe in this music a lot.”

Moakler performed some songs from the album during the celebration, including the title track “Born Ready,” “Slow Down,” “Thirty,” and “One More Troubadour,” a song inspired by an early conversation in his Nashville journey.

“When I first moved [to Nashville] I ended up in the conversation with a native [of the city] and he was really nice to me” Moakler said. “He asked ‘What brought you to town?’ and I realized how typical my answer was being a singer/songwriter, so I answered insecurely with a smirk, ‘Well sir, I’m a singer/songwriter, just one of the 10,000.’ I thought he was going to laugh, but he just paused and looked at me real serious and said, ‘Well son, there’s 10,000 angels, too, you know?’ I’ve never thought of it quite the same way. I really love getting to be a songwriter, getting to be a troubadour, and that’s what really drives me to get up in the morning.”

The CN Records album is available everywhere June 15.