Steve Moakler: ‘Make A Little Room’ – Album Review

Steve Moakler’s brand new album, Make A Little Room, is out now, August 12th on all streaming platforms. Take a listen and read our full review below.

With his patented singer-songwriter-meets-country twang, Steve Moakler is releasing his seventh studio album, Make A Little Room. For the Pennsylvania native, the ten track collection is an autobiographical one, with each song written or co-written by him.

“It really is the overarching theme of the record,” Moakler says in a statement of the album’s title, when it comes to making room in one’s life for the important things. “You can hang it all on that, this shift toward what ultimately matters. It’s the people around you and the little things. Having some margin in your life, and some space for magic to happen.” 

Produced by Andy Skib, collaborators here include Nashville hitmakers like Luke Laird, Marcus Hummon, Kelly Archer, and Lucie Silvas, who lends her ethereal background vocals to the nostalgic and anthemic, “Autumn Came Back.”

Throughout the album, Moakler weaves a mix of introspection and nostalgia with a mantra to seize the day and enjoy the time we have, from the big to the simple things. This is evident on the album’s title track and opener, as he sets a stage for appreciating what life has to offer.

“Make a little room // For the sunshine and the good times and the Saturday nights // Make a little room // For the real talks and the long walks and the color outside the linеs // Put a little more space bеtween living and dying // For more of what money can’t buy you // Cut loose dancing, a little romancing // Before it slips right through your hands man // Make a little room”

Moakler weaves his love of a “Tennessee Girl” into a celebratory track about his wife, Gracie, while embracing his own roots on “Northerner.” On the latter, he sings of where he grew up and where he ended up, proclaiming “Jersey baby and a rust belt boy…I’ll always call it home, I just couldn’t stay too long.”

“You Being You” is a clear standout moment of the album, written just weeks into the singer-songwriter’s first stint at fatherhood. “As I said, I wrote this song in the middle of the night, two weeks into being a dad,” He shared on Instagram. “Not that I was getting much sleep anyway, but this one woke me up. I remember whispering the lyrics into my phone while I sat on the stairs. I feel like becoming a parent has opened rooms in my heart that I didn’t even know were there, so I guess this is the sound of one of the doors swinging open.”

When it comes to doors swinging open, “Pack It Up” centers on packing up one home and moving to another in search of something bigger and better, Moakler musing “Seems like a good place to grow up, since we have to.” 

While there’s a lot of introspection and family reflected on Make a Little Room, Moakler’s “Let’s Go to the Lake,” is about a relaxing day on the water, while “Start A Band” is a tongue-in-cheek ode to a foray into the life of a musician. Not to be confused with the Brad Paisley and Keith Urban duet of the same name, “Start A Band”’ shows Moakler channeling his inner Urban, both vocally and with the tune’s guitar sound.

Another of the album’s most prominent moments is “Better Days,” an anthem for looking ahead to a time when things will be better. With hints of yacht rock, Moakler raises a toast to the future, proclaiming, “Better days somewhere up around the bend // They ain’t here now // But it’s not the end // I’ve been losing ground but we can’t lose faith // Gotta believe there will be better days.”

The album ends with “Numbered,” the perfect bookend to “Make A Little Room,” with hints of Kenny Chesney’s classic, “Don’t Blink.” Here, Moakler encourages listeners to enjoy every moment before they’re gone.

“You breathe in and breathe out // Then the sun’s up and it goes down // There are times you get to live // And times you just get through // Every long kiss, every heartbreak // Every bull’s eye, every mistake I guess we decide just what they all add up to // But it feels a little sweeter going by // Soon as you realize these days are numbered.”

For Steve Moakler, Make A Little Room is the perfect continuation of an already impressive body of work, positioning him as one of music’s most honest and consistent singer-songwriters. 

Make A Little Room is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.