The Fourth of July might be behind us, but summer is still in full swing and every summer getaway needs a summer soundtrack. Enter Niko Moon and his latest album Roots. Sticking to his tried-and-true formula of pop-country, hip-hop and R+B, the Georgia native carves through 15 songs in 45 minutes and does a winning job with pretty much all of it. There are some certified earworms and radio-ready cuts.

The album opens with “Georgia (Roots)” the title track, an homage to his home state and his background / life story. Georgia residents and natives will find a lot to like but the reality is pretty much everyone else will too. Seamlessly blending R+B, pop and tinges of country it’s wholeheartedly digestible, commercial and has an easy hook. It’s not 1990s country, but it is most assuredly 2026 country. The song also serves as a perfect introduction to what the album will sound like. Entirely sun-drenched, buoyant and decidedly positive, Moon continues that vibe on the ode to blue collar workers on “America Dreamin“. Buttressed by noodling guitar work, an array of machinated blips and bleeps and his soulful and open-hearted vocals the song drips with radio gold. New fans, casual fans and die-hards alike will eat this up. “Rich Man” follows and is a summer-kissed paean to romance featuring a big chorus. Frankly it’s hard not to have a smile your face while listening to this, well, that is if you’re fond of romance. The album’s opening third concludes with “Take It Slow” and “Get Country.”

The former is a mid-tempo sendup about unwinding, unplugging and enjoying the simple things in life. For country music purists “Take It Slow” is everything that’s wrong with the modern genre, but for pop music fans and those who are embracing 2026 country the song is manna from heaven and frankly quite hard to dislike. Listening to Niko Moon is like listening to Craig David circa early 2000s. Who can dislike it? In sum, “Take It Slow” is a vibe, enjoy it, don’t overthink it. On the contrary “Get Country” echoes with shades of Sam Hunt and should be a playlist staple for anyone heading out for a beach weekend.

The album’s middle third opens with “Lakeside Summer” an earworm boasting a giant hook and radio dominance. If the song has a downside it’s that it feels entirely commercial and synthetic. As if aware of that Moon settles in for the authentic acoustic ballad “Somewhere, Somehow, Someway.” Boasting his strongest vocals on the album it is honeyed, smooth and well, a little bit saccharine. Sonically, it’s a balm, a salve, a tonic, and a pristine love song. “Country Song” finds Moon discussing his love of rural America and nostalgia. It is arguably the closest he comes to traditional country but as with much of this album, there’s little to dislike.

“Drift Away” is a fine song but sort of revisits much of what the first eight songs have already. There’s a veer towards pop that’s sure to find favor with many but at this point it just begins to feel superfluous. On the contrary, “Without Your Love” has a sweetly affecting acoustic base that dips heavily in R+B and ends with a gorgeous steel guitar outro. For those who love lyrical genius “Without Your Love” leaves a lot to be desired, but hey, sometimes we call can get a bit corny.

There’s a return of steel guitar on the intro for “Lay It On Me” which is arguably one of the best songs Moon has released to date. Admittedly it might not be a single but there’s a lot to like here. There’s even a veer towards gospel music. In short, the album needed a lot more of this inventiveness. That sense of originality is sorely lacking on “One Way To Find Out” which ostensibly sounds like a Sam Hunt B-side. As with pretty much anything he sings there’s a magnetism, but it all feels a bit derivative. Much like “Drift Away” it’s probably superfluous and might have been better as a B-side or a one-off single on DSPs. And that vibe continues on “Right Here, Right Now” a derivative, albeit smooth slice of delectable country-pop and penultimate cut “Easy.”

Roots ends with “Change the World” arguably one of Moon’s strongest songs to date. It’s a fitting song to close an album but also frustrating at the same time. With better oversight this album could easily have been four or five songs fewer and been an absolute homerun. Instead, a heavy-handed dose of filler permits this album from being a sure-fire recommendation. But then again, maybe you just need an album chock full of radio-ready, hassle-free, goes-down-easy earworms for your beach trip. If that’s your thing, this album’s for you. Until then we’ll listen to the first half and selectively skip around until “Change the World.”

But one thing’s for sure, when the Niko Moon motorcade comes rolling into town, the Goyo’s will likely be in attendance. Music like this is immersive and indelible in a live setting. And the songs from Roots will likely show that in spades. In the end, Moon’s songs are not all that different from when he started. He has a formula and sticks to it. And if it ain’t broke, why in the heck would he fix it?