Search - Kid Rock :: Kid Rock

This Kid Rocks

11/12/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I know this album will more-than-likely turn off his (possibly narrow-minded) rap fans, but let me clarify...this is NOT a COUNTRY album. I guess folks that are so entwined in the hip-hop world and NEVER venture outside ONE genre of music (WHAT A CONFINED CURSE THAT MUST BE! EXPAND YE MIND!!!) This is an AMERICAN album!! It comprises hip-hop, country, and a little ol' genre some have forgotten about...ROCK AND ROLL!!! This is a natural extension of "Cocky". That album was a little more organic than "Devil" and this is even more organic. And hey, if I'm not mistaken, he raps on "Intro", does a Prince-type rap on "Black Bob", and has a bunch of scratches and hip-hop type production going on. And no, the whole album is NOT like "Picture" for Pete's sake! Jackson, MS is a HEAVY METAL song! (OK, maybe more Molly Hatchet heavy than Pantera heavy, but still...) And there's plenty of ROCK - hey, it's a nice balance of ballads and partiers.Kid brought back the ATTITUDE WITH A PERSONALITY that was missing in hard rock since Axl lost his mind. We've got our rock'n'roll frontman for the new millennium - following Mick Jagger, Robert Plant, Steve Tyler, and Mr. Rose. A void that needed to be filled 'cause it sure was empty when all we had was Kurt Cobain and Eddie Vedder complaining with no humor at all. Hey, Kid brought back WOMEN AND BOOZE...and threw PC back into the dumpster! God bless him!Bottom line: hey Ritchie - don't fret it if your "Stoned Pimp" fans forsake you for following your dream, us old rock'n'rollers welcome you with open arms...we also loved "Devil" and "Cocky", 'cause as Hank, Jr. once sang: "we like all kinds of music and people, 'cause we don't draw no lines". Looks like some of your old rap fans are the ones intolerant to anything with a melody or singing...well, to each his own."

Rock on...no pun intended.

DanD | 11/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got a confession to make: I'm a country fan. I bet a lot of you are. You heard "Picture"--which somehow made it up the country charts a ways--and you wanna check out Kid Rock. Maybe you'd better check out Sheryl Crow instead.Now if you're like me, you like different genres of music. I primary dabble in country...but I got a thing for good rock 'n' roll. Now, Kid Rock ain't classic rock 'n' roll--I'm talking Springsteen and John Cougar here--but he has a pretty damn good idea what rock is...and rap...and heavy metal...and country...The songs--it's all about the songs. "Rock 'n' Roll Pain Train" is anything but painful to listen to (I got a million of 'em!). "Cadillac Pussy" feat. Hank Jr. is a good rocker; and "Black Bob" and "Intro" delve into his rapping more than the other tracks.Now, as a country fan, my favorites are, of course, the ballads. How about "Do it For You?" Too pop? There's "Feel Like Makin' Love", a good mix of pop/rock/country. And "Hard Night For Sarah" is a remake of a Bob Seger song. "Cold And Empty" is a country ballad--co-written by Kenny Chesney, so of course it's country. And "Single Father" is an emotional number co-written by David Allen Coe.Not into ballads? Well, my favorite's the tongue-in-cheek "Run Off To L.A.", co-written by and featuring the afore-mentioned Sheryl Crow. "Son of Detroit" is a re-written version of the afore-mentioned Coe's "Son of the South." "I Am" can only be descrived as American Rock 'n' Roll. And "Jackson, Mississippi" is just a good tune. And "Hillbilly Stomp" features the one and only Billy Gibbens (of ZZ Top, you poor person who didn't know that). Did I miss any? If so--too bad.So, hopefully you aren't put off by Kid Rock's language. You shouldn't be--a song is a song is a song, and if it has some "expressive" language in it...so much the better (if you want to completely ruin the CD, go by an edited version). If you think you can tough it out--if you're enough of a music fan at heart--then you should go right ahead and purchase this CD. Trust me...if you don't rock with this thing in your CD player, you ain't got a set of ears!"

Let the Kid Rock!

Edward Lee | 11/24/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I would never pretend to be an expert at evaluating what does and does not make a great rock'n'roll album. I don't understand the commercialization of the music industry, but I believe -- as an average Joe -- I do have an understanding of what works, what might work, what fails, what might fail, and what might really stink.KID ROCK rocks.Granted, it probably isn't going to be the CD that pleases everyone. It certainly has its fill of explicit lyrics, grinding guitars, and extra heavy boom-boom bass (when necessary). What the album has going for it in volumes, however, is Kid's confidence, and people -- listeners, mainly -- will follow confidence wherever it may lead. Some may call it arrogance, but I think Kid has fashioned an album well worth listening to for adult audiences, spanning the spectrum from hard rock, hiphop, rockabilly, to alt country. Sometimes he screams, sometimes he bellows, and sometimes he reflects ... but, at all times, it's very clear that he's in perfect command of creating the music he wants to create.Rock n' Roll Pain Train: one great fun listening track. A fun way to open the album.Cadillac P***y (with Hank Williams, Jr.): an even better great fun listening track. Too bad with lyrics like these it'll never get airplay.Feel Like Makin' Love: a terrific cover to a rock standard. Turns in one powerhouse performance.Black Bob: a take-it-or-leave-it track. Reasonably well done. Reasonably well performed.Jackson, Mississippi: the song resonates long after the tune has ended.Cold and Empty: introspective rock-style ballad. While some of feels like a retread of other songs featuring similar themes, Kid brings some heart and soul to this in ways unimagined.Hillbilly Stomp: here's where Kid's confidence comes out to play. Not many performers would risk attempting this tune let alone cutting it to disc. Not the best listen on the album, but worthy of being committed.I Am Son Of Detroit: again, another nod to confidence, here. Probably plays well in Detroit, no doubt.Do It For You: better than average performance. Not entirely memorable, but a worthy outing.Hard Night For Sarah: another great cover. Kid seems a bit slow getting into this, but, come the ending, it's worth the listen. Run Off To LA: another great duet with Sheryl Crow. Unlike PICTURE, RUN OFF TO LA is all about attitude, of which the two of them have in overabundance.Single Father: of the more introspective songs on the album, this one resonated the most with me. Some of the lyrics are arguably sugary, but it's the message that matters, and Kid delivers."