Kid Rock

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!


Long way on a they say highway   November 23, 2003
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

The Devil without a Cause has done it again! Another great album that expresses his deepest thoughts and emotions. The "word on the street" is that Kid Rock went soft and his music has gone country. This may be true for the more naive Kid Rock fans. There is an obvious transition through his last three albums which reflects his growing maturity as an artist and as a human being. Its not to say that he is getting past his prime when it comes to being an American Badass, but he is paying his respect to "good old fashioned" music. He has had the oppurtunity to work with music legends and popular artists such as: Bob Seger, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), Sheryl Crow, Eminem, and scores more. By now fans should know what Kid Rock is all about. He's not just in it for the money, fans, women, and booze, not to say that he doesn't mind these things, but above all of this, he does what he does for the music. He does what he does for Detroit. And he does what he does for himself.

In this album the Kid goes back to his roots, which of course are the "sticks" of northern Macomb County in a small town called Romeo. As a child he grew up listening to some of the music that helped define what the word "music" meant to him. Kid Rock has never been the type of artist that is easily predicted. His unique creativity and insight in his music allows him to never be categorized in one genre. As he states in I am, " you'll never put your finger on me."

Now I must admit that Kid Rock never caught my attention until Devil without a Cause. Although I do favor the intensity of that album over the slow jams with Sheryl Crow, I can respect the artists choice in the music that he puts on his album. He isn't trying to win the fans over, he has already done that. Now he writes music for himself and to observe which fans will continue to support and love his music.

I never truly understood what his message was until I attended my very first Kid Rock concert. That night will remain important to me until the day I die. He feeds off the emotion from the crowd. During the show not a single seat in the Palace actually had a someone sitting in it. The show never seemed to stop, the crowd never died down, and the Kid continued his energetic, phantasmagoric performance until he physically could not continue. Which was long after I was pooped. I strongly recommend attending one his shows and witnessing who Kid Rock really is and then you will truly understand what his music is all about.


Kid Rock at his best!   January 20, 2004
 8 out of 8 found this review helpful

Kid Rock's new Album "Kid Rock", is in one word, amazing. I think this is the stage where he has been trying to get to throughout his career. We saw hints of it on "Devil" and a little more on "Cocky". However; unlike Cocky, which seemed choppy and random in parts, "Kid Rock" is one fluid piece of work. All one has to do is listen to the song; "I am" to understand Kid Rock's plan. He and his Twisted Brown Trucker band are great in that they can blend and switch between southern rock, country, metal, rock, rap and hip-hop, sometimes all within one song. Who else, really, can do that? I think this album is the final formulation (for now) of who Kid Rock is, a musician who refuses to be stuck into any category- he just makes music. Something that is refreshing in todays over-hyped world of music.


Kid Rock's Classic   November 13, 2003
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Kid Rock has become the most versatile artist in popular music today. He hit it big with hip hop songs like Bawitdaba and Cowboy from his 1998 release Devil Without a Cause. His 2001 release Cocky included equal parts southern rock, rap, and country and spawned the hit song Picture (a duet with Sheryl Crow).

The self titled Kid Rock CD may be one of the best disc of the year and is certainly Kid Rock's best offering. Overall, the music on this disc covers a ton of territory but it is less rap and more hard rock, country, southern rock and boogie blues-rock with a Midwestern flavor. The disc is sort of Aerosmith meets Bob Seger, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Hank Williams, Jr. The first single is an energetic cover of Bad Company's Feel Like Making Love and other highlights include a cover of an unreleased Bob Seger ballad called Hard Night for Sarah, Son of Detroit, and Rock and Roll Pain Train. Kid Rock covers all the usual territory of partying and life on the road but also explores mature themes, including single fatherhood (bonus track called Single Father) and relationships gone bad (Cold and Empty). This is not your little brother's Kid Rock.

Kid Rock's self titled disc may be remembered as one of the great classic rock and roll albums of all time. Highly recommended.


Simply incredible. This is what rock is all about.   October 18, 2004
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

This album is absolutely the best rap/rock/blues/country album you will listen to this year. It's almost impossible to define Kid Rock's musical genre, but it's fair to say it's an harmonious blend of rock and blues, with healthy doses of country and rap thrown in. The lyrics are hard hitting, the guitar work is stellar, and the rhytm is pulsating. I can't wait to listen to the CD in the mornings, during breaks, when I get home, etc. Look, if you don't like this album you're probably into boy bands, or dead.