Kid Rock

When it comes right down to it, what Kid Rock attempts is kind of tricky: he's trying to create new classic rock, songs to compete with Skynyrd and Seger as the soundtrack of choice for jukeboxes and pickup trucks across the country. This is the sound of the white-trash, downriver rocker in him coming through, triumphing over the jive rapper who brought him his fame. It was there even when he was aping the Beastie Boys and yodeling in the canyon, but once the country-rock of "Picture" revived the sales of the flagging Cocky, he put all his chips on classic rock, beginning with 2004's eponymous platter, a good record without a single hit single. That lack of a hit was enough to scare Kid, to strip away his few lingering subtleties and turn out an album like 2007's Rock N Roll Jesus. Apart from a drum loop here and a chanted bridge there, this is classic white-trash rock through and through, withKid Rock doggedly following the path of his heroes: not only Bob Seger but John Fogerty, Alabama, Billy Squier, and evenElton John ("Blue Jeans and a Rosary" is straight out of "Levon"). He also pays homage to Back in Black with his cover art. Kid Rock works hard to evoke the ghosts of the past, hoping that all his allusions will give him classic rock cred by association. And while his words fall flat, the problems with the music aren't as serious: splashy and silly though it may be, at least the music gets the basic sound right, even if it's too polished and precise. [The Best Buy Exclusive edition includes two bonus tracks, "Guilty" and a live version of "Jackson, Mississippi."] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide