KID ROCK - ROCK’N'ROLL JESUS
Oh, yeah — Kid Rock makes music, too. It’s possible to lose sight of that amid the headline-making Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee shenanigans, and Rock’s declining sales since 1998’s breakthrough “Devil Without a Cause” has thrown the personality/performer equilibrium a little out of whack. “Jesus” makes a strong bid to change that. “Amen” offers gospel-flavored social commentary, while “Roll On” is a soulful high-water mark. “Blue Jeans and a Rosary” delivers some of Rock’s most vivid storytelling, and “All Summer Long” is an entertaining mashup of “Werewolves of London” and “Sweet Home Alabama” under a nostalgic lyric cut from the cloth of another of Rock’s heroes, Bob Seger. We may be more entertained at times by Rock’s extramusical affairs, but the “Devil” should still be given his due as a clever and creative musical force.
