Kid Rock, “Rock N Roll Jesus” (Atlantic, out Oct. 9)
The heartland never sounded so darned voluptuous as in the capably crusty hands of Kid Rock.
Beyond the rocky hillbilly-hop and Southern-fried hiccup of previous Kid collections, this release takes on the American outback – its women, politics, women, gods, wars and … women – with a white-trash swagger his heroes Bob Seger, Warren Zevon and Lynyrd Skynyrd could only dream of.
Even when borrowing from the above-mentioned exemplars (in one fell swoop!) on “All Summer Long,” Kid makes that dusty roar his own. With his wily voice, he takes on metal harangues, cool country licks and gospel soul suites. Rock approaches everything from tender romance (“Blue Jeans and a Rosary”) to the wrath of Iraq’s dead (“Amen”) with equal passion.
But don’t think Rock’s not having some rabid fun, too. “Half Your Age” toys with his new gal-pal at the expense of his old (emphasis on old) one Pam Anderson to the strains of funk-kicking C&W. Yee-ha.
A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Enquirer
Miles Davis, “The Complete ‘On the Corner’ Sessions” (Columbia/Legacy, out Sept. 25)
Eleven years, eight Grammys and eight box sets later, the Miles Davis Series ends with this six-disc collection.
That wah-wah sound you hear emanates both from the music and fans lamenting the completion of what just might be the greatest reissue series in music history. Problem is, it ends not with a bang but with Miles and crew’s barely pulsating funk, which is showcased to better and more sinister effect on the concert recordings from that era.
If you dig “On the Corner,” there is much to love among some 17 extended or unreleased tracks from 1972-75 sessions, some of which are almost as great as anything you’d hear on the “Philharmonic Hall” or “Pangaea” releases.
However, there’s one other problem – a list price of nearly $140, which makes this a set for completists and well-heeled fans only.
A.D. Amorosi, Philadelphia Enquirer
Neil Cleary, “I Was Thinking of You the Whole Time” (Doozy, out Oct. 16)
Neil Cleary has always distinguished himself with his versatility, playing drummer for folkie songwriters Laura Cortese and Erin McKeown as well as several Elephant 6 indie bands.
But Cleary’s staggering talent as a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist comes out on “I Was Thinking of You the Whole Time,” a thoroughly American take on the sensitive, manipulative cad and the lasses he’s mistreated.
Cleary’s facility with razor-sharp melodies was clear on 2003’s sun- flecked “Numbers Add Up” (on which he also played almost all the instruments) but “Thinking of You” moves in a moodier pop-rock direction. Think upbeat rhythms and slyly subversive lyrics.
There are flashes of the Fab Four (“I Once Knew a Girl”), Aimee Mann (“Sucker”) and Elvis Costello (“That Girl’s in Love”), but mostly Cleary hones the smart, taut, ultimately heartbreaking style that makes him one of today’s most lamentably obscure talents. This disc is a shoe-in for any pop-lover’s Top Ten of 2007 list.
John Wenzel
