3/5 stars
Believe it or not, Kid Rock is still going. First Kiss is his tenth album, coming 25 years after his debut set this purveyor of bad taste on a journey to navigate the musical gutter.
Sure, that sounds harsh, but we all know it’s true. For instance, here are some of the new album’s song names: ‘Good Times, Cheap Wine’; ‘Ain’t Enough Whiskey’; and ‘Drinking Beer With Dad’. Add to that the constant name-dropping of American states, trucks, alcoholic beverages and the word ‘chick’, and we have sufficient evidence of the mood one expects from a Kid Rock album. I shouldn’t even have to remind you that Kid Rock was married to silicone queen Pamela Anderson. If rubbish could talk, it’d speak Kid Rock’s name.
But just like my ma used to say, never judge a book by its cover. It may be unashamedly trashy, but there’s a subservient brilliance to First Kiss. Kid Rock expertly blends the various genres of working white America – blues, country, bluegrass and so forth – into his distinct rock sound. Yet the resulting music, while it sounds tacky, doesn’t come across as dated.
Despite expectedly being an exercise in bad taste, First Kiss actually gives a good account of itself, and is an enjoyable listen.
