Kid Rock mixed it up half of a smidge with his new country rock album "First Kiss." These soft rock slow jams have shown the more mature side of Kid Rock and highlight his country side — although the new album is incredibly similar to his previous albums.
As a typical country rock artist, he tends to reference whiskey, beer, cruisin’, banjos, trucks, blue jeans, guns, bourbon, “the perfect girl," Johnny Cash and countless other trite phrases. This album would be the ideal summer soundtrack for a business road trip or a middle-aged man’s sailboat ride. These toe-tappin’ tracks may be catchy, but they lack any sort of hype or originality.
The standout track in this album is hands down (and not surprisingly) “First Kiss.” The song’s rock vibe is very crisp and old-rock-esque. The intricate guitar riffs make up for some of the cliché lyrics like “roll my windows down” that remind him of his “first kiss.” You will probably only hear this song for a couple of weeks on the radio until another similar rock tune replaces it, at a Kid Rock convention or at a tailgate if “Kid Rock” is the only Pandora station available.
Another semi-interesting track is “Good Times, Cheap Wine” which has more of a gritty rock sound that complements the previous track “First Kiss” fairly well. This is a typical gritty, bluesy, feel-good, clap along tune about liking simple activities like drinking wine and loving yourself that lacks any real substance.
“Drinking Beer With Dad” sounds like a bad rendition of a show tune about beer. This track has nothing interesting to offer but cheesy lyrics and painfully repetitive lyrics.
If you’re digging around for a cliché summer playlist or a present for your dad, Kid Rock has you covered.