Music Review – Kid Rock: Rebel Soul

            Kid Rock successfully carved a niche for himself in the rap-rock-country genre.  He has solidified his hold on that by removing most of the “rap” elements from his music and focusing on the much more marketable country-rock combination, which for him is basically southern rock with more talk about Detroit than Alabama. 

            The album Rebel Soul is one that leans very heavily on that southern rock influence and really only strays from it once, the terrible “Cucci Galore”.  Other than that track, it is a decent album that takes all of the elements of Kid Rock’s softer side, going all the way back to his duet with Sheryl Crow, “Picture” back in the early 2000s, and puts it together on one album. 

            It is not often that an artist reinvents themselves as thoroughly as Kid Rock has done in a fifteen year time span.  Sure, when music drastically shifts with the passing of each decade you will see many artists try and adapt with the times (I’m a KISS fan, I’ve seen every phase play out, trust me).  The thing is, that is still inherently rock music.  Sure, you went from hair metal to grunge in the 90’s, but it was still rock.  But to go from a rap rocker in the late 1990s (when that was still okay, thanks Fred Durst) to a country star in such a short time period is remarkable.  Sure, he has kept some elements alive in the transition, the band is the same, the messages are similar (that’s just the nature of music) but the fact that he was willing and able to tone down his approach and cater it to a vastly different audience is what has allowed Kid Rock to not only survive the relative implosion of rap-rock, but thrive because of it. 

Those of us that have grown with Kid Rock, that didn’t mind his first three releases that catered more to the rap-rock crowd because we were stupid kids and didn’t know better, now know that we can take a break with a little Kid Rock, that we can play it at a backyard barbecue while we make a tower of empty PBR cans.  Kid Rock has turned from something that parents would tell their children to turn down into something that parents would tell their children to turn up in very order.  He deserves to be commended for his ability to adapt and change with the times.

            While this disc will not blow anyone away in terms of the music itself, and honestly can get a little formulaic at times (how often do I have to hear about how much Kid Rock loves Detroit, seriously, I get it) it is a release that will probably appeal to Kid Rock’s devoted fans (except for the ones that like the rap-rock stuff, there is not much of a place for that as Kid Rock gets older).  It will undoubtedly garner the attention of the country radio station listeners as well, who will turn his concerts into less Eminem and more Toby Keith.