I’m not sure how rare a true Kid Rock fan is; I grew up 45 minutes from Romeo, Michigan, where Robert J. Richie (Kid Rock) was born, and I’ve paid attention to his recording career as he progressed from early rapper to rock/rap, midwest rock, and now country. I’ve made out to “Only God Knows Why,” and my high school basketball team got scolded for using “Bawitdba” as a warm up song. I tell you that not to talk about me but to give you a background on my interest in Kid Rock.
Rock is a multi-instrumentalist (he recorded nearly all the music on the “Devil Without a Cause” album), and a talented songwriter (the song “Picture” that he sang with Sheryl Crow was a co-write between the two). He’s been nominated for several Grammy’s, and has won many more awards from different corners of the music industry. This is an artist and writer who clearly knows his way around success and good music.
The first single “First Kiss” from Rock’s first official country album is an uptempo slice of nostalgia, similar sonically and lyrically to Bryan Adam’s “Summer of 69.” Clocking in at over 4 and 1/2 minutes, “First Kiss” talks about growing up and falling in love in a small town, smoking cigarettes on truck beds, rolling the windows down, and wishing he could go back to those days of freedom again. With a heavy guitar driven edge, tight production and familiar scenery, it’s clear Kid has been paying attention to country radio. With previous country chart success for songs like “Born Free,” “Picture,” and “All Summer Long,” I would not be at all surprised to see Rock on some of the huge country music bills this summer, and probably very well received there.
There’s nothing wrong with nostalgia, and nothing wrong with rock-tipped country. There’s nothing wrong with them together either, particularly in a world where Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line, and even critically-acclaimed Eric Church all use production ideas, melodies, and visual furniture from 80’s rock. “First Kiss” loses me for two reasons however, the first being the actual songwriting. While it’s on par with country radio, there is nothing particularly clever about the lyric; the images are familiar, but not specific enough to stand out, with the chorus culminating in the stanza “Oh how I wish that I could go back in time / Just to love you again.” That’s fine, it ties the song together for the most part, it’s just not that earth-shattering. Maybe I’m picking knits here, but while most of us would probably enjoy loving like we were in high school again, I doubt we’d use a time machine for such a broad destination. The magic behind a song like “Springsteen” from Eric Church, which tackles the same subject matter, is in the details – “I think about my old jeep / I think about the stars in the sky / Funny how a melody sounds like a memory.” That takes the listener back to a specific memory, one the singer couldn’t possibly know of exactly, but is able to transport you to nonetheless. While I’m not suggesting a song has to be on the level of “Springsteen” to do that, it would be nice to leave the song with some specific pictures and memories brought up. And while some songs get away with simple writing by featuring a melody that is a game changer, “First Kiss” to me feels like a strong, singable, but not unexpected melody, over an equally predictable lyric.
I’m taking one of my favorite artists to task here, and that’s biased of me, but it leads me to my second problem with this single. Even if “First Kiss” were a stronger song, it seems like Kid Rock would have the opportunity to bring a meatier, more poignant opinion to the forefront with his first country single. This is an artist who has shared the stage and vocal booth with artists like Zac Brown, Sheryl Crow, Jerry Lewis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eminem, David Alan Coe, Bob Seger and Hank Williams Jr, to name just a few. While he’s never had a number 1 country hit, he’s found success in this genre already and is generally considered an A-list level act and writer. While not everyone is a fan, it’s hard not to hear songs like “Only God Knows Why,” “Roll-on,” and even “All Summer Long” and not recognize some of the genius that goes into Kid Rock’s writing. If nothing else, consider the fact that he has albums named “Cocky” and “Rock’n’roll Jesus”; this doesn’t sound like a guy trying to fit in or play it safe. To top it off, he’s one of the only artists in American music to have charting singles on rap, country, rock and pop charts, putting him into a very short list. As a fan, I would have loved to hear Kid Rock release a song that pushed the boundaries of the genre both sonically (maybe hear a little of his rap/rock blend, since country has allowed that sound on it’s airwaves) and lyrically. While “First Kiss” is a decent enough song, and probably will make a splash on the country charts and allow us to see a great performer alongside country’s finest, it just feels like a corporate marketing plan to gain new fans, instead of a piece of artwork from an American Badass. I just hope it’s not the only “country” single we hear from this talented writer/artist. I’m convinced he has more to say.