Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 11/20/2001
Great title. Pretty good album. Perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise that
Kid Rock decided to follow his
Devil Without a Cause blueprint for its follow-up, since that was the record where he figured out how to mix "the
hard rock/
Southern rock with the
hip-hop," creating a towering, powerful original blend of
country-fried
metal,
heartland rock, knowing
arena rock posturing,
old-school rap, and classic
American hard rock. It was what he planned to do from the outset, so why should he give it up now that he could finally do what he always wanted? Still, there's no denying that a sequel simply does not pack the punch and the surprise of the original, no matter how well it's constructed, and that's why it initially is easy to view
Cocky as a bit of a disappointment, since it not only offers nothing new, it seems considerably tamer than its predecessor. How could it not? Not only does
Kid have nothing to prove this time around -- he not only went platinum, he did it ten times-plus and then landed
Sheryl Crow and
Pam Anderson -- he no longer has his midget sidekick,
Joe C., around to enhance the Midwestern carnival atmosphere of his entourage. That wild, white-trash
Fellini-esque vibe is missed, as is the overwhelmingly great songwriting of
Devil, but if not viewed as direct competition with its predecessor -- which is, after all,
the great
hard rock album of the late '90s, filled with great sounds and songwriting --
Cocky is a pretty good sequel. One that roots itself deeper in
classic rock than in
hip-hop and one that isn't as gonzo or as funny, but is still much, much funnier and looser than any of its competitors, while rocking much harder. If the songs aren't classics or if it tends to drift instead of staying focused like
Devil, it still is better than anything else in
Kid's catalog and anything else from his
rap-metal competitors (he makes all of them sound like rank amateurs), and it has better riffs and earthier rhythms than any
hard rock artist since
38 Special, while retaining a true Michigan flavor. That might not make it the equal of
Devil Without a Cause, but unpretentious, blue-collar
hard rock hasn't sounded this good in nearly 20 years, and that's reason enough to celebrate.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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