Rock n Roll Jesus
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [2] |
| The A.V. Club | C+[3] |
| Blender | [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[5] |
| Robert Christgau |  [6] |
| Rolling Stone | [1] |
| Rock Hard (de) | 6/10[7] |
Rock n Roll Jesus is the seventh studio album by Kid Rock released on October 9, 2007. Rob Cavallo (Green Day & The Goo Goo Dolls) co-produced the album with Rock.[8] Mike E. Clark produced the track "All Summer Long." The album was not available at the iTunes Store in an act of protest by Kid Rock regarding a royalties dispute.[9] It was nominated for two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album and Best Male Vocal Performance for "All Summer Long" at the 2009 Grammy Awards. "All Summer Long" from the album was named the official theme song for WWE Backlash 2008 as well as "So Hott" for WrestleMania XXV and "New Orleans" for WrestleMania 34.[10]
Musical style
"Amen" references Minor Threat's "Guilty of Being White".[11]
The album also features the vocals of golfer John Daly on "Half Your Age" and the rock hit "All Summer Long" which has brought the album to triple platinum status in the U.S. and in Canada.
Singles
The album's first two singles, "So Hott" and "Amen", both did relatively well on the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts. On the Mainstream Rock chart, the singles peaked at No. 2 and No. 11, respectively—the former one becoming the biggest rock hit of his career. The tracks peaked at No. 13 and No. 27, respectively, on the Modern Rock chart.
The album's third single, "All Summer Long", was a massive worldwide hit. It peaked at No. 23 on the Hot 100 chart, despite Rock boycotting iTunes and receiving minimum digital downloads, and No. 4 on the country chart. It went to number one on charts in eight countries across Europe and Australia. "Roll On" and "Rock N Roll Jesus" were released at the same time as follow ups to "All Summer Long". "Roll On" failed to chart in the U.S. but reached No. 59 in Germany and No. 67 in Austria. "Rock N Roll Jesus" peaked at No. 34 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart.
The album's sixth single, "Blue Jeans and a Rosary", was released in January 2009. It would peak at No. 50 on the U.S. Country Chart. "Lowlife (Living the Highlife)" was released as the album's seventh single on March 8, 2009.
Critical reception
Rock N Roll Jesus has received mixed reviews from critics. The album has a score of 63 on Metacritic, based on 12 reviews.[12] Rolling Stone gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, stating "His good-hearted faith in rock & roll delivers a powerful kick. As he well knows—and Rock N Roll Jesus proves—roaring guitars, truckloads of attitude and an unquenchable lust for life make up for a multitude of sins."[13] Billboard stated "We may be more entertained at times by Rock's extramusical affairs, but the "Devil" should still be given his due as a clever and creative musical force."[14] Allmusic was less enthusiastic, calling it "big, bold, and brainless" and stating, "splashy and silly though it may be, at least it gets the basic sound right, even if it's way too polished and precise."[15]
Commercial performance
The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling about 172,000 copies in its first week.[16] It is Kid Rock's first and only album so far to go #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The album rebounded in March 2008 when "All Summer Long" was released as a single climbing back into the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 staying for 17 weeks. It has been certified 3 times platinum by the RIAA and it had sold 3,493,000 copies in the US as of December 2013.[17]
Worldwide the album has sold 5 million copies, and it was certified 2 times platinum in Canada and gold Germany, Austria and Australia.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock N Roll Jesus" | Robert Ritchie (Kid Rock), Ken Tudrick, Marlon Young | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Amen" | Ritchie | 4:40 |
| 3. | "All Summer Long" | Ritchie, Matthew Shafer (Uncle Kracker), Ed King, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant, LeRoy Marinell, Waddy Wachtel, Warren Zevon | 4:57 |
| 4. | "Roll On" | Ritchie | 6:11 |
| 5. | "So Hott" | Ritchie, Young | 4:07 |
| 6. | "Sugar" | Ritchie, Shafer, Young, Bobby Ervin, Jason Krause, Dwayne Simon, James Smith | 3:44 |
| 7. | "When U Love Someone" | Ritchie, Shafer, Young | 5:40 |
| 8. | "New Orleans" (David Allan Coe cover) | David Allan Coe | 6:36 |
| 9. | "Don't Tell Me U Love Me" | Ritchie, Shafer, Young | 4:20 |
| 10. | "Blue Jeans and a Rosary" | Ritchie, Young | 4:35 |
| 11. | "Half Your Age" | Ritchie | 3:45 |
| 12. | "Lowlife (Living the Highlife)" (John Eddie cover) | John Eddie | 4:04 |
Bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Guilty" | 2:45 |
| 14. | "Jackson, Mississippi" (Left off 'Live' Trucker) | 6:13 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Cowboy" | 4:22 |
| 14. | "Lonely Road Of Faith" (From CMT Crossroads) | 5:29 |
| 15. | "Behind-The-Scenes Documentary" | --:-- |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "So Hott" (From The 2008 Rock AM Festival in Germany) | |
| 14. | "All Summer Long" (From The 2008 Rock AM Festival in Germany) | |
| 15. | "Cowboy" (From The 2008 Rock AM Festival in Germany) | |
| 16. | "Amen" (Music Video) | |
| 17. | "Roll On" (Music Video) |
Sample credits
- "All Summer Long" – "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd (piano outro, guitar solo, guitar hook before chorus), "Werewolves Of London" by Warren Zevon (piano)
- "Sugar" – "I'm Bad" by LL Cool J (vocal sample only)
Covers
- "New Orleans" – originally by David Allan Coe
- "Lowlife (Living The Highlife) – originally by John Eddie
Demos
- "30 Days In The Hole" ( Humble Pie Cover)
- "Top Billin" (Audio Two Cover)
Personnel
 |
- Kid Rock – lead vocals, lead guitar, acoustic guitar, banjo, 12 string guitar, rhythm guitar, lap steel guitar, piano, percussion, moog synth, talkbox, turntables, vox organ
- Marlon Young – lead guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, mandolin
- Jason Krause – guitar
- Aaron Julison- bass guitar
- Jimmie Bones – piano, organ, harmonica
- Stephanie Eulinberg- drums
- Larry Fratangelo – conga drums, timbales, wave drum
- Billy Powell – piano
- David Mcmurray – saxophone
- Dan Dugmore – pedal steel
- Rayse Biggs – trumpet
- Paul Franklin – pedal steel
- David Campbell – string arrangements
- Barbara Payton – backing vocals
- Hershel C Boone-backing vocals
- Vinnie Dombroski- drums on Rock N Roll Jesus, So Hott
- Jeff Fowlkes- drums on New Orleans, Lowlife
- Bobby East- slide guitar on Lowlife
- John Daly- vocals on Half Your Age
Charts
| Charts (2007–2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 9 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 2 |
| Belgian Albums Chart | 24 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 4 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 25 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 19 |
| German Albums Chart | 5 |
| Irish Albums Chart | 4 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 35 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 21 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 9 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 8 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 4 |
| UK Albums Chart | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Rock Albums | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2008) | Rank |
|---|---|
| German Albums Chart[18] | 33 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Germany | Gold[19] |
References
- ^ a b c d Decurtis, Anthony. "Rolling Stone review". Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Allmusic review". Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ Koski, Genevieve. "A.V. Club review". Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ "Metacritic ratings overview". Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ Collins, Clark. "EW.com review". Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Kid Rock reviews". Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ Rensen, Michael. "Rock Hard review". issue 246. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ Billboard Magazine (August 4, 2006) Rap Takes a Back Seat on New Kid Rock Album
- ^ "Kid Rock boycotts iTunes over pay". BBC. June 18, 2008. Retrieved September 8, 2008.
- ^ https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/wwe-news-official-wrestlemania-34-theme-song-announced
- ^ https://www.billboard.com/amp/articles/columns/rock/7872906/kid-rock-politics-musical-evolution-senate-run
- ^ "Rock N Roll Jesus – Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ^ "Rock N Roll Jesus: Kid Rock: Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ^ "Rock N Roll Jesus". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ^ "Rock N Roll Jesus". Allmusic. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ^ Jonathan Cohen, "Kid Rock Rolls To #1 Album Chart Debut", Billboard.com, October 17, 2007.
- ^ Paul Grein (December 11, 2013). "A Britney Spears Bummer: New Album Fizzles". Yahoo Music.
- ^ [1] Archived January 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('Rock n Roll Jesus')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.