Mostly a collection of tunes from KidΓÇÖs out-of-print albums made when no one cared if he could smell the other white meat from a mile away, the cleverly titled The History Of Rock is a mishmash. The tunes have been either re-recorded or seriously remixed to reflect his septuple platinum-level budget.
The first single, the newly recorded "American Badass," underlined by Metallica's "Sad But True," is the album's centerpiece and rocks accordingly with a swagger earned by success. Kid should probably keep up with that metal-rap alchemy, since it puts his penchant for gratuitous cursing in the proper context. When he "mellows out" ("Paid," "Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp"), the Kid ain't exactly Millie Jackson. Kid Rock a soul balladeer? A sensitive soul? Well, who's he trying to kid? (Get it??) Duh.
All recordings courtesy of Atlantic Records. All songs courtesy of Thirty Two Mile Music/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI). "Prodigal Son" and "Paid" written by R. J. Ritchie; "Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp" written by R. J. Ritchie, M. Gross.