Bob Seger's newest album...

silverbear

Semi-Official Loose Cannon
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Saw it in the store today, had read some good reviews about it, and I had a few extra bucks in my pocket...

Listened to it once so far, and about halfway through a second time, driving back and forth to work... I really, really like it, it's the best from Bob in a while...

Like me, the guy's gettin' old (the album art has him sittin' on a motorcycle, and his hair and beard are both gettin' really white now-- just like mine), but he can still flat out rock and roll...

The very first cut is probably the finest on the whole album, titled "Wreck This Heart"... let's just say that Christopher Walken's fever would be soothed by this one (some of you SNL fans will know what I'm talking about, and smile, the rest of you won't have the first clue what I'm talking about, LOL)...

Other highlights include an uptempo duet with Kid Rock, of all people, titled "Real Mean Bottle"... when I read the album cover, I wondered if a duet between those two could possibly work, but after hearing it, I find myself wondering why I ever thought it wouldn't... Rock is not one of my favorites, but I like him well enough, and I never liked him more than on this one-- he's just great... another interesting duet was a ballad with Patty Loveless (one of my favorite female country singers) titled "The Answer's In the Question"... it's not top 40 material, but it's an interesting, kind of introspective song... Patty gets to take the lead on the best verse lyrically, the second verse...

And on "No More", there's a bit of political commentary that I found quite intriguing... one passage went:

It was forty years ago and I was young
And the jungle, not the desert, heard the guns
Someone said they had a secret plan
The rest of us were told to understand...

...Tomorrow is the price for yesterday
A billion waves won't wash the truth away
Someday you'll be ordered to explain
No one gets to walk between the rain

And I don't want this
No, I don't want this
I've had enough, no more...

Don't recall Seger getting too topical in the past... this sounds like something Neil Young might have written, except it has a better melody...

There are a couple-three songs that don't quite measure up to the rest, but that's not because they're bad or anything, it's just because the other material is so strong... at times, Seger takes that characteristic, whiskey growl out of his voice (as on his duet with Patty Loveless), at times he's the same old Seger with the same old edge to his voice...

It's nice that the old rockers can still put out quality rock and roll, can still show the kids coming up how it's supposed to be done... just like Springsteen did when he put out "Rising", Seger has reminded us that once you've got rock and roll in you, you never really lose it...

I recommend this album heartily to any of you over 30... some of you youngsters might find it worth your money, too...
 
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