Kid Rock’s discography is filled with mediocre songs

persona, a musical identity he had touched on here and there before then. But it wasn’t until the rap-country-pop-rock monstrosity that was “Born Free” in 2010 that Kid Rock really committed to the schtick and started releasing only country music, winning over country fans, and acquiring an occasional country chart-topper. But the seeds of this direction had already been sown in the embarrassing fool’s gold of “Amen.”

“Amen” was an embarrassingly unwanted herald of Rock’s badly aging career trajectory — it’s a ballad! Now Kid Rock was getting poignant! Except it isn’t poignant, it’s just bad. The Achy Breaky Heart windup chunga-chunga guitars, Rock’s heartfelt country-boy statement of faith, the strings … God! “Amen” hit No. 103 on the Hot 100 — Rock’s third-to-last song to hit the chart, the others being “Tennessee Mountain Top” and “American Rock ‘n Roll”. At least the biker-gone-cowboy lifestyle change happened in small steps and began on an album that didn’t take itself too seriously.
But Kid Rock can’t do serious. Like turning a clunker cup car onto the Talladega Superspeedway, “Amen” sounded like an off-kilter attempted prayer. One about being poor and white, liking America, and wearing Jordache. Enjoy!