For the past couple years, it seems as if Kid Rock is one of several non-rock artists trying to make inroads in country music. Although he's always drawn far more from rap and various forms of rock than anything resembling country, rock influences are cropping up more than ever in mainstream country through acts such as Jason Aldean, and the heartland rock sound that drives Born Free isn't all that thematically removed from country. So maybe Kid Rock has the right idea after all. Whether or not country radio embraces Born Free (so far, it's hard to tell; the title track only got to #60 but Kid's duet from Uncle Kracker's current album is in the Top 40), it's still an album worth seeking out no matter what your preferred genre. 

The anthemic "Born Free" kicks off the album on an energetic note. Here, unusual turns of phrase like "racing Father Time" and "if you can't see my heart, you must be blind" add to what's already a very solid, energetic tune about his own free spirit. Next is "Slow My Roll," which plays just the opposite side of that premise: not unlike a grittier version of Kenny Chesney's "Living in Fast Forward," it's a promise to calm down a little. Somewhere in between is "God Bless Saturday"; from the first couple lines about how the rest of the days pretty much suck, it takes an obvious yet tuneful and catchy look at how Saturday's really the best day to party. 

"Purple Sky" is delightfully yearning and anthemic, singing of how he wishes to be with a lost love. It has a catchy, sing-along chorus that's driven further into your head by the generous backing vocals. It and the vivid "When It Rains" (another lost-love song) are pleasantly mellow, but just as energetic. The slow waltz "Rock On" looks at a failed relationship with a "go on, I'll be fine" attitude. It's contrasted nicely against the next track, the Kentucky Headhunters-esque foot-stomping blues-rock of "Rock Bottom Blues." (Check out the dirty harmonica work in particular.) A fine, reverberant falsetto adds to the feel-good midtempo "For the First Time," a song about the happiness of finally being in love. 

The album also boasts an interesting selection of guests who run the gamut. First, Martina McBride and rapper T.I. enhance the inspired messages of "Care," which offers clear-eyed views such as "I can't change the world and make things fair … The least that I can do is care" instead of the Lifetime movies set to music that Martina has so often been guilty of. (The album also includes the more rap and R&B-influenced demo version, Featuring Mary J. Blige, which is equally effective.) Sheryl Crow joins on the smooth "Collide," a track also featuring musical accompaniment from Bob Seger. This song is a simple yet effective invitation to just fall in love and set everything else aside. 

Zac Brown's signature mellowness is right at home on the laid-back and mostly spoken-word "Flyin' High," where Kid assures himself of all the pleasures of home. (The line "you can't buy cool" is also a highlight.) Similarly, "Times Like These" offers a tuneful look at living in the here and now, no matter what's going on around you, and no matter how much better things might have been in the past. It also shows and tells just how faithful he is to his home region of Detroit, and I would bet that this song strikes home to quite a lot of folks, not just Michigan natives such as Kid Rock. Or, well, myself. 

Producer Rick Rubin has a history of bringing out the best in artists, something that he's already done on the country side with people such as Johnny Cash and the Dixie Chicks. On Born Free, Rubin's magic touch is readily evident. The production is raw and energetic, never overpowering or overly compressed. What's more, Kid has shed the excess his earlier work sometimes exhibited, writing without pretense or flashiness and discovering the heartland rocker he's probably been all along.

You can support Kid Rock by purchasing this album at Amazon.

If you prefer your music to be more than ones and zeroes, you can purchase the CD at Amazon.