Cocky

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Detroit-bred rocker/rapper Kid Rock has reason to be "cocky," as 1998's multiplatinum Devil Without a Cause established the multifaceted artist with the Southern rock influences as a generally likable braggart able to back up his boasts musically. Rock's Twisted Brown Trucker backup band also spawned a successful solo career for DJ Uncle Kracker, who wrote songs for--but whose turntables aren't on--Cocky. With a little help from fab friends, including actor David Spade, and musicians Sheryl Crow and Snoop Dogg, Cocky covers a mélange of styles, from rap to country, utilizing organ, pedal steel, and harp as well as metallic guitar solos. Ultimately, though, the 14 songs are schizophrenic and not always successful: on "Lonely Road of Faith," Kid Rock turns in a anthemic ballad nearly worthy of Lynyrd Skynrd, whose "Freebird" he samples in the laid-back R&B-flavored "You Never Met a Motherf**ker Quite Like Me," while Crow's vocals on the gentle, country tune "Picture" and the plodding "Midnight Train to Memphis" contrast with the metallic riffs of "I'm a Dog," the nasty "sex rhymes" of "WCSR," and the rapped boasts of the narcissistic title track. Cocky? Indeed. Commendable? Dubious. --Katherine Turman