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Set for release on Nov. 16, 'Born Free' was reportedly hammered out during a two-week recording session in Los Angeles, with an all-star lineup of contributing musicians assembled by producer Rick Rubin. As The Boot reports, strange bedfellows T.I. and Martina McBride will pair up for a track titled 'Care,' while Zac Brown will team up with Rock on the song 'Flying High.'
Meanwhile, Sheryl Crow will attempt to recreate the magic she and Kid Rock found on 2002's hit single 'Picture,' with a song titled 'Collide,' featuring piano work from Bob Seger. Even Rock's accompanying band on 'Born Free' features some of the biggest names in music, including Metallica's James Hetfield on guitar, the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith on drums, and Benmont Tench, of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, on keyboard. Despite the fact that he's assembled a group of artists from ostensibly disparate backgrounds, Rock says it's never a problem to bring them all together. "I'm the catalyst for everything," he reminds us.
Whereas many of the tracks on 'Rock n Roll Jesus' address major issues like racism in America and soldiers serving in Iraq, it also touches upon Kid's personal side, coming in the wake of the artist's highly public breakup with Pamela Anderson. This time around, though, Kid Rock will bring what he calls "edge, wit, and swagger" to an album that's firmly rooted in his hometown of Detroit. "The catalyst for this record was Detroit, and my thoughts on the world through the lens of Detroit," Kid told MTV News. "Watching everything go downhill over the past few years, the economy, the loss of jobs everywhere, I wanted to make a record that reflected the times but that still had soul."
Although we'll still have to wait until November to hear the full album in its entirety, MTV reports that Kid Rock recently previewed a series of new songs from the record during a concert in -- where else? -- Detroit. Among the songs he performed were a hometown anthem titled 'Times Like These,' as well as the album's titular first single, 'Born Free,' which was enlisted as TBS' theme song while covering Major League Baseball's postseason. During the show, the rocker also reportedly mentioned that the performance would be his "last hurrah," as he prepares to put the finishing touches on 'Born Free,' and hit the road again next year.
1. saw him do that tune on the country awards show last week,,,it was awsome,,,loved it
Posted at 5:05PM on Sep 20th 2010 by scott