''Cocky'' is the fifth studio album by American musician
Kid Rock
Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...
. Released in 2001, it is his third release for
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
.
The album is known for featuring the ballad "
Picture
An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...
", recorded as a duet with
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...
. In May 2011, the album was certified 5× platinum by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
and has sold 5,344,000 copies in the US as of December 2013. According to Kid Rock's official website that made a timeline for his 45th birthday in January 2016, ''Cocky'' was certified 6× platinum on August 26, 2008. However, RIAA only certified the album at 5× platinum.
The album was dedicated to Rock's former assistant and hype man
Joe C.
Joseph Michael Calleja (November 9, 1974 – November 16, 2000), known by his stage name Joe C., was an American rapper, best known for being a hype man for fellow rapper Kid Rock.
...
, who died in November of the previous year from
celiac disease
Coeliac disease (British English) or celiac disease (American English) is a long-term autoimmune disorder, primarily affecting the small intestine, where individuals develop intolerance to gluten, present in foods such as wheat, rye and barl ...
complications. 75 songs were written for the album, but only 30 of them were recorded as a song for the album. One of the recorded songs that did not make the album was "If I Was President", a standard blues song that Kid Rock plays frequently in concert. Another song left off the album was the Joe C. eulogy "In Your Lifetime". "Picture" received a CMA nomination in 2003 for Vocal Event of the Year and would go on to be Rock's first gold single. Some of the songs that were recorded during this album's sessions appeared on
Kid Rock's self-titled album.
Music
''Cocky'' saw a shift in Kid Rock's sound, featuring more
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
s and less rapping than the preceding albums, and featuring more
classic rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
influence.
[
'']Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' writer Rob Brunner described ''Cocky'' as a concept album
A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
, stating, "Boastful and defensive, confrontational and thin-skinned, loud, rude, and proud of it, Kid Rock is a composite of blatantly unpleasant stereotypes sure to scare the neighbors: strutting ghetto pimp, Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bas ...
-loving redneck
''Redneck'' is a derogatory term chiefly, but not exclusively, applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the Southern United States.Harold Wentworth, and Stuart Berg Flexner, '' ...
, heavy metal burnout."[
"Trucker Anthem" contains a sample from '' The Wizard of Oz''.]
Brunner described "Midnight Train to Memphis" as MOR
Mor or MOR may refer to:
Names and titles
* Mór (given name), a list of people named Mór or Mor
* Mor (surname), a list of people named Mor or Mór
* Mor (honorific), or Mar, in Syriac
Radio and television
* Middle of the road (music) genre
* ...
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
, and "Lonely Road of Faith" as a power ballad
A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...
.[
"You Never Met a Motherfucker Quite Like Me" makes lyrical references to ]Hank Williams Jr.
Randall Hank Williams (born May 26, 1949), known professionally as Hank Williams Jr. or Bocephus, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. His musical style is often considered a blend of southern rock, blues, and country. He is the son of ...
, ZZ Top
ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...
's Billy Gibbons
William Frederick Gibbons (born December 16, 1949) is an American musician who is the guitarist and lead singer of the rock band ZZ Top. He began his career in the band the Moving Sidewalks, which recorded a full-length album entitled, ''Flas ...
, Run-DMC
Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...
's Joseph Simmons
Joseph Ward Simmons (born November 14, 1964), better known by the stage name Run, Rev. Run or DJ Run, is an American rapper, producer, DJ and television personality. Simmons is one of the founding members of the influential hip hop group Ru ...
, and Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...
.[
]
Reception
''Cocky'' received mixed reviews from critics, earning a 57 out of 100 rating on Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
.[
]Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...
, writing for AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
, gave the album four out of five stars, writing, "unpretentious, blue-collar hard rock hasn't sounded this good in nearly 20 years, and that's reason enough to celebrate."[
'']Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' writer Rob Brunner gave the album a B, writing, "Kid Rock's tear-down-the-walls ideal of a world where rappers can sip whiskey with rednecks is a compelling fiction, and if the cross-pollinated musical results aren't always as exciting as the conversation no doubt would be, you have to at least admire the breadth of his vision." Brunner felt that "Too much of ''Cocky'' meanders into boring stylistic experiments", calling "Picture" a "sappy duet".[
'']Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' writer Barry Walters gave ''Cocky'' three out of five stars, writing, "Rock self-consciously builds on his badass-hick-with-a-heart-of-gold image .. he executionis really corn, ..Rock's AC/DC
AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
, Run-D.M.C
Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...
. and Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...
. tributes now come across as clunky imitation."[
]
Release and promotion
The album's first single was the rap rock track "Forever". The song charted at number 18 on Mainstream Rock and number 21 on Modern Rock. He performed the song on TRL and The Late Show with David Letterman, leading to a number 8 debut (it would climb to number 3 after release of Picture). He and Hank Williams Jr would perform on CMT Crossroads in late 2001. The second single was the ballad "Lonely Road of Faith", released in January 2002. The song was heavily promoted by WWE in the video tribute to the History of WWE. The song was also heard on WB's Smallville and MTV's Real World. Kid Rock would go on "The Cocky Tour" then join Aerosmith and Run DMC on the "Girls Of Summer Tour". The song would peak at number 15 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. In July 2002, a censored version of "You Never Met a Motherfucker Quite Like Me" was released to radio and peaked at number 32 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. Kid Rock would test out "Picture" at CMT's Farm Aid with Allison Moorer
Allison Moorer (born June 21, 1972) is an American singer/songwriter. She signed with MCA Nashville in 1997 and made her debut on the U.S. Billboard Country Chart with the release of her debut single, “A Soft Place To Fall,” which she co-wr ...
filling in for Sheryl Crow. When Sheryl Crow's label butted heads with Rock he released the song in November 2002 with Allison Moorer. As the Allison Moorer version began climbing the country charts, Sheryl Crow's people changed their minds. The Sheryl Crow version was released in January 2003. It would become Kid Rock's first crossover hit charting at number 4 on the Hot 100, number 5 on the Top 40, number 2 on Adult Contemporary and number 17 on country radio. The single would be certified gold and spend 52 weeks on top the Country Singles Sales chart; it also peaked at number 1 on the US Singles Sales charts and number 2 on the Canadian Singles Sales chart. The song would be Sheryl Crow's second most successful single after "All I Wanna Do". The album climbed all the way back to number three. The song would be his first gold single and push the album from 1.8 million sold to 4.7 million sold (''Cocky'' since has sold about 5.4 million). The song was nominated for CMA Vocal Event of The Year.
Track listing
A clean version is also available, removing most vulgarity, as well as the song "WCSR". The clean version of the disc also features a picture of Kid Rock's face on the disc, while the unedited version has an image of Rock's hands with raised middle fingers (a reference to Rock's previous album ''Devil Without a Cause'' which featured just Rock's right hand making the same gesture); both feature Kid Rock's name. The edited version of ''Cocky'' also renames track 8 "You Never Met a White Boy Quite Like Me".
Credits
*Kid Rock
Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...
– vocals; lead guitar, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, Dobro, banjo, steel guitar, synthesizer, turntables, harmonica, organ, piano, bass, drum machine
Twisted Brown Trucker
Twisted Brown Trucker is the backing band for American musician Kid Rock. Formed in 1994, the band has contributed to nine of his twelve studio albums, as well as Uncle Kracker's '' Double Wide'' album.
History
Formation and establishment (1 ...
*Misty Love
Misty Love is an Americans, American, multi-platinum award-winning Rock music, rock, and rhythm and blues, Rhythm & Blues singing, singer, who is best known for her association with Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, and Ben Harper.
Biography
Misty Love w ...
– vocals
*Shirley Hayden – vocals
*Kenny Olson – bass, lead guitar, rhythm guitar
*Jason Krause – lead guitar, rhythm guitar
*Uncle Kracker
Matthew Shafer (born June 6, 1974), also known by his stage name Uncle Kracker, is an American singer and musician. He was previously a turntablist for Kid Rock's backing group Twisted Brown Trucker and since 1999 has recorded as a solo artist. ...
– vocals, turntables
*Jimmie Bones
Jimmie is a variation of the given name James.
Jimmie may refer to:
* Jimmie Adams (1888–1933), American silent film comedian
* Jimmie Åkesson (born 1979), Swedish politician
* Jimmie Allen (born 1986), American country music singer
* Jimmie A ...
– piano, organ, harmonica, keyboards, vocals
*Stefanie Eulinberg
Twisted Brown Trucker is the backing band for American musician Kid Rock. Formed in 1994, the band has contributed to nine of his twelve studio albums, as well as Uncle Kracker's '' Double Wide'' album.
History
Formation and establishment (1 ...
– drums, percussion, vocals
Guests
*Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
– vocals on "WCSR"
*Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...
– bass, vocals, twelve-string guitar
A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 strings in six courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lower four courses are tuned in o ...
*Matt O'Brien – bass on "Trucker Anthem"
*Paradime
Freddie Beauregard (born November 9, 1974), professionally known by his stage name Paradime, is an American rapper and producer from Detroit, Michigan.
He is a Northwood University and Detroit Catholic Central alumni.
Career
His first appeara ...
– vocals on "Forever"
*David Spade
David Wayne Spade (born July 22, 1964) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, television host, and writer. He was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' in the 1990s, and he later began an acting career in both film and television. He also s ...
– smart-ass on "Midnight Train to Memphis"
* Jeff Grand - Free Bird solo
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
Kid Rock albums
2001 albums
Lava Records albums
Atlantic Records albums
Hard rock albums by American artists
Heavy metal albums by American artists
Midwest hip hop albums
Southern rock albums
Albums in memory of deceased persons