Rock n Roll Jesus

Musical style

The album sees Kid Rock moving away from hip-hop, into other genres. "Roll On" and "New Orleans" incorporate jazz to his sound, the first time he's ventured into that genre since 1996 with "Early Mornin Stoned Pimp" and "Detroit Thang". The album also features the vocals of golfer John Daly on "Half Your Age" and the rock hit "All Summer Long" which has brought the album to triple platinum status in the U.S. and in Canada.

Critical reception

Rock N Roll Jesus has received mixed reviews from critics. The album has a score of 63 on Metacritic, based on 12 reviews. Rolling Stone gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, stating "His good-hearted faith in rock & roll delivers a powerful kick. As he well knows—and Rock N Roll Jesus proves—roaring guitars, truckloads of attitude and an unquenchable lust for life make up for a multitude of sins." Billboard stated "We may be more entertained at times by Rock's extramusical affairs, but the "Devil" should still be given his due as a clever and creative musical force." Allmusic was less enthusiastic, calling it "big, bold, and brainless" and stating, "splashy and silly though it may be, at least it gets the basic sound right, even if it's way too polished and precise."

Sales

The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling about 172,000 copies in its first week. It is Kid Rock's first and only album so far to go #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. The album rebounded in March 2008 when "All Summer Long" was released as a single climbing back into the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 staying for 17 weeks. It has been certified 3 times platinum by the RIAA and it had sold 3,493,000 copies in the US as of December 2013.

Worldwide the album has sold 5 million copies, and it was certified 2 times platinum in Canada and gold Germany, Austria and Australia.

Radio airplay

The album's first two singles, "So Hott" and "Amen", both did relatively well on the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts. On the Mainstream Rock chart, the singles peaked at No. 2 and No. 11, respectively—the former one becoming the biggest rock hit of his career. The tracks peaked at No. 13 and No. 27, respectively, on the Modern Rock chart.

The album's third single, "All Summer Long", was a massive worldwide hit. It peaked at No. 23 on the Hot 100 chart, despite Rock boycotting iTunes and receiving minimum digital downloads, and No. 4 on the country chart. It went to number one on charts in eight countries across Europe and Australia. "Roll On" and "Rock N Roll Jesus" were released at the same time as follow ups to "All Summer Long". "Roll On" failed to chart in the U.S. but reached No. 59 in Germany and No. 67 in Austria. "Rock N Roll Jesus" peaked at No. 34 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart.

The album's sixth single, "Blue Jeans and a Rosary", was released in January 2009. It would peak at No. 50 on the U.S. Country Chart. "Lowlife (living the highlife)" was released as the album's seventh single on March 8, 2009.

Samples

Covers

Demos

Personnel