Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bob Seger has been a Rock Americana icon for over four decades now. Having released seven albums before 1975’s two time platinum Beautiful Loser, none of which generated any major sales despite plenty of outstanding material. Following the success of Beautiful Loser, Seger, like many other artists of the era, released a live album, Live Bullet (1976). A no-brainer for Seger, as his live performances are the stuff of legend and resulting in Live Bullet selling five million copies while being regarded as one of the best, amongst countless, live albums from that time period. Live Bullet was followed by a string of best-selling studio albums; Night Moves (1976), Stranger in Town (1978), and Against The Wind (1980). These albums yielded numerous tracks now ubiquitous on Classic Rock radio including “Night Moves,” “Rock and Roll Never Forgets,” “Hollywood Nights,” “Old Time Rock and Roll,” and “Against the Wind.” The live album Nine Tonight was released after 1980’s Against the Wind, selling over four million copies, riding the momentum of the three studio releases that preceded it. Subsequent releases from 1982’s The Distance to 2006’s Face the Promise all went platinum, with exception for 1995’s It’s a Mystery, which went gold. Despite strong sales, none of these releases were on par with what was released during his six year run from 1975-1981
Fast forward to 2014, Seger is closing in on seventy years old and his latest album, Ride Out, only his second release since 1995’s The Promise, has the feel of an artist in his prime. Seger cranks out originals in his signature styles of straight ahead Rock-n-Roll, and mellow acoustic numbers, along with a slew of interesting covers. Bob Seger is part of the pantheon of classic rock and he is still going strong forty plus years later like The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, AC/DC, along with other superstar artists and bands. Hitting his peak in the seventies, Seger has sold over fifty million albums while immediately being a recognizable rough voice that has been a staple on the radio for over forty years, and based on the strength of Ride Out, there’s no sign of it ending anytime soon.
Ride Out is not a nod to an upcoming farewell tour or packing it in according to Seger, in fact it could be argued it is his strongest set since Against the Wind. Seger does it all here with hard rocking Soul, Blues, Country, and Folk. Four covers are included here, including the album’s opener, “Detroit Made,” a song originally performed by John Hiatt on his 2011 album Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns. It is the perfect tune for Detroit’s native son with its uptempo vibe about a car. Seger belts it out in his signature scruffy howl. Turning to the Blues, “Hey Gypsy” is a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn, blending Vaughn’s “Pride and Joy,” and Bo Diddley’s oft-covered “Before You Accuse Me” in a fun, under three minute romp.
“Listen” features guest vocals by country superstar Vince Gill. Simple acoustic strumming and strong harmonies remind the listener of Warren Zevon’s later works, not only based on the sound of his voice, but even down to his inflection. His two most frequently utilized styles are fast paced soul and laid back acoustic numbers, and he imparts the latter here to perfection. On “It’s Your World,” Seger takes a rare political stance on a hot button issue. In this case, it is the environment. And he does not mince words; “Let’s talk about acid in the ocean/Let’s look at all the dying coral reefs/Let’s talk about shorter growing seasons/Let’s talk about what we’re gonna eat.” While Seger is out of his element here, and it shows, his intentions are good.
The other three covers are the strongest tracks on the album. That is not a knock on Seger, but is a tribute to his versatility, as the three tracks, “California Stars,” “The Devil’s Right Hand,” and “Adam and Eve” are all different styles. “The Devil’s Right Hand” was originally done by Steve Earle on 1988’s Copperhead Road. Here Seger channels his best seventies work with a blend of mid-America country/rock and Memphis soul. “California Stars” can be looked at as a cover of a cover. It was first recorded by alt-rock stalwarts Wilco and U.K. punk maven Billy Bragg on their Mermaid Avenue release, which was an album of discovered Woody Guthrie lyrics that he never put to music. Here, Seger stays true to the Mermaid Avenue rendition, strumming along on acoustic guitar gently singing about that timeless topic, women and love, nailing it note for note. “Adam and Eve” is taken from Australia’s Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson. The duo achieved huge commercial success down under before breaking up both as a band and a couple. Longtime backup singer Laura Creamer plays Chambers to Seger’s Nicholson. The song retells the tale of the bible’s famous couple, spinning it into a story of a couple of outlaws on the run. Unlike the Bible, in which they are banished, here they take off on their own, before they are caught. Strong back and forth lyrics, and even stronger harmonies coupled with crafty banjo play make for a unique listen.
Ride Out is a solid outing from start to finish. Seger is a seasoned veteran who has not lost his signature grizzled voice, or his ability to cover a broad spectrum of musical styles, and cover them well. Like his best work, there is a little something here for everyone. It is near impossible to pigeon hole Seger as either a Blues man, a Rock and Roller, a Folk singer, or a Pop star, and that is why he has stood the test of time. CrypticRock gives Ride Out 4 out of 5 stars.
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