Bob Seger - "Ride Out"

[StevePulaski]

Ride Out (2014)
By: Bob Seger

Rating: ★★½

NOTE: This is the review of the deluxe edition of Bob Seger's Ride Out, which includes three bonus tracks, unlike the Target deluxe edition, which contains two different tracks.

Bob Seger's Ride Out arrives eight years after his last release and his only his second album not to bill The Silver Bullet Band in conjunction with his name. The legendary rocker has slowly, but surely, crafted his seventeenth studio album by taking his time on experimenting with different styles, composers, and tiptoeing through numerous different genres in order to create an album that cannot be criticized for lacking in variety. Despite his roots in heartland rock, Seger finds himself in more of a whimsical, country mood, undoubtedly fazed in some way by Nashville, where the bulk of this album was recorded. However, much like Seger concocted Ride Out, by sifting through over seventy different songs, I envision consumers doing the same with the end product that is Ride Out, which is cherrypicking their favorite tracks and having a good remainder of the album being a one-off listen.

Seger's album isn't flawed in the sense that the lyrics lack or the instrumentations feel off, but the vibes of the album are forgettable and feel like a greatest hits collection of a veteran singer's singles mixed in with the lesser known songs of his bigger albums. The album starts out fairly strong, giving us three songs that remind us of the heartland roots of Seger, complimented by his prolific use of background singers for effect, but descend into the realm of "fair but characterless" tunes that seem to catch Seger in a spiritualistic mood.

The instant winner on the album is "The Devil's Right Hand," bursting with the kind of energy and drive I have come to expect from Seger, as he bolts out the classic Steve Earle song the way Waylon sung it for the 1980's film Betrayed. The other introductory track, "Hey Gypsy," provides for a nostalgic and spoken-word tune that effectively compliments Seger's persona as well. Songs like "Adam and Eve" and "Gates of Eden" are the kind of aforementioned tracks that catch Seger in a more content mood, reflecting on life and its wonders, something a man nearing seventy would often be expected to do.

Seger clearly cares about the world around him and the idea of creation with those particular tracks, as well as "It's Your World," an environmental tune that make us stop and think in the moment but little else in a long-term sense, something that could be said about the entire album. Ironically, the deluxe edition's bonus tracks are some of the strongest works, with "Listen" being very upbeat and jivey, as Seger lets out some addicting flows thanks to the array of great instruments and "The Fireman's Talkin'" provides for a low-key but flavored ending to Ride Out, a collection of acceptable and harmless tunes that unfortunately find themselves deluding their own impact by being so genial and safe.

Recommended tracks (in order): "The Devil's Right Hand," "Listen," "Hey Gypsy," "The Fireman's Talkin'," and "Adam and Eve."