0075678350320. Pre-Owned: Good condition. CD. Great title. Pretty good album. Perhaps it shouldn t be a surprise that Kid Rock decided to follow his Devil Without a Cause blueprint for its follow-up since that was the record where he figured out how to mix the hard rock/Southern rock with the hip-hop creating a towering powerful original blend of country-fried metal heartland rock knowing arena rock posturing old-school rap and classic American hard rock. It was what he planned to do from the outset so why should he give it up now that he could finally do what he always wanted? Still there s no denying that a sequel simply does not pack the punch or the surprise of the original no matter how well it s constructed and that s why it initially is easy to view Cocky as a bit of a disappointment; it not only offers nothing new it seems considerably tamer than its predecessor. How could it not? Not only does the Kid have nothing to prove this time around -- he not only went platinum he did it ten times plus and then landed Sheryl Crow and Pam Anderson -- he no longer has his midget sidekick Joe C. around to enhance the Midwestern carnival atmosphere of his entourage. That wild white-trash Fellini-esque vibe is missed as is the overwhelmingly great songwriting of Devil but if not viewed as direct competition with its predecessor -- which is after all the great hard rock album of the late 90s filled with great sounds and songwriting -- Cocky is a pretty good sequel. One that roots itself deeper in classic rock than in hip-hop; one that isn t as gonzo or as funny but is still much much funnier and looser than any of its competitors while rocking much harder. If the songs aren t classics or if it tends to drift instead of staying focused like Devil it still is better than anything else in Kid s catalog and anything else from his rap-metal competitors (he makes all of them sound like rank amateurs) and it has better riffs and earthier rhythms than any hard rock artist since 38 Special while retaining a true Michigan flavor. That might not make it the equal of Devil Without a Cause but unpretentious blue-collar hard rock hasn t sounded this good in nearly 20 years and that s reason enough to celebrate. [A clean version of Cocky was also released lacking -- to paraphrase the great Lowell George -- the eloquent profanity that rolls right off the Kid s tongue the very thing that distinguishes Kid Rock s work. It also lacks the endearingly vulgar duet with Snoop Dogg. Word of warning: While this will protect your kid from the explicitness of Kid Rock the general message still gets through so if you ve decided that your kid is mature enough for Kid Rock spring for the uncensored version -- the end result won t be any different.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Rovi