Rich Rocks (Warner, 2011)

You have to question John Rich's motives when he opens a CD titled "Rich Rocks" with a track titled Country Done Come To Town. What is he: A rocker or a country boy? Well, it turns out, like most popular country stars these days, he's a little of both. (Oh, and he also thinks he's a little rap, too).

Texas features Cowboy Troy, a longtime friend of Big & Rich. The song is not really rap, however, as it mostly speaks about how you take the boy out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the boy. Kid Rock also helps on Mack Truck, but he hasn't really been a rap performer for a long time now. Lil John is the rap-ist of them all, but You Had Me from Hell No, with its gutsy electric guitar and fiddle, is much more in Rich's camp than Lil Jon's.

"Rich Rocks" is consistent; there isn't a ballad in the half-dozen. However, it doesn't truly rock in, say, the AC/DC sense. These are loud country tunes, which won't sound all that out of place on country radio. They all rock about as hard as Carrie Underwood's Undo It, which is not very hard at all. Kid Rock, Jr., Rich certainly ain't.