Kid Rock Born Free

Everyone's favorite redneck hellraiser returns on Born Free, Kid Rock's eighth studio album and first in three years. While Kid has moved away from his initial hip-hop roots in recent years, guest appearances by rappers like Eminem, Jay-Z and Lil' Wayne give this one more of a street edge, though of course, there are still duets with singers like Sheryl Crow and Taylor Swift to be heard. Producer Rick Rubin (Clipse, Jay-Z, Slayer, everyone ever) assembled an all-star band to back up Kid in the studio, as Metallica's James Hetfield and the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Chad Smith play guitar and drums, respectively, on several of the album's tracks. "Times Like These" finds Kid musing on Detroit's recent economic troubles, and "Feels Good To Me" is an upbeat shuffle featuring country singer Trace Adkins. This certainly isn't your little brother's Kid Rock.