No Stranger to Shame

Uncle Kracker might have rap-rock numbskull Kid Rock to thank for putting him on the map, but with the release of his solid sophomore set, the Michigan mauler can stand up and take a bow. For not only is Uncle Kracker the most Southern-sounding musician ever to emerge from the edge of the Great Lakes, he s also one of the most versatile. As such, No Stranger to Shame is by turns country, rock, soul, blues, and sometimes a vigorous mix of the lot. The horn-section-goosing opening track I Do is pure Stax with a little 70s-era thwacketa-thwacketa guitar menace; Thunderhead Hawkins, with its drawling vocals and slide guitar, is pure Arkansas front-porch boogaloo; Memphis Soul Song is just that; To Think I Used to Love You could have been torn from the Merle Haggard songbook; and Keep It Comin is fierce hip-hop. A ballad, Letter to My Daughters, is sweet if unnervingly sappy (think Bob Carlisle s Butterfly Kisses ), while Sugar Ray s Mark McGrath adds negligible freight to the title track. But No Stranger to Shame s finest moment is a borrowed one--a faithful cover of Dobie Gray s inspirational rock & roll love letter, Drift Away. An underappreciated classic from the early 70s, Drift Away still sounds relevant, and Kracker s soulful version--featuring Gray himself--will do much to spotlight that comforting old chestnut. --Kim Hughes
UPC:766481855422
SKU:ADIB000067CPZ