Bob Seger, Rock and Roll Legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. That should be quite enough of an accomplishment to just call it a day, for just about any aging Rock Star, huh? Not the case with Bob Seger, no way. Just because a living Rock Legend goes on a personal hiatus for a number of years, does this mean this Rock Legend is washed up? Has this Rock Legend lost the ability to write and sing music like it was 1980 all over again? In my Metal opinion, Bob Seger has lost no Rock and Roll groove in his music, nor has he forgotten how to write Rock music songs that hit me straight to the heart. “Face The Promise” is a celebration of Rock Music that not only inspires me with all of it’s lyrical content, the Rock and Roll move and groove songs on this album are wrapped up in sincere blue collar grit.
Bob Seger was born with the gift of having a raspy, smoky and sandpapered singing voice. Unique and synonymous with Rock and Roll, that is my take on his vocals. I still here this voice as I described, on “Face The Promise”, (released September 12, 2006). The 12 songs on this album are not thrown together for some flashy, comeback, Rock Star story. These are 12 songs that are sung from the heart of a man who obviously has lived life on his terms, tackling whatever obstacles may come his way. Yeah, sure, it sounds like a cliche’, however, this is a Rock and Roll icon who decided to itemize his life based on importance. How easy it would have been, for Bob Seger to have released an album every four years or so, with the possibility of perhaps becoming just a music machine, catering only to the needs of the fans. My own personal interpretation is derived from the lyrics of these songs, why else would Bob Seger pen such intimate and human spirit filled songs?
“Wreck This Heart” is the opening track, it comes across with the reminder to me, that Bob Seger still connects to the Hard Rock side of his storied musical past. “Real Mean Bottle” has an “Old Time Rock & Roll” energy and air about it… with some cool Rock vocal assistance from Kid Rock. It is always a tasty, Rock treat, to hear the Jerry Lee Lewis style of piano get into the Rock and Roll mix. This is definitely one of the more fun Rock songs Bob Seger has ever created. “The Answer’s In The Question” is a ballad that delves into the human experience, Patty Loveless contributes some very classy vocals on this superb duet. “Face The Promise”, “Wait For Me” and “No Matter Who You Are” all touch on personal inspiration, with the Rock and musical flavor that takes me back to the “Against The Wind” album. “Between” is as fine an example of Bob Seger today, this song flat out scorches with the aura of current Rock sound and ambience.
In a vast world of diverse Rock and Hard Rock genres, there are those times when it just feels good to go home again, home to the roots of Rock and Roll. Bob Seger for me, has always exemplified what it sounds like to revisit old school Rock and Roll, all the while using the human factor as prominent subject matter within the lyrical content of the songs. The end result always has felt like the beginning for me with all of Bob Seger’s albums… these are songs that connect, Rock and last a lifetime within my musical soul.
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