Bob Seger Albums (18)
What The Critics Say
Bob Seger quietly faded into a semi-retirement after 1995's It's a Mystery, choosing to spend time with his young family instead of churning out records. He wasn't exactly turning away at the peak of his popularity -- he still had a dedicated following, but the '90s weren't treating him particularly well, with 1991's The Fire Inside and 1995's It's a Mystery not playing far outside of the cult. So, the time was ripe for a hiatus, and Seger slipped into normal life. While he was away, his stature slowly started to rise, particularly around the turn of the millennium when Detroit once again rose to prominence as a rock & roll city thanks to Eminem, the White Stripes, and most significantly in Seger's case, Kid Rock, who was often seen in Seger shirts and blatantly tried to position himself as the heir to Bob's throne. In this setting, Seger was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and it soon became known that he was working on a new album, which turned out to be Face the Promise, which surfaced in September 2006, 11 years after It's a Mystery. As the copyrights on the songs on Face the Promise prove, Seger had been working on this project steadily since about 2000; while most date from 2005 and 2006, a few are as old as 2001 and there are songs dating from throughout the decade, so this was no rush job and it certainly doesn't sound like it either. This sounds like Seger's most carefully considered record in quite some time, from its overarching themes -- largely of love and family and aging, not a huge surprise given his past decade -- to its individual songs, performances, and recordings, so it shouldn't come as a total surprise that Face the Promise feels like his most complete record since 1982's The Distance, which naturally also means that it's his best since then. A large part of its appeal is that it feels natural and unforced, lacking the deliberate, slick anthems of Like a Rock or the overly considered feel of The Fire Inside or the polish of It's a Mystery. Which isn't to say that Face the Promise is gritty: make no mistake, this is the work an old pro backed by professionals. But this is not a Silver Bullet Band album -- this is the first Seger album to be credited as a solo effort since 1975's Beautiful Loser, which makes a lot of sense because its emotional heart is closer to such '70s solo efforts as Beautiful Loser or the largely forgotten Brand New Morning than his previous few records. That doesn't mean that this is an autumnal introspective affair -- there are rockers and anthems here, but this is the sound of a veteran rocker not only acting his age, but liking being his age, which doesn't happen all that often. And that's why Face the Promise was largely recorded in Nashville -- it's not because Seger is going country, even with the presence of a duet with Patty Loveless or the fact that he and Kid Rock cover Vince Gill's "Real Mean Bottle," the only cut that sounds crafted with the radio in mind, but because Nashville is the current home of music for adults. Sure, it can be a little slick, but at its best, modern Nashville is a blend of heart and impeccable chops, which is ideal for Seger. Ironically, given that this was made with hired hands, the record has more warmth and heart than the last two Silver Bullet Band ones, but the success of Face the Promise isn't down to the backing band or location, although Seger was savvy enough to pick the right musicians and atmosphere for both -- it's down to the material, which is the best he's had in years. If on It's a Mystery it seemed like Seger was searching for something to say, here he seems recharged by his hiatus -- or more specifically, the time he's spent with his family, living and growing old -- and he's wound up with a record that plays to all his strengths, not just as a rocker, but as a songwriter and unintentional, unassuming, entirely appropriate spokesman for everyday middle Americans. That's what he was at his peak, and while Face the Promise isn't quite Night Moves or Stranger in Town, it stands proudly next to those albums and is most assuredly the work of the same singer -- a little older, a little wiser, a little more settled, but still restless and singing his heart. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Michigan's Bob Seger is an American treasure, but he doesn't get the full respect or attention of, say, Bruce Springsteen or John Mellencamp because he wasn't as visible. His late-'70s prime was pre-MTV; New Jersey-born Springsteen had the fawning support of the New York-based media; and Mellencamp embraced high-profile political causes like Farm Aid and married model Elaine Irwin. 1991's The Fire Inside is credited to Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, but that's misleading. Keyboardist Craig Frost plays on most of the songs, but saxophonist Alto Reed and bassist Chris Campbell are virtually MIA. Instead, Seger uses countless special guests, including Joe Walsh, Bruce Hornsby, Roy Bittan, Steve Lukather, Don Was, Waddy Wachtel, Rick Vito, Mike Campbell, Patty Smyth, Lisa Germano, and Kenny Aronoff. "The Real Love" is an acoustic guitar-based song is indicative of Seger's gift for writing mid-tempo ballads. The tremendously rewarding "The Fire Inside" lives up to its name. On this career highlight, Seger's great lyrics poetically describe the frailty of human emotion but the passion in our never-ending yearnings; Bittan's bright piano melody and Russ Kunkel's crisp, forceful drumming help Seger sing with inspired resonance. Walsh and Seger actually engage in a guitar duel on "The Mountain." The spunky rocker "She Can't Do Anything Wrong" ends The Fire Inside on a high note. ~ Bret Adams, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
At times sounding like a poor man's Springsteen, Bob Seger continued to mine the fields he'd plowed so well over previous efforts. There's the send-up of the U.S.A. in "American Storm," and the hard-rockin' "Sometimes," and the heartbreakingly beautiful "Somewhere Tonight." Oh yes, and the song used in those incessant commercials for American pickup trucks, "Like a Rock." A mature effort from a great American talent. ~ James Chrispell, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Distance was hailed as a return to form upon the time of its release and, in many ways, might be a little stronger, a little more consistent than its predecessor, Against the Wind. Still, this album has the slickest production Bob Seger had yet granted, and the biggest hit single on The Distance wasn't written by him, it was a cover of Rodney Crowell's "Shame on the Moon." Now, this wasn't entirely unusual, since Seger had been an excellent interpreter of songs for years, but this, combined with the glossy sound, signaled that Seger may have been more concerned with his status as a popular, blue-collar rocker than his music. Not that there's much to fault with the music, since "Even Now" and "Roll Me Away" are easily two of his classics, and he turns out craftsmanlike rockers like "Makin' Thunderbirds" and "Boomtown Blues" with aplomb. For all its attributes, it feels like a mirror image of Against the Wind, an album where the rockers, on the whole, wind up being more convincing than the ballads. Now, that doesn't mean The Distance is a bad record, since it isn't -- it's filled with first-rate heartland rockers -- but Seger at his best could balance rockers with ballads, or if he concentrated on rockers, it would be more ferocious than this. This album is simply solid, a nice addition to his catalog, but not a knockout. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Features the title-track contribution to the Urban Cowboy movie soundtrack and an effective cover of "Trying to Live My Life Without You." ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Though there are still some traces of the confessionals that underpinned Beautiful Loser through Stranger in Town, Against the Wind finds Bob Seger turning toward craft. Perhaps he had to, since Against the Wind arrived after three blockbuster albums and never-ending tours. Even so, this record winds up not feeling as immediate or soulful as its predecessors, especially since it begins with a tossed-off rocker called "The Horizontal Bop," possibly his most careless tune since "Noah." It's fun, but once it's done, the record really starts to kick into high gear with "You'll Accomp'ny Me," a ballad the equal of anything on its two predecessors. Throughout Against the Wind, Seger winds up performing better on the ballads than the rockers, which, while good, tend to sound a little formulaic. Still, Seger's formula is good and if "Her Strut" and "Betty Lou's Gettin' out Tonight" would have been second stringers on Stranger in Town, they offer a nice balance here, and the rest of the record alternates between similarly well-constructed rockers and introspective ballads like "Against the Wind" and "Fire Lake." Compared to its predecessors, this does feel a little weak, but compared with its peers, it's a strong, varied heartland rock album that finds Seger at a near peak. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Night Moves was in the pipeline when Live Bullet hit, and wound up eclipsing the double live set anyway, so Stranger in Town is really the record where Bob Seger started grasping the changes that happened when he became a star. It happened when he was old enough to have already formed his character. Even as celebrity creeps in, as on "Hollywood Nights," Seger remains a middle-class, Midwestern rocker, celebrating "Old Time Rock & Roll," realizing old flames are still the same, and still feeling like a number. Musically, it's as lively as Night Moves, rocking even harder in some places and being equally as introspective in the acoustic numbers. If it doesn't feel as revelatory as that record, in many ways it does feel like a stronger set of songs. Yes, musically, it doesn't offer any revelations, but it still feels impassioned, both in its performances and songs, and it's still one of the great rock records of its era. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Bob Seger recorded the bulk of Night Moves before Live Bullet brought him his first genuine success, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that it's similar in spirit to the introspective Beautiful Loser, even if it rocks harder and longer. Throughout much of the album, he's coming to grips with being on the other side of 30 and still rocking. He floats back in time, turning in high-school memories, remembering when wandering down "Mainstreet" was the highlight of an evening, covering a rockabilly favorite in "Mary Lou." Stylistically, there's not much change since Beautiful Loser, but the difference is that Seger and his Silver Bullet Band -- who turn in their first studio album here -- sound intense and ferocious, and the songs are subtly varied. Yes, this is all hard rock, but the acoustic ballads reveal the influence of Dylan and Van Morrison, filtered through a Midwestern sensibility, and the rockers reveal more of Seger's personality than ever. Seger may have been this consistent before (on Seven, for example), but the mood had never been as successfully varied, nor had his songwriting been as consistent, intimate, and personal. Thankfully, this was delivered to a mass audience eager for Seger, and it not only became a hit, but one of the universally acknowledged high points of late-'70s rock & roll. And, because of his passion and craft, it remains a thoroughly terrific record years later. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Live Bullet introduced Bob Seger to a wide audience, revealing a rocker of unbridled passion and a songwriter of considerable talent. Prior to its release, Seger had been toiling away, releasing seven albums and touring constantly ever since his debut scraped the national consciousness in 1968. The psychedelicized days of Ramblin' Gamblin' Man are long gone on Live Bullet, leaving behind a rocker who loved the Stones for their toughness, Dylan for his honesty, and Chuck Berry for his narrative -- and one who found his own sound when the Silver Bullet Band came into its own through countless tours. Live Bullet was recorded live at Detroit's Cobo Hall, in front of a passionate, loving hometown audience spurring him into a great performance. The song selection relies heavily on Beautiful Loser, yet it dips into the previous albums enough to prove that Seger had been delivering consistently as a songwriter for years. But what really sold Live Bullet is how these terrific songs are delivered with a ferocious, committed intensity. This might not be much more than a simple rock & roll album, but it's one of the best of its kind, establishing Seger, in the eyes of skeptics, as a first-rate performer and writer. Here, "Heavy Music," "Get Out of Denver," "Turn the Page," and "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" all become hard rock classics, as does the band itself. It's a rare occasion when a double live album captures an artist at an absolute peak, while summarizing his talents, and that's exactly what Live Bullet does. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
