Classic Rock Bottom

Bob Seger

I Knew You When

Capitol Records - 2017

http://www.bobseger.com

Bob Seger's brand new studio album finds the Detroit rocker paying tribute to the late Glenn Frey. The album's back cover explicitly states that the album is dedicated to the dearly departed Eagle and the final track on this deluxe edition (13 tracks instead of the standard 10) is called "Glenn Song". There's also a couple of picks of a street sign that says Glenn Frey Drive. Oh, and there is a photo of both Seger and Frey together in the liner notes.

But this album is not just a melancholy memorial to Frey. Seger has assembled a strong mix of tunes. He wrote nine tracks himself, co-wrote two others and has a couple of covers.

The disc starts off with an original track called "Gracile". The song title ended up improving my vocabulary. I say this because I wasn't sure I knew what the word meant but once I looked it up the song made a bit more sense. I suppose it is always a good thing when you can learn a little something new when you are checking out some new music.

The first of two covers is the Lou Reed song "Busload of Faith". This song was the first track released as a single prior to the album's official release date. When I heard it online, I have to say that I was completely uninterested in the song. It just fell flat to me. However, upon listening to the song again on this disc, I actually found myself getting into it. The lyrics are strangely still relevant today even though the song was written in 1989. The same could be said for Seger's cover of Leonard Cohen's 1992 song "Democracy". The pointed lyrics definitely reflect a lot of what is still going on today. Perhaps if you don't agree with the viewpoint Seger expresses with these covers or a couple of his originals, you might not like the tracks but I found this one pretty decent, even if it does sound a little preachy at times. By the way, this cover is also dedicated to the memory of Cohen. Seger also delves into topical lyrics on the original song "Forward Into The Past".

You might think that because of Seger's age that he wouldn't rock out as much, but there are a number of uptempo tracks that belie any concerns about age robbing him of his ability to rock out. "The Highway" was a fast paced number that left me with a bit of a smile on my face from just its straightforwardness alone. "The Sea Inside" has a really gritty feel and a smoking guitar sound and just rams itself straight into your eardrums. "Blue Ridge" has the drum work of Richie Hayward featured prominently in the mix. The lyrics are a kind of travelogue that makes you feel as if you are on a trip down south.

Not everything went over well for me though. I thought the song "Marie" was more than a bit slow for my own personal tastes. It was a methodical plodding song that sadly bored me which made it rather painful to sit through. The track "I'll Remember You" starts slow and grows steadily to have this big almost grandiose feel by the end, but I just couldn't get into it.

That's not to say that kind of slow growing song can't be enjoyable because "Something More" has a similar construct and I found that one outstanding. The vocals are big and bold as the song starts out and Seger is backed up by a trio of female singers who give the song an even more poignant feel. One of those singers is Bekka Bramlett who was part of Fleetwood Mac for three years in the 1990's. There's also the relatively brief inclusion of a saxophone that blends well with the song to heighten my enjoyment.

For me, there were two tracks in particular that stood apart from all the other songs. The first was the title track which is clearly about Glenn Frey as that photo of Seger and Frey is above the lyrics to the track in the CD booklet. It's a midtempo song that features nostalgic lyrics as Seger looks back on the past. The sentiment works well and there's no danger of it falling into schmaltz. This may seem weird to some but I actually found the song rather beautiful. And given the passage of time, the lyrics can sort of work for anyone looking back in the years and decades to come.

The other song is the blazing rocker "Runaway Train". My initial less than refined take on the song was that is was a "kickass track" and while that may not really give too much in the way of technical description to how the song comes off, take my word and listen to the song yourself. It just has something of a primal rock and roll feel to it that you can't help but be taken in by.

When I reviewed Bob Seger's previous studio album, the outstanding Ride Out, I said that it was merely Seger's latest statement of intent and that he remains a vibrant force. Despite my dislike of a couple of songs on this disc, that belief remains strong after listening to the I Knew You When album. He crafts some great lyrics and melds them with a strong musical soundtrack that can alternately make you think on one track while turning around on the next song to make you get your butt up and get to rocking out like it was Saturday night every night of the week.

Rating - 4.3 out of 5.0

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So you're going to make us look up Gracile to?  hahahahaha, I wont share it either, the others are on their own ...

There is another site (who shall go unnamed) who wrote up a review on this today as well.  They weren't so favorable and this review is far more agreeable to me, there are a couple of tracks I don't like but for the most part this is a nice release for him, especially when compared to his previous 2 or 3..

Scott, I can't do ALL the work for you.

You'll have to let me know privately what the other site was. I'd like to read that opinion.

And I'm glad you liked this album but we definitely disagree if you didn't like Ride Out. That's okay though, various opinions make the world go round.

I've never heard Ride Out.  But I have this one and I like it.  I'm very impressed that he has made this album at his age.  Not sure where it's gonna land Top 10-wise for me, but it'll be there somewhere.

Enjoyed the review and I bet I know the unnamed site, but I'm too damn lazy to look up Gracile.

I read the other review and it is a fair review I think. I just have a differing opinion.

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