First Kiss is the tenth studio album by American singer and songwriter Kid Rock. The album was released on February 24, 2015, through Warner Bros. Records and Top Dog Records, and is his first and only with Warner Bros. after leaving sister label Atlantic Records in 2014.
Critical reception
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic said, "It's a bit bumpy and sometimes sleepy but it finds old Bob Ritchie settling into his comfort zone, knowing that he's in it for the long haul." Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone said, "First Kiss presents few surprises, mostly because Kid Rock's journey from abrasive rap metal to unreconstructed heartland rock has landed him in a sweet spot: big guitars, big drums, big choruses and gravelly vocals." Richard Bienstock of Billboard said, "First Kiss is hardly his most adventurous project, but it is perhaps his most easygoing, tuneful one. The production is crisp and clean, the guitars are sparkling, the vibe is rollicking but relaxed. He sounds better here than he has in a long time."
Commercial performance The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, with sales of 137,000 copies in the United States. As of December 2015, First Kiss has sold more than 354,000 copies in the United States. The album also debuted at number two in Canada on the Canadian Albums Chart, with sales of 8,000.
Track listing All songs were produced by Kid Rock, except "First Kiss" and "Drinking Beer With Dad" were produced by Kid Rock and Dan Huff.
Personnel Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie Sr. - drum programming, drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, percussion, piano, shaker, synthesizer, tambourine, Turntables, background vocals, wah wah guitar
Additional personnel
Hornists Rayse Biggs - horns Dave McMurray - horns
Backing vocalists Barbara Payton - background vocals Herschel Boone - background vocals Jessica Wagner-Cowan - background vocals Laura Creamer - background vocals Russell Terrell - background vocals Shannon Curfman - background vocals Shaun Murphy - background vocals Stacy Michelle - background vocals
Drummers Dorian Crozier Richard Millsap
Others Jimmie Bones - piano, background vocals Rob Mathes - conductor, string arrangements Larry Franklin - fiddle David Huff - drum programming Marlon Young - bass guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Guitarists Dan Dugmore - steel guitar Dann Huff - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin Ed Jurdi - electric guitar, slide guitar Gordy Quist - electric guitar Adam Shoenfeld - electric guitar Nathan Young - electric guitar
Pianists Charlie Judge - accordion, organ, piano Trevor Nealon - organ, piano, electric piano
Violists Vivek Kamath - viola Shmuel Katz Remi Pelletier
Violinists Larry Frautchi - violin Lisa Kim - violin Hyunju Lee - violin Liz Kim - violin Joanna Maurer - violin Annaliesa Place - violin Sharon Yamada - violin Jung Sun Yoo - violin Suzanne Ornstein - violin David Southern - violin
Cellists Mihai Marica - cello Alan Stepansky - cello Wendy Sutter - cello
Bassists Jimmie Lee Sloas - bass guitar Darrel "Peanut" Smith - bass guitar
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2015) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 45
Year-end charts Chart (2015) Position US Billboard 200 80 US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) 8
References