Music review: Ted Nugent – ‘Shut Up & Jam!’
鈥淭he only hope for America is that good old rock 鈥榥鈥� roll,鈥� announces Ted Nugent on the title track of his latest release. Delivering a potent set of muscular arrangements drawn from the controversial rocker鈥檚 opinions, 鈥淪hut Up & Jam!鈥� is Nugent鈥檚 first new studio album in seven years.
On 鈥淔ear Itself,鈥� the outspoken and highly opinionated Detroit guitarist shows he still can pound out high-octane anthems with a gritty swagger. Derek St. Holmes reunites with Nugent to offer his soulful vocals on 鈥淓verything Matters.鈥�
His performance evokes memories from Nugent鈥檚 self-titled debut album. The 1975 release featured St. Holmes and Nugent fronting classic tracks like 鈥淪tranglehold,鈥� 鈥淢otor City Madhouse,鈥� 鈥淗ey Baby,鈥� 鈥淪nakeskin Cowboys鈥� and 鈥淛ust What the Doctor Ordered.鈥�
Sammy Hagar also makes an appearance on 鈥淪he鈥檚 Gone.鈥� The blues-rock number is a spirited offering with plenty of playful banter between the two guitarists. The electricity sparked by Nugent and Hagar will hopefully ignite further collaborations. There are two versions of 鈥淣ever Stop Believing鈥� that feature Nugent at his best. The rousing arena anthem cut is an inspiring powder keg of grit, guts and glory, while a stripped-down version brings the album to a slow, emotional close. The only hiccup comes as the avid hunter and outdoorsman has a little fun on 鈥淚 Love My BBQ.鈥�
Nugent denounces tofu and tossed salads for a meatier meal of choice. Sure it鈥檚 a catchy tune, but Nugent鈥檚 a little too old for something this juvenile. Fortunately, the album stays on track with hard-rocking numbers like 鈥淚 Still Believe,鈥� 鈥淭hrottledown鈥� and 鈥淪emper Fi.鈥�
The Motor City Madman has hinted he has already started working on a follow-up effort. After selling more than 40 million albums during his career, it鈥檚 perfectly clear that Nugent has no immediate plans to fade away quietly. On July 25, Nugent will play MountainFest at Mylan Park in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Clint Rhodes is the 缅北禁地 music reviewer. He can be reached at crhodes@heraldstandard.com.