Son of a Preacher Man isn't meant as
Big & Rich without
Big Kenny: it's designed to be a piece of rabble-rousing populism, songs for and about the common man.
John Rich started down this path with his 2008 campaign tune "Raising McCain" as ground zero, dishing out puns over a set of pounding arena country, and he ramps it up tenfold here, lamenting the implosion of the auto industry on "Shuttin' Detroit Down," shoehorning Jesus into two different songs, and celebrating the Greatest Generation on "The Good Lord and the Man," asserting that "we'd all be speaking German, living under the flag of Japan" if we'd lost World War II. Pro that he is,
Rich manages to carve out moments that showcase his skills: the title track strikes a nice, relaxed
Marshall Tucker Band vibe and the closer, "Drive Myself to Drink," is a fun big-band send-up. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine