This is not Seger's best studio album but it compares nicely with his best selling albums of the late 70s and early 80s. The gems of the album are "The Ring" and his cover of "Fortune Son", which I consider to be better than CCR's and it is hard to beat the original of any hit. The rest of album provides a solid foundation that makes it a worthwhile purchase. The record is solid proof that Seger is one of two rock singers(the other is Springsteen) who can still produce exceptional rock music.

Unfortunately, this album has been Seger's best work for the past fourteen years. Seger still has the ability to record top notch material witnessed by "The Fire Inside" and "Lock And Load" but apparently some of the fire has disappeared with age that results in average material filling his newer albums, which has produced spotty and relativity weak records during the 1990s.

Perhaps, Seger will follow Springsteen's example and release the unreleased material, that is rumored at around 150 songs, in a boxed set that would reward his long time followers. I also hope that Seger continues to record new material because one or two top notch songs are better than anything on the market.

Many people condemn this album as being Seger's attempt to reinvent himself as an '80s rocker. It's true that the omnipresent synthesizers sound a little dated today, but if you're willing to overlook them, you'll discover a treasure trove of music that got surprisingly little recognition for its inventiveness and power. "American Storm" is essentially an update of Seger's earlier song "Even Now," displaying all the glorious driving beats and hard-sung lyrics that made that song such a hit. "The Aftermath" and "Sometimes" follow up in that vein, with a relentless rhythmic pulse--driving music if ever there was any. "Miami" is something of a departure for Seger, a smooth, almost soft-rock song that casually tells a compelling tale--a notable foreshadowing of the style he would explore in depth with his album "The Fire Inside." The other work is less notable, although "The Ring" is one of the most lyrically brilliant stories Seger's told. "Like a Rock" sounds the most like the "original" Bob Seger, and would easily be the best song on the album if we hadn't all heard the chorus so darn much (and I agree... someone at Chevy should be fired for that). Overall, this CD represents Seger's first real departure from his classic-rock roots, and that might initially turn people away from buying it. If you take it on its own terms, however, there's a lot to like about this album--and a surprising amount of the original Bob Seger sound to boot.

I am a big Bob Seger fan. I already have 4 of his cds. Face The Promise, Against The Wind, Strager In Town and Night Moves. The only other studio albums i could find is Smokin OP'S and Beatiful Loser. I was so glad when Amazon rereleased The Distance, Like A Rock and The Fire Inside. I ordered these albums immeditely.

Bob Seger is one of those bands that makes good rock and roll what it is. He is truly origanal and easily one of the best. Like a Rock is far from his best album, but it is still great. All The songs here are top notch. 'Like a Rock' is easily the best song on the album, with its great lyrics, and Segers great vocal delivery, and that guitar solo oh, that guitar solo is one of the top five slide solos ever recorded! Other stand out tracks are 'Miami', and 'American Storms' both of which are Seger classics. The silver bullet band sounds great here, and Bobs vocal delivers once again sounds great on everytrack here. There are no real classics here except for the title track 'Like A Rock' and that is why this was only a 4 star album instead of a 5.

With the possible exception of The Beatles, Stones, Zepplin and Springsteen, Bob Seger has got to be one of the best examples of what Rock and Roll can be when the artist cares about their music.