Double Wide (2012)

We know — what could be more nonessential than an album by the DJ sidekick of Kid Rock? But Uncle Kracker's Rock-produced debut, Double Wide, is an unexpected pleasure: a multi-textured melding of water-sprinkler pop, amiable rapping, free-flowing hip-hop, and blues-rock brawn that speaks more to Kid's similar-minded fusion than does The History of Rock. Like his boss, Kracker both sings and raps, and his worldview isn't especially deep (''you can save the planet, I'll save your seat,'' in ''Better Days''). But Double Wide's many treats are tastier than an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord, and ''Follow Me'' deserves to dominate the summer airwaves. A