Although Bob Seger's 17th studio album, Ride Out, sounds like a farewell statement, the Michigan native swears it didn't start out that way.
"People have said, Ride Out; that sounds a little final there,' and I'm like, 'No, that's not really what I meant,'" Seger told Billboard recently. "It's to ride out, clear your head from all the stuff that's making you crazy."
The singer admitted that all the suggestions of retirement got him thinking though. "But it could serve as a final title," he added. "So if I decide, when I turn 70 in May, that enough's enough, it is kind of like summing up. The deciding factor for whether I leave or not is my voice, whether it holds up. I want to be graceful about it. I don't want to overstay my welcome."
Ride Out, which was released last week (October 14), is Seger's first album of new material in eight years. It's a mix of originals and covers of John Hiatt, Steve Earle, Billy Bragg and Wilco. "And best of all? He can still sing," Rolling Stone's review read. "You get the impression Bob Seger doesn't make records unless he wants to — and unless people actually want to buy them. It's looking true on both counts, and that's getting harder to come by every single day."
"I started writing songs when I was 17," Seger said. "I had planned it: 'I'm going to get big by the time I'm 25. I'm going to be done when I'm 30 because nobody lasts more than five years! But if I learn to be a good songwriter, I can continue to help other people who have careers and it'll be fun." That's how I felt at 17. It's hard work, but it's very rewarding work."
Tickets for Seger's upcoming tour are currently on sale.
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