Customer Reviews

John Mellencamp

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For me, one of the pure joys of being a John Mellancamp fan has been watching this incredible singer/songwriter grow and mature as his career moved inexorably forward.

This album is a fresh start for Mr. Mellancamp. It's his first release on Columbia and is simply titled "John Mellancamp." Ironically, it's one of the finest albums he's ever released.

The key to any artist, I think, is growth. Many fans are content to be mired in the cloying repetition of the popular music world, but the best players change and evolve. Mr. Mellancamp has changed from the petulant pop star who told everyone he "needs a lover that won't drive him crazy" and that love "Hurts So Good" to a more introspective, gentle poet who, on this CD, begs the question, "Will you teach your children to tell the truth?"

The sound on this album maintains the rough folk/rock feel he first uncovered in the late `80s on albums like "Lonesome Jubilee" and "Big Daddy," but also incorporates some of the experimental tacts Mr. Mellancamp began taking on "Mr. Happy Go Lucky." All of it works rather nicely. The songs are catchy, foot-tappable and sing-alongable, yet, at the same time challenge the listener with a homogenous blend of styles, rhythms and themes.

The song "Your Life Is Now," could not have been written when Mr. Mellancamp was in his 20s. Its theme is more altruistic and portrays a man doing some serious soul searching; not poontang searching! Musically, it could have easily appeared on "Lonesome Jubilee" or just about any Mellancamp album since then. Nonetheless, the haunting melody and probing lyrics help send a lump directly to the throat.

"Eden Is Burning" is another highlight. Described by Mr. Mellancamp himself on VH-1's "Storytellers" as a "sequel to `Jack & Diane,' the song is a great rave-up about the loss of innocence.

The calypso/reggae beat of "I'm Not Running Anymore," is a perfect example of some of the new sounds Mr. Mellancamp has been embracing of late. The result is an infectious hip-shaker that also serves as the singer's personal declaration of independence from his inner demons.

The song "Break Me Off Some," much maligned here because of its attempts at fusing hip-hop elements to Mr. Mellancamp's heartland folk rockers, is actually one of the highlights of the album. I loathe rap music simply because I find most of its rhythms to be plodding, derivative and frankly, ripped-off. Not to mention, the lyrics are either a) incomprehensible or b) unrelatable. Here, Mr. Mellancamp tightens the groove and adds so much of his own feel to it that the genre seems more natural in this setting than on an Eminem tune.

Not every song on this album works. "Miss Missy" and "Positively Crazy," are unremarkable. However, "It All Comes True," is one of the most haunting songs that Mr. Mellancamp has ever composed; a warning to the today's youth to make the best of their time.

For me, it's difficult to judge Mr. Mellancamp's work by saying one album is better than another. To me, one couldn't exist without the other. (i.e. There would be no "Lonesome Jubilee" without "Scarecrow;" there would be no "John Mellancamp" without "Mr. Happy Go Lucky" and so on.) My favorite JM record changes each time I put one in the player.

For me, every album he releases just adds more texture and depth to what has already become an incredible body of work.

The "professional" reviewer above said that Mr. Mellancamp has had to live in the shadow of Bruce Springsteen most of his career and that Mr. Mellancamp would never produce his own "Ghost of Tom Joad."

To that I say, "Thank God." With all due respect to the Boss, John would never get that self-indulgent. That hoary cliché of a comparison is unfair to both artists and obtusely inaccurate as well.

"John Mellancamp" has slowly become one of my favorite JM recordings. Every time I put it on, the people in the room stop and smile and begin to weave and bop a bit without realizing their doing it. Now, that's a good record.

Of course, Mr. Mellancamp has a new release, "Cutting Heads," due any day now and it's likely that CD will soon become my favorite John Mellancamp album.

But you won't go wrong if you add this one to your collection as well.

To equal "Lonesome Jubilee" was no mean feat, and he did, from "Your Life Is Now" and "Miss Missy" to "Days of Farewell." No one mixes white rock with black roll as Mellencamp and band always have, and the drawl in John's voice is as real as his pioneer roots, and not just some Woody Guthrie/Tom Joad parody.

Face it: Mellencamp is a uniquely superb vocalist and has a knack for writing irresistable music with a more melodic edge than that other guy he's always been unfairly compared to...seems the critics can never get past the mention of that BS on any forthcoming review. Mellencamp's advantages have always been his ability to move the masses with his voice and intensely moving interpretations of mostly self composed lyrics more folks can relate to that have always been more easily accessable even by the casual innocent listener who falls prey to John's music while scanning the radio dial. Mellencamp unintentionally makes you FEEL his music. Though his first outing["JOHN MELLENCAMP"-1998]-this album - on his then new label, Columbia Records, is a strong lyrical effort, the diverse "sounds of the current era" Mellencamp incorporates into his unique brand of rock and roll just don't have the bite and impact he's built his reputation on and become best loved for. This man is a sincere no frills ROCKER from deep within his soul, blood, element - all the way down to his appearance and way of talking, singing...MELLENCAMP is THE MAN! Waiting 7 years to purchase this album has not changed my initial gut wrenching feeling that John had made a huge mistake by signing with Columbia...it's almost like the label just acquired him as a display jewel for their roster and totally ignored his immense talent altogether. Mellencamp was on a decade and a half prosperous and fruitful roll when his albums began appearing on Columbia. Promotion erroneously lacked intelligence and force from the mother label...the artist has acknowledged their indifference to his finest works. Sadly, his "King of Top 40" Multi-Platinum/Gold hit reign was interrupted at this point in time...The fruit of his labors at Columbia were not realized till his 2003 album, "TROUBLE NO MORE", which, for all the attention and impact it made, was too much, too little, too late. Columbia Records screwed up by not promoting such an incredibly talented artist as JOHN MELLENCAMP from the outset - they basically derailed his career. Too bad for the label! There are enough "hit worthy" tracks on this debut[as well as the two brilliant subsequent albums] to have continued his hot radio play-top 40 chart winning streak. Dunno why Mellencamp left Mercury, where he apparently was the priority artist - Kim Richey also left at a pivotal point in her career and was likewise subsequently derailed. Mellencamp is moving on and his career has been revitalized and reinvented with his new double disc "WORDS & MUSIC - GREATEST HITS"(2004) which has reestablished and revitalized him as a much loved and admired multi-platinum status artist and voice of America - that collection inspired me to seek out and purchase the three albums on this morose label I'd passed up initially...I bought them to support John. Can't wait to hear what he'll be cookin' up after his 2005 tour on his next album!

One of John Mellencamp's best CDs slipped thru the cracks, at least chartwise. We know good music isn't determined by chart position, but it is nice when great CDs get way up there. That said, this CD finds Mellencamp doing what he does best, straight-ahead, no BS rock, with some rhythmic variety thrown in for good measure. Songs like 'Fruit Trader', 'I'm Not Running Anymore' or 'Your Life is Now' stick around long after the CD has stopped playing. For those of you who think Mellencamp washed out some time back, you need to give this one a try. This one's right up there with 'Human Wheels' and 'Lonsesome Jubilee' and a far cry from the Johnny Cougar days, which classic rock stations seem to be stuck on.

THIS MAY BE THE BEST CD THAT JOHN MELLENCAMP HAS PUT OUT AND IF IT ISN'T IT'S VERY CLOSE TO THE BEST. HE HAS SOME GREAT UP TEMPO SONGS AND HE EVEN RAPS ALITTLE. FOR JOHN THIS IS THE FIRST CD ON THIS RECORD LABEL AND I KNOW HE WANTED TO HAVE A GOOD ONE. THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST CONSISTANT CD THAT I OWN BY JOHN, GO OUT AND BY IT YOU WILL LOVE IT. TAKE IT FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS ALMOST ALL HIS MUSIC

I really enjoy listening to this CD. I am a fan of John Mellencamp, but this release is something different for him. I find it very peaceful and calming, something I like to play whenever I find myself needing a bit of space--like while driving in heavy traffic or after an event that leaves me feeling tense and angry. The lyrics are great. The songs are exceptional. Fantastic music!

This CD is definitly one of the best I own. A wonderful variety of old fashioned rock-n-roll and new soul. A must for any one who appreciates good music. Mellencamp really broadens his horizons with this CD.

This is an incredible piece of work that had very little visibility when it came out (a couple of minor radio hits..)...if you have discovered that Mellencamp is more than "Jack and Diane" and "Hurts So Good" etc,...Do yourself a favor and spend the measly sum of about $1 (plus the 2.98 shipping) and get this. I think I bought it for $15 when it came out...and it was worth it!

...but, overall, not one of John Mellencamp's best.

Recently picking up his newest release ("Freedom's Road") put some perspective on several of John's late-nineties and early 2000s albums for me. While they still have far more to offer artistically than the bulk of popular music during this time-frame, they do not stand up as well to the rest of his catalogue.

"John Mellencamp" runs the gamut stylistically. "Your Life Is Now" and "Eden Is Burning" fit the "Lonesome Jubilee" era, with its violins and folk-informed acoustic guitars, while "I'm Not Running Anymore" and "Break Me Off Some" - with drum loops and scratching - clearly owe more to his mid-nineties release, "Mr. Happy Go Lucky." When the underlying song is strong enough, this mixture of styles adds flavor and benefits the entire album; unfortunately, that is only the case about half the time.

The great moments are the heartfelt, almost anthemic quality of "Your Life Is Now," the exuberance of harmonica-laden "Miss Missy," "It All Comes True," with its trademark Mellencamp-style storytelling and sincerity and quietly building insistence, and "Days of Farewell," where hip-hop style drum loops and bass meet gospel vocals/shouting (a la "When Jesus Left Birmingham" from the criminally underrated "Human Wheels" album) and violins.

The bad moments include the rhythmic challenges John encounters in his near-rap verses from "Where the World Began" (an otherwise fun, catchy song), the undeniable cheese-factor at work on "Summer of Love" (the whistles that worked so well in "Suzanne and the Jewels" - again off "Human Wheels" - push this one beyond help), and what may be the most painful vocal moment on any John Mellencamp album - the key-changing bend and reach on the line "Yeah - we had some good times..." on "Positively Crazy," a tune that was clearly intended to be lazy but lands somewhere between coma and death.

The remaining tracks are lackluster at worst - true fans of Mellencamp will find something to appreciate in each of them. I personally enjoy "Fruit Trader," though it really offers little more than a comfortable, familiar introduction to the rest of the album. "I'm Not Running," with its loops and horns, serves only to lighten the mood a bit between "Positively Crazy" and "It All Comes True."

"John Mellencamp" lacks the cohesion or charm of other Mellencamp albums but does, however, provide something for fans of any one of those. It's a good starting point in that it summarizes John's various stylistic offerings, but a bad one in that it doesn't consistently demonstrate the strength of his songwriting ability.

On a 5 scale, I'd give this about 3.5 stars if I could; compared to other John Mellencamp albums, it's a 3, but compared to the rest of the musical universe, it's a solid 4.

This is a cd that is good the first time you listen to it and gets better as you listen again and again... I hope John continues to create and record what is obviously his passion. I listen to this cd and want to attend a concert. Love the harmonica. The song - "Your life is now." is my personal favorite! Spriritually lifting!