Corporate line:
Mellencamp has characterized the album as a collection of “modern electric folk songs.” With backing from his legendary touring band, the album’s 14 tracks were recorded at his studio in Bloomington, Indiana and mixed in Los Angeles with Burnett behind the boards for all of the sessions. Mellencamp cites Burnett’s production as key to “finding the soul of each song.”
Mellencamp toured the U.S. and Canada towards the end of last year and had been performing at least half of the songs heard on “Life, Death, Love and Freedom” for concert audiences who have been extremely receptive to the new material. Earlier, he previewed several of the songs in New York at the annual Farm Aid benefit concert and at a benefit for New York Housing Works. He was a surprise guest performer at San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival earlier this fall and joined T Bone Burnett on stage to preview some of the album’s songs.
The great:
“Longest Days” – A simple folk song that gets right into your soul.
“If I Die Sudden” – This is steeped in gospel and folk which isn’t off the beaten path for Mellencamp.
“Troubled Land” – Sounds inspired by another rock legend: Springsteen.
“A Ride Back Home” – Mellencamp praying for help from Jesus is as poignant as it sounds. Mellencamp seems to have invoked the darker and more personal side of Johnny Cash.
“Jena” – A fantastic song about the Jena 6 travesty in Louisiana.
The rest:
“My Sweet Love” – It’s not that this is a bad song–it’s mostly uninspiring after feeling the torn-down power of a track like “Longest Days.”
“Young Without Lovers” – Good lyrics (“young without lovers/ old without friends”) and a big message.
Finally:
John Mellencamp sounds rejuvenated his voice is fantastic. Mellencamp’s deeper gnarl in his voice gives him an even more powerful presence–it just doesn’t seem possible. Fans will rejoice over another brilliant release.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.